If you were living in the UK before 1 January 2021, you may continue to live and work there. However, you need to have applied to the EU Settlement Scheme for settled or pre-settled status before 1 July 2021 to do so. If you move to the UK after 1 January 2021, new rules apply.

Passport

A passport is an official government document that certifies one's identity and citizenship. The process and cost associated with getting a passport can be high, so start the process at least six months before you plan to leave.

No matter why you want to enter the UK, you must always have a valid passport to enter the country (national identity card is no longer valid to visit the UK for EU state members). Passport must be valid within 6 month after departure.

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Departure

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Destination

Choose country Choose country AfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBrazilBritish Virgin IslandsBruneiBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaColombiaComorosCongoCook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCyprusCzech RepublicDemocratic Republic of CongoDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl salvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFaroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuatemalaGuinea-BissauGuinea-ConakryGuyanaHaitiHondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsraelItalyIvory CoastJamaicaJapanJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKosovoKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacauMacedoniaMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesiaMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNepalNetherlandsNetherlands AntillesNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNorth KoreaNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestinePanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarReunionRomaniaRussiaRwandaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth KoreaSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuelaVietnamVirgin IslandsWallis and FutunaYemenZambiaZimbabwe

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Visa

A visa is a stamp or endorsement placed by officials on a passport that allows the bearer to enter the country. This permission is called "entry clearance".
People from certain countries need a valid entry visa before arriving in the country, whether by air, sea or land. An UK visa is a certificate placed on your passport or travel document to indicate that you are authorised to land in the country.

Visa points-based immigration system

This new immigration system affects anyone arriving the UK after 1st January 2021 to work or study. All non-UK residents (from EEA and non-EEA countries) must attain the required points and apply for a visa under the new immigration system.

The number of necessary points to qualify for a UK work visa are 70.

To reach them, there are three obligatory requirements:

• Having an offer of a job with a sponsored employer (20 points)
• Having a job at the appropriate skill level (20 points)
• Speaking English to the required level (10 points)

When fulfilling all these 3 requirements, a total of 50 points will be obtained. However, applicants must then make up their points to 70 points from the remaining characteristics, which include salary level, shortage occupation and education qualification.

There is no route for freelancers or those who are self-employed

For more information check Davidsonmorris.com article on "New UK Points-Based Immigration System" and EasyExpat article: "Brexit: New rules for working in the UK".

Where to Apply for a UK Visa

Visas need to be obtained prior to arrival in Great Britain. If you require a visa there is no way to make an application on arrival and the likelihood is that you will be refused entry to the United Kingdom. Applications for entry into the UK should be made at any British Diplomatic Post in your country of residence or online at gov.uk/apply-to-come-to-the-uk

Types of visa

With the new Brexit rules, some visa schemes have changes and more types of visas have been released regarding the travelling purpose when visiting UK.
Nowadays, you may need a visa if you are planning to travel to the UK to study, work, visit or join family.
There are different visas depending on:

• where you come from
• why you want to come to the UK
• how long you want to stay for
• your personal circumstances and skills

Before you apply, you must check if you need a visa and what type you visa you need. Depending on your nationality, you might not need a visa to visit or transit through the UK.

Note that your application must ALWAYS be accepted before you travel.

If you need a visa, you must apply online before you come to the UK.

As part of your application, you might be asked to book an appointment at a visa application centre to prove your identity and provide your documents.
Allow time to attend your appointment, as the visa application centre could be in another country.
The visa application centre may keep your passport and documents while processing your application.
The earliest you can apply is 3 months before you travel.

Visitor Visa

Depending on the passport your holding you will have to apply for a Standard Visitor visa if you want to visit the UK for up to 3 months for any of the following reasons:

• for a holiday or to see family and friends
• for a business trip or meeting
• to do a short course of study

You must apply for a Marriage Visitor visa if you want to visit the UK to get married or register a civil partnership.
If you have a visitor visa you cannot take a job in the UK.

Long-Term Visit Visa

You can usually stay in the UK for more than 3 months as a visitor. However, you will have to pay the corresponding fee (depending on its length):

• 2 years - £361
• 5 years - £655
• 10 years - £822

If you're staying in the UK for longer than 3 months, you must collect your biometric residence permit when you arrive. You may also have to take a tuberculosis test as part of your application depending on where you come from.

You MUST check all specific requirements before landing in the UK depending on the country you come from. Before you arrive you must check if you need a visa and what type you visa you need.

Student Visitor

If you want to come to the UK to do a short course of study during your visit, you can apply to do so as a student visitor.
Note that, the new "visa points-based immigration system" also includes all student visas. You will now need to demonstrate that you meet the relevant criteria and score the number of points required for your visa.
Moreover, your course length, type and place of study affect which visa to apply for. The different kind of visa that you can get as a student are:

• A Standard Visitor visa lets you do a short course of study that lasts no longer than 6 months.
• A Short-term study visa lets you come to the UK to study a course that is over 6 months and up to 11 months.
• A Student visa is usually for a longer course. You must be sponsored by a licensed college or university and have a confirmed place. You may be able to do some work on this visa.
• A Child Student visa is for 4 to 17 year olds who want to study at an independent school. If you're 16 or over, you can do some work on this visa.

During your visit, you must:

• Support and pay for accommodation for yourself and any dependents, without help from public funds; or
• Ensure that you and your dependents will be supported and accommodated by relatives or friends, and will not take employment.

