Depending on your circumstances, it may be necessary to submit a visa application to visit and enter the United Kingdom. Each visa category has distinct eligibility criteria, and in some cases, applicants must have a UK-based sponsor. To substantiate your case and establish your eligibility for the desired visa, you must also include a comprehensive set of supporting documents.

To gain further insights into your entry options and the process for submitting a UK visa application, please get in touch with our team of experienced immigration advisors.

If you intend to reside in the UK for more than six months with family members or partners who are British citizens or settled individuals, you will need to submit an application for a Family or Partner Visa.

To reunite with your family in the UK, you can apply for one of the following Family Visas:

• Parent of a British national or settled person: You are eligible for this visa if your child is under 18 and is living independently in the UK.
• Children of a British national or settled person: Only children under 18 can be included in your application as dependents.
• Adults coming to be cared for by a relative: To qualify, your designated relative must be a British national or settled person and must be capable of supporting, accommodating, and caring for you without relying on public funds.
• UK Ancestry Visa: Commonwealth citizens or those who can demonstrate that one of their grandparents was a UK national can submit a visa application.
• EEA Family Permit: This visa is for individuals living outside the European Economic Area (EEA) who wish to join their family in the UK within six months of their application date.

Partner Visas are available for individuals engaged, married to, or in a civil partnership with a British national or settled person. Depending on your circumstances and whether you include dependents in your application, additional financial and eligibility criteria may apply.

• Spouse Visa: With a Marriage Visa, you can join your partner in the UK for up to 30 months, provided you prove the genuineness of your relationship and meet specific financial requirements.
• Fiancé Visa: The fiancé visa is designed for those intending to marry in the UK within six months of application. Failure to meet this requirement may result in deportation at the end of the permitted residence period.
• Unmarried Partner Visa: Same-sex couples can legally form a civil partnership or convert an existing one into a marriage in England or Wales, with specific eligibility criteria. Different rules may apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

In general, individuals need a UK-based employer or educational institution to sponsor their PBS visa application for work or study in the country. Applicants under the UK Visa system are required to pass an assessment test to demonstrate eligibility.

UK business visas cater to “high-value migrants,” including international entrepreneurs or investors looking to invest capital or establish businesses in the UK. The business visa categories include:

• Global Talent Visa: This is for individuals recognized as leaders in specific fields, such as science, medicine, engineering, or the arts, with a minimum points score of 75.
• Innovator Visa: Intended for experienced businesspeople starting businesses in the UK, requiring a capital investment of £50,000.
• Investor Visa: To qualify, you must have access to at least £2,000,000 for investment in the UK.
• Start-up Visa: For individuals setting up their first business in the UK, with no specific minimum investment requirement, but applicants must demonstrate their high potential.

This category of UK visas is suitable for applicants with job offers in skilled roles like accountancy, IT, or healthcare from a UK-based sponsor. The employer must hold or request a certificate of sponsorship. The main visa under the Skilled Worker route is:

• Skilled Worker Visa: For international workers with job offers in positions on the Shortage Occupations List or roles for which there is a shortage of skilled workers in the domestic labor market.

• Senior or Specialist Worker Visa: For existing employees working abroad who need to transfer to a UK branch of their company, available for both long-term staff and new graduate trainees.
• Sportsperson Visa: Intended for internationally recognized athletes and qualified coaches with endorsements from their sport’s governing body.
• Minister of Religion Visa: Targeted at religious workers and missionaries employed within a UK faith community.

Student visas allow international students to study at schools, colleges, or universities in the UK. To be eligible, applicants must hold a Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS) from a UK educational institution.

• Student Visa: For students aged 18 and over with offers from UK educational institutions holding valid sponsorship licenses.
• Child Student Visa: Accessible for non-UK students under 18, with some individuals over 16 permitted to work up to 10 hours per week.
• Short-Term Study Visa: Suitable for short visits to the UK for courses like training or English language studies, with a duration of 6 to 11 months.

Temporary Work Visas are for individuals seeking short-term stays in the UK without plans to settle.

• Charity Worker Visa: For those with unpaid or voluntary job offers.
• Creative and Sportspersons Visa: Available to highly skilled creative workers or sportspersons with job offers in the UK.
• International Agreement Visa: For workers with job offers covered by international law, such as diplomatic or embassy workers.
• Youth Mobility Scheme Visa: Allows international workers aged 18 to 30 from eligible countries to live and work in the UK for up to 2 years.

Our highly qualified immigration advisors can assist you in selecting the most suitable visa for your situation, evaluating your eligibility, and assessing your chances of success. Schedule your initial Advice Session with one of our immigration specialists to receive professional guidance.

UK Visitor and Short-Stay Visas permit non-EEA nationals to visit the UK for leisure, medical purposes, artistic endeavors, or limited business activities for up to 6 months.

For business, leisure, or private medical treatment visits to the UK, you can apply for a Visitor Visa.

