If you are relocating to the UK from the USA, you must acquire an eligible visa. People opt for UK visas for work or personal reasons. They desire to work, study, conduct business, or join their family members in the country. Others apply for a visa to transit through the country, get private medical care, seek refuge or settle in the UK. A UK visa is a document that authorises foreigners to enter the UK’s border and stay temporarily or permanently.
Different Visa Options for Americans Moving to the UK
Among many types of visas, a spouse visa UK, a self-sponsorship skilled worker visa UK and a start-up visa UK are among the top. Many of the UK visas listed below can be used to get the Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), a crucial step in getting British citizenship. The following categories of visas in the UK allow foreigners to live in the UK under different conditions for various purposes.
Work Visa
Relocating to the UK from the USA to join a new job or make a big career change is a fairly common choice. Usually, you will need to present to the UK Home Office a Certificate of Sponsorship from the employer, which possesses a licensed sponsor by the Home Office, to secure a work visa or a work permit. The following are the popular types of work visas, each offering a secure way for their jobs.
Skilled worker visa
The Skilled Worker visa is the primary category for hiring foreign workers into the UK job market. Instead of applying for the Tier 2 (General) visa, candidates must meet specific criteria for the skilled worker visa, such as skill level, salary threshold, and language proficiency. UK employers with a sponsor licence are the only ones authorised to take in foreign workers under this scheme. Successful applicants will be granted visas for up to five years and can apply to extend their visa or settle after this period.
Health and care visa
The Health and Care visa is designed to welcome professional health and social care workers to work in the UK healthcare sector. It guarantees an express route, reduces visa prices, and does not impose health care surcharges on the bearers. However, as of the 11th of March 2024, dependents are no longer allowed to go on this visa. The list of eligible include doctors, nurses, pharmacists and adult social care workers. Individuals can work for up to five years and then apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain to settle in the UK. This visa gives them permanent settlement without immigration control and the need for further sponsorship.
Business Visa
The UK government issues business visa to foreigners willing to set up a business here. Most people prefer to initiate their business venture with the Innovator Founder Visa or the self-sponsorship Skilled Worker Visa UK. The UK's immigration space offers many business visas, each created to cater to specific needs.
Self-sponsorship visa
The Self-Sponsored Skilled Worker Visa UK paves the pathway to join or start their preferred business. This route allows the business owners to sponsor their Skilled Worker visa by their established UK company. But, the employer first needs to approve its sponsored licence from the Home Office. The applicants can get the right to settle there and bring their family members. Individuals can also start their businesses while granting complete family relocation and a permanent settlement in the future.
Innovator visa
The Innovator Founder Visa streamlines the opportunity for foreign entrepreneurs to the UK aspiring to establish innovative firms without the need of £50,000 investment. It offers a three-year stay, which applicants can extend for three years and provides for a way to permanent settlement through the ILR (indefinite leave to remain), quicker than the usual five years. Showcasing enough funding capabilities to the vote-giver is vital for new commercial business operations.
Start-up visa
The Start-up visa is for entrepreneurs, including young graduates, relocating to the UK from the USA without needing investment sources. However, you need a business idea that is innovative, practical, scalable and approved by a recognised endorsing body. This visa was announced before Brexit to promote innovation, this route doesn’t lead to direct settlement but can lead to long-term residency. The visa holders get a two-year stay but can still switch to an Innovator visa for a permanent settlement.
Global business mobility visa
The Global Business Mobility Scheme introduced in 2022 simplifies the operations of overseas businesses. These permits enable current workers to stay and operate in the UK or establish new branches. There are five types of visas under this umbrella: senior or specialist worker, graduate trainee, UK expansion worker, secondment worker, and service supplier. Applicants must have a Certificate of Sponsorship to stay for six months to five years, with the eligibility to extend their stay. This visa route provides reassurance and the ability to operate their overseas businesses.
Family Visa
The UK Family Visa permits a family member to visit the UK for over six months as a dependent of a UK-residing family member. Eligible dependents can be spouses, children, parents, or other relatives. You need to check the visa eligibility criteria for this family visa.
Spouse visa
You and your spouse must be 18 to attain a Spouse visa. Your UK-residing spouse needs to meet the standard criteria, like being a British or Irish citizen, having a settled status in the UK, or having certain types of UK visas. Initially, Spouse visa holders will obtain a 33-month visa with an extension of another 30 months. Following five years of residency on this visa, the spouses can apply for ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain), qualifying them to stay in the UK permanently.
Child visa
This visa is for children depending on their UK-residing parents. The Child visa will enable those children to enter this country for more than 6 months. Children of parents with Indefinite Leave to Remain should consult an immigration solicitor since they do not need the visa. Children born in the UK ordinarily share the same immigration status as their parents. The Home Office requires a guarantee that the parents or a single parent is responsible for the child applicant.
Parent visa
The Parent visa allows parents to join a child who is already a UK citizen or has been granted residency, with no restrictions for immigrant entry. Applicants must apply from outside the UK, except in exceptional cases when the child has continuously resided within the UK for 7 years or more, and it would be unreasonable to leave the country. With an approved Parent visa, they can reside in the UK for two years and 9 months, with a further extension of another 2 years and 6 months.
Adult dependant relative visa
A foreign national can come to the UK to live under the Adult Dependent Relative visa if a parent, grandchild, brother, sister, son, or daughter with a British citizen who permanently resides in the UK. Applicants need to prove that they are ill, disabled, or aged and want care they cannot get or cannot afford in their home country.
Study Visa
Study visas is an approach for international students to go to the UK. Universities sponsor students through undergraduate and postgraduate education while boarding schools sponsor child students. This visa route is the only option for international students who want to learn at a registered educational institution. Before relocating to the UK from the USA, students from abroad should have one of the study visas mentioned below.
Student visa
You must meet a few requirements to apply for a UK student visa. The applicant must be 16 or older, have a valid offer from a licensed sponsor, show sufficient funds, and provide proof of English proficiency. Consent from the parents is compulsory for Student visa applicants.
Child Student visa
Teenagers aged 4 to 17 can study at any independent school in the UK under the category of a Child Student Visa. To become eligible for this visa route, they need to secure an admission offer from the school, prove sufficient financial sponsorship, and acquire the consent of their parents.
Short-term study visa
The Short-term study visa is for a maximum of 6-11 months of study in the UK, which is only limited to the English language course. It allows a grace period of 30 days for the course duration without exceeding the 11-month limit.
Settlement Visa
UK settlement visas allow people to settle permanently in the UK after staying there for a certain period. This option is the official way for people with American citizenship to get British citizenship.
Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)
Many visa holders can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) after 5 years on any official visa type, such as the spouse visa UK or the self-sponsorship skilled worker visa UK. ILR enables permanent settlement so the immigrants will own the right to work, learn, and live in the UK freely. The ILR holders are qualified to apply for citizenship of the country after 1 year. On the other hand, spending more than 2 years in a different country outside the UK can result in the loss of Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR). But, after getting British citizenship, you don’t have to worry about this.