For a complete guide to Student visas, visit: Study in the UK

Work Permit

In order to hire a non-UK citizen and obtain a work permit, a company must demonstrate that the applicant has a certain set of required skills and they do not have other British candidates for the position. Smaller firms may not be willing to make the effort as they are typically not short of candidates and the approval process can take 4-6 months.
For senior management, IT professionals and other highly qualified positions, the conditions are much easier to fulfill and an application properly handled with the sponsorship of the employer can be processed quicker.

Complete information on work in the UK can be found at Home Office Working in the UK.

What is a work permit?

Work permits are issued to a specific person for a specific job. They are used to enable British employers to recruit workers from abroad whilst also protecting the interests of resident workers in the UK.

Who needs a Work Permit?

Everyone arriving the UK after 31st Dec 2020 will be obligated to get a previous visa to be able to work, do business or academic research in the UK regardless of their nationality. Exceptionally, Irish citizens can continue to enter, live and work in the UK without restrictions.

If you were living in the UK before 1 January 2021, you may continue to live and work there. However, you need to have applied to the EU Settlement Scheme for settled or pre-settled status if you haven't already. You had until 30 June 2021 to do so.

Which other types of professional visa does the UK offer?

The visa you apply for depends on your circumstances. Among the most popular ones, UK offers a wide range of visas that may be suitable for your experience and career. For example:

• Skilled Worker visa
• International agreement visa
• Start-up visa, if you're starting a business for the first time
• Innovator visa, if you're an experienced businessperson with funds to invest
• Global Talent visa, to work as a leader in academia, research, arts, culture or digital technology
• Investor visa, if you want to invest £2 million or more in the UK
• Job in public sector health or social care, for example for the NHS
• Job in a religious community
• Job as an elite sportsperson or coach
• etc.

New settlement status

If you are an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, you and your family can apply both for:

• Citizenship before 30 June 2021 or,
• EU Settlement Scheme to continue living in the UK after 30 June 2021- you will not have to prove you have 5 years' continuous residence.

You can also apply for the EU Settlement Scheme if you're a family member of an eligible person of Northern Ireland.
Exceptionally, you may be able to stay in the UK without applying - for example, if you're an Irish citizen or already have indefinite leave to remain.

For more information on the "New settlement status", visit: Apply to the EU Settlement Scheme (settled and pre-settled status)

If you have indefinite leave to enter or remain

If you have lived legally in the UK for 5 five years and you have applied successfully for the "indefinite leave to remain", you will be able to continue living in the UK without applying to the EU Settlement Scheme.

However, due to Brexit, if you choose to apply (and meet all the other conditions), you will get ‘indefinite leave to remain under the EU Settlement Scheme' - also known as settled status. Therefore, the "indefinite leave to remain" will not exist anymore as such.

This means you should be able to spend up to 5 years in a row outside the UK without losing your settled status (instead of 2 years with the indefinite leave to enter or remain you have now).

Bring/Join Family in the UK

If you're a spouse, partner or family member of someone who holds a British citizenship or settlement in the UK, you are entitled to apply for a family visa. See that they may ask you to prove that they can support you financially during your stay in the UK. Note that if you apply outside the UK a decision will usually be made within 12 weeks and visa fees start at £1,033 (in 2021).

For family to join you in the UK long-term, applicants must provide documentation of their relationship.

Spouse applicants must show:

• Legally married
• Intend to permanently live together
• Able to support yourselves and any dependents without recourse to public funds
• Both over 18 years old

Fiancé applicants must show:

• Intention to marry in the near future (within six months)
• Able to support yourselves and any dependents without recourse to public funds.

To join your unmarried partner, both you and your unmarried partner must show:

• Any previous marriage has permanently broken down
• Been living together for at least two years
• Intend to permanently live together
• Able to support yourselves and any dependents without recourse to public funds
• Both over 18 years old

For children to join their parents, they must show:

• The parents are currently settled (or intend to settle) in the UKçParents are able to support you without recourse to public funds
• Child is over 18 years old
• Child cannot support themselves financially, is not married and is not living away from the parents.

Note that if only one of your parents is resident in the UK, you will not normally be able to join them unless the parent has sole responsibility for you.

For further details about joining relatives in the UK, consult the UK Visas website Partners and Family Members or the nearest British Diplomatic Mission abroad.

Citizenship

To apply for citizenship you must usually have lived in the UK for 12 months after getting permanent residence status. You also need a permanent residence document that proves you've lived in the UK for 5 years - this can be any 5 year period.

This means that if the 5 year period was more than 12 months ago, you will be able to apply for citizenship as soon as you get your permanent residence document.

For further information visit: Check if you can become a British citizen

Other ways you can be eligible

You may be eligible to apply for citizenship if:

• you have a British parent
• you have another type of British nationality
• you are stateless
• you previously gave up (renounced) your citizenship
• you are a Commonwealth citizen

You may be eligible to apply for citizenship under the Windrush Scheme if both:

• you or one of your parents arrived in the UK before 1973
• you've lived in the UK and not been away from it for more than 2 years

If your parent arrived in the UK before 1973, you must have either:

• been born in the UK
• arrived in the UK before you were 18

Dual Citizenship

Dual Citizenship is possible for citizens of certain countries. A person having a dual nationality does not lose British nationality (however, some countries may not allow dual citizenship in principal). Babies born in Britain with one of the parent being British and those who get married to a person from the UK will get automatically the British Nationality.

Parents can apply for a passport for the child by post, using a form available online.

To get British citizenship in the UK, check how to apply in your situation.

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