United Kingdom Visa and Residence: Types, Requirements and How to Apply

If you plan to live and work in the United Kingdom, the document you need is a UK visa — and for most workers that means the Skilled Worker visa, sponsored by a licensed UK employer under the points-based system. This guide explains the visa types, who qualifies, the documents you need, how to apply through UK Visas and Immigration, the fees, and how to build toward settlement and citizenship. Since Brexit, these rules apply to everyone from outside the UK and Ireland, including EU nationals.

In short, a licensed employer assigns a Certificate of Sponsorship, and you apply online, scoring 70 points on skill, salary and English. The UK is not in the EU or the Schengen Area, and it uses the pound. Salary and skill thresholds rose sharply in 2025 and 2026; settlement now generally takes ten years for most work routes, and the UK allows dual citizenship.

What is a UK residence permit?

The UK does not use a single residence permit; instead, you hold a visa for a specific route, evidenced by a digital immigration status (an eVisa). For workers, the main route is the Skilled Worker visa, which replaced the old Tier 2 (General) visa and lets a licensed UK employer sponsor a non-UK national in an eligible skilled role. UK Visas and Immigration, part of the Home Office administer it. The UK is not a member of the EU or the Schengen Area, and it uses the pound, so a UK visa grants no European access. Since Brexit, EU nationals need a visa on the same basis as everyone else.

Types of UK work routes

The main routes are:

• Skilled Worker visa: the principal sponsored work route, subject to skill, salary and English requirements.
• Global Talent and other specialist routes: for leaders in academia, research, arts and digital technology.
• Family and student routes.
• Indefinite leave to remain (settlement), reached after a qualifying period.

For most overseas workers, the Skilled Worker visa is the primary route to living and working in the UK.

Who can apply?

Any non-UK, non-Irish national with a job offer from a licensed sponsor can apply for the Skilled Worker visa. You need 70 points: 50 are mandatory — sponsorship by an approved employer, a job at the required skill level, and English language ability — and 20 are tradeable, usually earned through salary. Since July 2025, the job must generally be at graduate level (RQF Level 6), which has removed around 180 lower-skilled occupations from the standard route; a limited Temporary Shortage List keeps some sub-degree roles eligible on restricted terms. English must now be at a B2 level for new applicants. These changes have made the route markedly harder for lower-paid and lower-skilled roles.

Do you need a visa first?

Yes. The employer must first hold a sponsor licence and assign you a Certificate of Sponsorship; you then apply online, provide your biometrics, and receive a visa granted for up to five years, evidenced as a digital eVisa. Applications from outside the UK are typically decided in around three weeks, and from within the UK in around eight weeks. There is no separate residence registration afterwards — the visa is your status. Confirm your entry requirements before you travel.

Documents you need

Prepare a complete, well-organised package:

• A valid passport
• Your Certificate of Sponsorship reference number
• Proof of English at B2 level, unless exempt
• Evidence that the salary meets the threshold and the going rate
• Proof of £1,270 held for 28 days, unless your sponsor certifies maintenance
• A criminal-record certificate or TB test, for certain roles or countries

Do not let your employer assign the Certificate of Sponsorship until your English evidence is confirmed. Confirm the current checklist on the official guidance before applying.

Establish your legal purpose.

The Skilled Worker visa rests on a genuine, sufficiently skilled and properly paid job with a licensed sponsor. In 2026, the general salary threshold is at least £41,700 a year or the going rate for the occupation, whichever is higher, alongside a minimum hourly rate. From 8 April 2026, the salary must be met in every individual pay period, not just averaged over the year. Reduced thresholds exist for new entrants, relevant PhDs, and roles on the Immigration Salary List, all of which are time-limited. The purpose must be genuine and documented, and the pay must stand up to compliance checks. The Home Office has been auditing sponsors more frequently, so salary and role must match the sponsorship exactly.

Register your status

Once your visa is granted, your immigration status is held digitally as an eVisa, which you and your employer can view and prove online; there is no separate town-hall registration as in some countries. You must keep your details current and continue in your sponsored role, and the Home Office is conducting more frequent audits of sponsors, so your employment must match your sponsorship. Start any extension in good time, since continuous lawful residence in an eligible role is what builds toward settlement.

How to get a UK work visa, step by step

1. Secure a job offer from a UK employer that holds a sponsor licence.
2. The employer assigns you a Certificate of Sponsorship.
3. Confirm your English evidence and that the salary meets the threshold.
4. Apply online and pay the fees and Immigration Health Surcharge.
5. Provide your biometrics.
6. Receive your visa as a digital eVisa and travel to the UK.
7. Begin your sponsored role and keep your status current.
8. Apply for settlement when eligible.

Processing time

Standard processing runs at around three weeks for applications made from outside the UK and around eight weeks for those made within the UK, with priority services available for faster decisions. The employer’s correct information and a complete file help considerably. Prepare everything carefully to avoid delays, confirm your English evidence before the Certificate of Sponsorship is assigned, and start any extension in good time so your residence and sponsorship stay continuous toward settlement.

Government fees and costs

The costs are high and payable in pounds: the visa application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge for access to the National Health Service are paid by the worker, while the employer separately pays for the Certificate of Sponsorship and the Immigration Skills Charge, which rose in December 2025. For a three-year placement, total government charges commonly exceed £8,000 once employer costs are included. Fees are updated periodically, so confirm the current figures on the official guidance before you apply.

