types of visa in uk
A UK visa is the authorizing document that enables citizens from all over the world to enter, temporarily stay, or permanently reside in the United Kingdom. A visa is often obtained with a stamp in your passport or through the presentation of a document by a UK consulate or embassy in your country of residence.
If you are granted a visa, it indicates that you are qualified to enter the United Kingdom and that you meet the visa’s specific requirements. There are numerous reasons why people wish to apply for a UK visa, including the following:
- Earn a living and do business
- To study
- For short-term stays and tourism
- To reunite with family members already in the United Kingdom.
- To pass through the United Kingdom to another country
- To live indefinitely
- As a refugee or as a person in need of humanitarian assistance,
- As a stateless individual,
- As a person who needs permission to remain
Who Is Eligible for a UK Visa?
Prior to visiting the UK, citizens of the European Economic Area, Switzerland, are not required to apply for a UK visa.
How to Apply for a Visa to the United Kingdom?
The application process for a UK visa is dependent on the types of UK visa you are looking for. In particular, if your visa type falls under the category of Points-Based System visas, while the majority of requirements are identical for each category, the manner in which they are evaluated in the system varies. Additionally, there are additional requirements that differ by category.
When Should I Apply for a Visa to the United Kingdom?
Three months before the date of your intended visit to the UK, you may apply for a visa. However, keep in mind that your visa application may take up to three weeks to process. Apply early to allow the consulate sufficient time to process your visa.
What Documents Are Required for a UK Visa?
There are some standard UK visa requirements for all applicants that must be met. These requirements differ according to the type of UK visa and the applicant’s nationality.
What is the Points-Based System (PBS) and how does it work?
The United Kingdom’s Point-Based System (PBS) Visas are used to regulate immigration to the United Kingdom from outside the country, replacing the previous system, which was far more complicated and difficult to cover.
The PBS system scores visa applicants on the basis of the points they earn by meeting visa requirements. Each visa requirement has a certain number of points, and the candidate must accumulate a certain number of points in order to obtain the visa.
Types of UK Visas
There are a variety of reasons why individuals wish to apply for a UK visa. That is why the UK has a well-organized visa system that is divided into different visa categories based on the purpose of the visitor.
The following are the many types of visas available in the United Kingdom:
- Work Visa
- Study Visa
- Visitor Visa
- Business Visa
- Settlement Visa
- Family Visa
- Transit Visa
Visas for Work and Business
Apart from its severe requirements, which prevent many visa holders from finding work, the UK also offers Working Visas for high-end professionals from other countries who seek to work and live in the UK for shorter or longer periods of time.
Work and business visas categories
- Highly qualified foreigners:
- Skilled foreign workers with a job offer in a shortage area
- Youth mobility and temporary foreign workers
- Other:
The following are the many types of business visas available in the United Kingdom:
- Tier 1 Entrepreneur Visa
- Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur Visa
- Tier 1 Investor Visa
- Turkish Businessperson Visa
Student Visa
These visas are provided to international students wishing to study in the United Kingdom.
Student visa classifications
- Student Visa Tier 4 (Child)
- Student Visa Tier 4 (General)
- Visa for Short-Term Study
Visas for Tourists and Visitors
The United Kingdom is an extremely popular tourist destination, both for short and extended stays. Visitor Visas to the United Kingdom are provided for short stays, tourism, and similar purposes. The UK government rarely issues a tourism visa for a duration longer than six months. As is the case with many other forms of visas, foreign citizens are not permitted to work in the United Kingdom while holding this sort of visa.
Short business travels are treated similarly.
Tourist and visitor visa categories
- Visitor Visa for Marriage
- Parent of a child on a Tier 4 (Child) Student Visa
- Paid Engagement Visa
- Visa for Short-Term Study
- Visa for Visitors to the United Kingdom
- Visa for a Chinese Tour Group
Family Visa
The UK Family Visa is provided for the purpose of visiting family members in the United Kingdom. This visa category is for individuals who have family members who work and live in the United Kingdom and wish to join them for a period of more than six months as dependents. Dependents may include a husband or wife (spouse), a partner, a fiancé, a fiancée, or a prospective civil partner, children, parents, or other family members.
Categories of visas for family members
- Spouse Visa for the United Kingdom
- Parental visa for the United Kingdom
- Child visa for the United Kingdom
Transit Visas
The UK Transit Visa is intended for foreign nationals who are not citizens of the EEA (EU member states, including Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway) or Switzerland who are using the UK as a transit country on their way to another country. This visa allows applicants to apply for a long-term transit visa if they can demonstrate that they require regular travel through the UK to reach their destination but have no intention of staying or living there permanently. These long-term transit visas can be granted for a period of one to ten years.
Transit visas are classified into several categories:
- For individuals who need to change planes without leaving the airport in the United Kingdom, the Direct Airside Transit Visa (DATV) is for individuals who need to change planes without leaving the airport in the United Kingdom.
- Visitor in Transit Visa: For foreign nationals who must exit the airport and transfer to another mode of transport, or who must travel across land for a portion of their journey. This visa is valid for a maximum of four days.
Refugee visa
Temporary Refugee Visas are for individuals who are about to enter the United Kingdom and are at the border because they were forced to flee their country due to grave threats to their life. This visa must be applied from within the United Kingdom.
The visa is temporary, valid just until the visa holder is no longer in danger and is able to return to their country. The Visa for Stateless Persons is for foreign nationals living in the United Kingdom who are not citizens of any other country. This visa is valid for a period of two to six years with the potential of extension.
Permits to Reside in the United Kingdom
Indefinite Leave to Remain
The UK Settlement permit, also known as Indefinite Leave to Remain, is intended for individuals who have been residing in the UK on a temporary visa for an extended period of time and now wish to obtain a permanent one. The visa is valid for individuals who have been away from the UK for at least two years and wish to return, or whose passport has been lost.
Foreign nationals who are already in the UK on a refugee or humanitarian visa and wish to remain permanently or for family reunions. The majority of these visas require applicants to have spent a minimum of five years in the United Kingdom.
Permits to Reside in the EEA
- Card of Residence in the EEA
- Certificate of Registration in the United Kingdom – European Economic Area (QP)
- Card of Permanent Residence in the United Kingdom—EEA (PR)
- Permit for family reunification in the EEA in connection with the derived right of residence
- Permit for Surinder Singh’s family under the EEA
- Permit for EEA family members with respect to continued residence rights
- Certificate of eligibility for the right of abode in the United Kingdom
Additional resident permits
UK residence permits are used to establish temporary residency in the United Kingdom.
- Returning Residents’ Visa
- Permit to reside biometrically (BRP)
- Residence Permit for Commonwealth Citizens
- Visas for settlement as a refugee as well as for humanitarian purposes
