The UK’s departure from the European Union, alongside economic and political changes, brought new visa types and rules about, which requires close monitoring of immigrants and people who wish to settle in the UK. While some of these visa types allow you to settle in the UK permanently by obtaining indefinite leave to remain, some only grant the right to work and live temporarily in the UK. In this post, we will try to answer your questions such as “How do I get a residence permit/work permit in the UK?” or “How do I settle in the UK?” by explaining the new residence and visa conditions as much as we can.
First, we would like to talk about long-term work visas. The Skilled Worker visa, which draws the attention of so many, is one of the most in-demand work routes. There are some eligible jobs determined by the British government for the Skilled Worker visa route. If you are trained and experienced in one of these professions, all you need to do is apply for jobs at UK-based companies! Please note that the requirements and expectations in each profession may vary. If you want to learn more about this visa type that can take you to permanent residency in the UK, you can visit our related webpage.
Another popular visa type that we want to talk about is the Health and Care Worker visa. This visa type, of which application criteria and benefits are quite like the Skilled Worker route, can only be applied by health and care workers. If you are a health professional, you can apply by finding a job in the UK. To learn details such as the salary amount, English language requirement, or length of your stay please check our Health and Care Worker visa page.
Have you ever heard of the Intra-company Transfer visa which allows you to work in the UK branch of your current workplace? First, you need to check if your job is eligible to apply. Your job title, salary amount, length of stay etc. must be mentioned in your application. Once your Intra-company Transfer visa expires, you can apply for an extension and live in the UK for a long period, but unfortunately, the route does not allow you to be a permanent resident. For more detailed information, you can visit our Intra-company Transfer visa page.
Do you know that you can work in the UK as a representative of a company? If you have been working for a company aiming to establish a representative office or branch in the UK, the Sole Representative visa, aka the Representative of an Overseas Business visa, is perfect for you. The most important condition is that the company headquarters must be and remain outside of the UK. Of course, there are some other eligibility and suitability criteria that must be met, such as the business plan, your position in the company, and your salary. These criteria and the details for the representation to be established in the UK should be determined before the visa application. You can have a look at the Representative of an Overseas Business visa page on our website where we have summarized the visa application guideline to help you.
It would not be fair to skip investor and talent visas, which are also in great demand in the UK settlement routes. You can live in the UK by initiating your own business with a Start-up visa. This route especially attracts the attention of entrepreneurs who would like to enter the UK market. One of the key points is to be able to prove that your business is viable, innovative and open to growth. The Entrepreneur visa seems to be a hot topic as the UK moves rapidly to strengthen its position as a world leader in science, research and innovation. To find answers to your questions, please read the Start-up visa page of our website and contact us!
One of the new applicable visa types, which is similar to the Start-up visa in many ways but has its own aspects, is the Innovator visa. With this visa type, you can live in the UK to start your own business. If you are establishing a new company through this route, there is a condition to make a certain amount of investment. However, if you wish, you can also switch to this visa type with your existing UK-based company. Investment terms, length of stay, permanent residency and much more awaits you on our Innovator visa page.
There is another visa type that you can get only by investing in the UK: Investor visa. You can transfer the investment amount directly to the funds determined by the British government or to the UK-based institutions or companies. The most important criterion is to present your source of income and capability to invest. After you get the Investor visa, you can work in the UK or start your own business. Depending on your investment amount, you can apply for indefinite leave to remain residence within 2,3 or 5 years. If you want to learn more, you are more than welcome to our Investor visa page.
We also would like to briefly talk about the Global Talent visa, which is a talent-oriented route. Although there are many subcategories in this route, the basic talent areas you can apply for are academia/research, art/culture and digital technology. You can apply either as a global or promising talent. Documents you will submit to prove your talent, UK permanent residency requirements, evaluation period… Visit our Global Talent page where we explain all!
It is also possible to live in the UK by short-term work visas instead of settling permanently. A temporary Creative and Sporting visa is one of those short-term work visas. This visa enables talented artists and athletes in various branches to contribute to the country’s economy and culture whilst they work and live in the UK. It can be said that Temporary Creative and Sporting visa application criteria are partially parallel to the Global Talent visa rules.
Another short-term work visa is the Seasonal Worker visa which only allows migrant workers or farmers in the field of horticulture to work and live in the UK for a period of up to 6 months. If you would like to apply, you can contact us or visit our website for more detailed information.
The Domestic Worker visa is for people who must travel to the UK depending on the family they work for. These people can be exemplified as caregivers, nannies, or even nurses. With the Domestic Worker visa, you can continue to work in the UK solely for your employer and only during their travel period.
There is also a way available for students who have studied and graduated in a UK based education institution and are eager to remain in the country by finding a job. Called the Graduate Route, it allows you to stay in the UK to work or even to find a job after your graduation. If you are a student interested in this route, you should check our Graduate Route page!
If you are in the UK but you want your family members to live with you, they need to apply for a ‘dependent’ visa. Please note that for such an application, your visa route should allow dependents. If that is the case, your spouse and children can also join you. They will ideally be granted a visa valid for the same period given to you. You can access the details here.
If you have lived in the UK for a long time and are planning to apply for permanent residency known as the Indefinite Leave to Remain, let us make your process easy. Contact us or visit our related webpage for more detailed information. We discuss every detail of the settlement applications for each visa route!
Lastly, after obtaining your permanent residency, the next step is to apply for UK citizenship! We would like to assist you with your UK citizenship application, which is the last to-do of this long journey. Citizenship application categories can vary like the other visa types. You can click here to find out which one is best for you and when you can apply.