Validity and renewal

A Skilled Worker visa is granted for up to five years at a time and can be extended without limit, provided you still hold valid sponsorship in an eligible role that meets the current salary and skill rules. From 8 April 2026, sponsors must show that the salary threshold is met in each pay period, so pay must not dip in any month. Keep your employment and pay in order, and file any extension before your visa expires, because continuous lawful residence is what builds toward settlement.

Changing employer or purpose

You can sometimes change roles within the same sponsor without a new visa, but switching employers requires a new Certificate of Sponsorship and a change-of-employment application. If your sponsor ends your employment, the Home Office usually shortens your visa. It gives you a limited period — often around 60 days — to find a new sponsor or switch to another route, so acting quickly matters. Always keep your visa aligned with your actual employment, because working outside its terms puts your status at risk.

Benefits of holding a visa

A valid visa gives you the right to live and work in the UK, in one of the world’s largest English-speaking economies, with access to the National Health Service through the Immigration Health Surcharge. You can bring eligible family members, who in most cases can also work, and you can travel in and out of the UK during the visa. It is important to understand, though, that a UK visa grants no European access because the UK is not in the EU or the Schengen Area, and that the route to settlement has become longer and more demanding.

Family reunification

The standard Skilled Worker visa makes provision for dependants: a partner and children under eighteen can apply to join you, and they are in most cases granted the right to work. An important exception is that workers sponsored under the Temporary Shortage List cannot bring dependants, which matters for families weighing that route. Each dependent applies with supporting evidence. Confirm the current requirements on the official guidance before applying, as the rules on dependants have been tightened.

Pathway to settlement and citizenship

Indefinite leave to remain, the UK’s settlement status, historically followed five years on the Skilled Worker route, but from April 2026 the qualifying period was extended to ten years for most work and study routes. Settlement requires the Life in the UK test and English, with the settlement English level rising to B2 from March 2027. After holding settlement for twelve months — or immediately if married to a British citizen — you can normally apply for British citizenship, subject to residence and good-character requirements, and the UK allows dual citizenship. See our British citizenship guide.

For professional drivers in the United Kingdom

Here, honesty matters. The UK has a real freight economy, with major container ports at Felixstowe, London Gateway and Southampton, and a huge domestic logistics sector centred on the Midlands. During the 2021 driver shortage, it briefly ran a temporary visa scheme for lorry drivers, but that has long expired. Crucially, the July 2025 reform raising the skill level to graduate level removed sub-degree roles — including large goods vehicle driving — from the standard Skilled Worker route, so HGV driving is now only sponsorable, if at all, through the narrow Temporary Shortage List, which brings no dependants, no salary discount and a looming expiry. With the £41,700 salary threshold and the sponsor requirement on top, and with EU drivers no longer having free movement, the UK is a difficult route for non-UK drivers. You will need your driving licence categories and Certificate of Professional Competence. Employers who sponsor drivers must hold a licence and meet the salary and skill rules, which few driving roles now satisfy.

• Browse driver vacancies in the UK.
• Register a driver profile.
• For employers — hire international drivers with compliance support

Residence permits by UK region

The UK has twelve regions and nations. The process is the same nationwide — a sponsored visa under the points-based system — but here is what each offers, especially for freight.

East of England

Home to Felixstowe, the UK’s biggest container port, and part of the logistics golden triangle, with heavy distribution and warehousing. The port’s road links carry a large share of the UK’s containerised imports inland. Driver jobs in the East of England.

East Midlands

The heart of the logistics golden triangle, with major rail-freight terminals and East Midlands Airport, the UK’s biggest air-freight hub. The area’s vast distribution centres serve retailers across the country. Driver jobs in the East Midlands.

West Midlands

Home to Birmingham and the automotive industry, centrally placed for national distribution within the logistics triangle. Driver jobs in the West Midlands.

South East

The region around London, with the Channel crossings at Dover and the tunnel, is the main road-freight gateway between the UK and mainland Europe. Driver jobs in the South East.

London

The capital and largest market, with finance and services, the London Gateway and Tilbury ports, and dense distribution across the city. Keeping the capital supplied requires a constant flow of freight through and around the city. Driver jobs in London.

Yorkshire and the Humber

Home to the Humber ports, among the UK’s busiest by tonnage, with manufacturing and logistics. Driver jobs in Yorkshire and the Humber.

North West

The region around Manchester and Liverpool, with the Port of Liverpool, manufacturing and strong logistics. Driver jobs in the North West.

North East

The region around Newcastle, with car manufacturing at Sunderland and the ports of the Tyne and Teesside. Driver jobs in the North East.

South West

The region around Bristol has a port, aerospace, agriculture and tourism. Driver jobs in the South West.

Scotland

A nation with its own institutions, home to Glasgow and Edinburgh, whisky, energy around Aberdeen and the port of Grangemouth. Driver jobs in Scotland.

Wales

A nation home to Cardiff, with the energy port of Milford Haven, steel at Port Talbot, and manufacturing. Driver jobs in Wales.

Northern Ireland

A nation home to Belfast, with ports linking to Great Britain and Ireland, and a distinctive post-Brexit trading position. Driver jobs in Northern Ireland.

Related guides

• Europe residence permits — all countries
• British citizenship
• Health insurance in the UK
• UK short-stay visa

Official government sources

• GOV.UK — Skilled Worker visa — the main work route.
• GOV.UK — sponsor licences — for employers.
• GOV.UK — settle in the UK — indefinite leave to remain.
• GOV.UK — British citizenship — naturalisation.

Information only — not legal advice. The UK authorities make final decisions, and rules, thresholds and fees can change without notice. Always verify on GOV.UK before you apply or pay anyone.