• Standard Visitor Visa: Use this permit for unpaid business appointments, artistic work, private medical treatment, or leisure visits.
• Visitors in transit Visa: Some travelers may require this visa to pass through the UK en route to another country.
• Permitted Paid Engagement Visa: For eminent experts in their field, including performers, academics, broadcasters, and researchers.

Apply for a short-stay visa if you intend to visit the. UK for tourism or business for up to 6 months.

• Short-term Study Visa: Suitable for short courses or brief research visits as part of an international degree program.
• Parent of a Child Visa: Available to parents whose children attend independent fee-paying schools in the UK.
• Visitor Visa for Chinese tour groups: Reserved for Chinese tour groups. Organised by licensed Chinese tour operators with a minimum of 5 participants.

Depending on your circumstances, you may qualify for settlement in the UK after a specified period as a lawful resident. Acquiring British Citizenship is the final step in your UK immigration journey.

You will automatically receive a Biometric Residence Permit if you:

• Are granted permission to stay in the UK for more than 6 months
• Apply to extend your existing visa for at least 6 more months
• Apply to settle in the country as a UK national
• Request to transfer your current permit to a new passport.

Right of Abode

Dual nationals can include a Right of Abode stamp in their foreign passport to enter the UK freely. You can also apply if you are:

• A Commonwealth national with parents born as British citizens
• A Commonwealth woman married to a British national on or before January 1, 1983.

In general, you must have spent at least five years in the UK before applying for Indefinite Leave to Remain. However, some visa holders, such as Spouse Visa holders, may become eligible for ILR after only two years.

ILR grants freedom from immigration-related restrictions, allowing you to visit, work, and study in the UK and travel abroad without the need for a visa. If you spend more than two years abroad, you may lose your permanent residence status.

Holding Indefinite Leave to Remain is a prerequisite for applying for British citizenship.

You can naturalize as a British citizen after five years of lawful residence in the UK, or after three years if married to a British national.

Once you obtain Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK, you become eligible for British nationality after an additional 12-month period. To naturalize as a UK citizen, you must meet specific requirements, including demonstrating proficiency in the English language, passing the Life in the UK Test, having good character, and adhering to certain residency conditions.

Given the complexity of British naturalization, it is advisable to seek guidance from an expert immigration ladvisor when assembling your portfolio of documents and evidence for submission to the UKVI.

We understand the frustration of a UK Visa refusal. However, a refusal does not necessarily mean you cannot enter the UK.

The UK Visa appeal process provides routes for individuals wishing to challenge the decision, primarily on human rights grounds. The appeal process has evolved into the administrative review of decisions rather than broad rights of appeal.

Grounds for appealing a UK Visa decision include incompatibility with immigration rules, breaches of the Race and Religion Act (Section 19B), violations of the applicant’s rights under the Community Treaties related to EEA national family members, breaches of other laws, and incorrect legal judgments.

To appeal UK Visa refusals, it’s crucial to act swiftly, with deadlines ranging from 14 to 28 days, depending on the application location. Before filing an appeal, consider submitting a pre-action protocol for judicial review to explore mutually satisfactory resolutions without litigation.

UK Visas

Visa type	Purpose
Skilled Worker Visa	Skilled Workers with a job offer in the UK
Temporary Worker Visa	Temporary work, work experience and research in the UK for less than 12 months
Youth Mobility Visa	2 year work permit for young people aged 18-20 from participating territories
Paid Permitted Engagement visa	Short-term entry for individuals invited to the UK as experts in their field
Sportsperson Visa	Work permit for elite sportspersons or qualified coaches
Minister of Religion Visa	Work permit for religious workers
Senior or Specialist Worker Visa	Employees from multi-national companies transferring to work in a UK branch
Business Visitor Visa	Travel to the UK for up to 6 months for business activities
Student Visitor Visa	Studying in the UK on a temporary basis
Tourist Visa	Travel to the UK for up to 6 months for leisure or other purposes
Adult Student Visa	Studying in the UK
Two year post-study work visa	Work permit for international students who have studied a bachelor’s or master’s course in the UK
Child Student Visa	Children aged 4-17 to study in the UK
Spouse Visa	Spouses of British Citizens/settled persons
Fiancé Visa	Fiancés of British Citizens/settled Persons
Unmarried Partner Visa	Long-term partner of British Citizens/settled persons
Adult Dependent Visa	Foreign nationals requiring care from a UK relative
Child Dependent Visa	Child of a British citizen/settled person not living an independent life
Ancestry Visa	Citizens of commonwealth countries with a British grandparent
Innovator Visa	International entrepreneurs with £50,000 to invest in a business in the UK
Investor Visa	International investors with at least £2 million to invest in UK businesses
Startup Visa	Applicants with approved sponsors to start their first business in the UK
Schengen Visa	Travel throughout the Schengen area