How to apply for visa and get citizenship in UK

Visa for student

Child student visa (Tier 4)

You can apply for the Tier 4 (Child) student visa if you’re aged between 4 and 17 and you want to study at an independent school in the UK.

You must also:

·         have a place on a course

·         have the consent of your parent or guardian

·         have enough money to cover your course fees and living costs

·         be from a country that’s not in the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland

·         meet the eligibility requirements

There will be no change to the rights and status of EU citizens currently living in the UK until 30 June 2021, or 31 December 2020 if the UK leaves the EU without a deal. You and your family can apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to continue living in the UK.

How long it will take

The earliest you can apply for a visa is 3 months before you start your course.

You’ll usually get a decision on your visa within 3 weeks.

Fees

It costs £348 to apply for a Tier 4 (Child) student visa from outside the UK.

You’ll also have to pay the healthcare surcharge as part of your application.

How long you can stay

Your age and the length of your course of study will affect how long you can stay.

You can arrive in the UK:

·         up to 1 week before your course starts if your course lasts 6 months or less

·         up to 1 month before your course starts if your course lasts more than 6 months

What you can and cannot do

You can:

·         study at an independent school

·         apply from outside the UK

·         apply to extend your stay

You can also work, if you’re 16 or over:

·         part-time during term for up to 10 hours per week

·         full-time during vacations

on a work placement as part of your course (but not for more than 50% of your course time)

as a student union sabbatical officer for up to 2 years

You cannot:

study at an academy or a local authority-funded school (also known as a maintained school) or further education college

·         get public funds

·         take a full-time permanent job or be self-employed

·         work as a doctor or dentist in training

·         work as a professional sportsperson (for example a sports coach) or entertainer

·         settle in the UK on this visa

·         bring in family members (‘dependants’) – if your parents want to accompany you, they’ll need to apply for a Parent of a Tier 4 (Child) visa

General student visa (Tier 4)

You can apply for a Tier 4 (General) student visa to study in the UK if you’re 16 or over and you:

·         have been offered a place on a course

·         can speak, read, write and understand English

·         have enough money to support yourself and pay for your course – the amount will vary depending on your circumstances

·         are from a country that’s not in the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland

·         meet the other eligibility requirements

There will be no change to the rights and status of EU citizens currently living in the UK until 30 June 2021, or 31 December 2020 if the UK leaves the EU without a deal. You and your family can apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to continue living in the UK.

When to apply

The earliest you can apply for a visa is 3 months before you start your course.

You’ll usually get a decision on your visa within 3 weeks

Fees

·         It costs £348 to apply for this visa from outside the UK.

·         You must pay £348 per person for any dependants.

·         Healthcare surcharge

You’ll also have to pay the healthcare surcharge as part of your application

How long you can stay

You can arrive in the UK before your course starts:

·         up to 1 week before, if your course lasts 6 months or less

·         up to 1 month before, if your course lasts more than 6 months

How long you can stay depends on the kind of course you’re doing and what study you’ve already completed.

What you can and cannot do

You can:

·         study

·         work as a student union sabbatical officer

·         apply from inside or outside the UK

·         apply to extend your stay

·         work in most jobs – depending on what level your course is and what kind of sponsor you have

You cannot:

·         get public funds

·         work in certain jobs, for example professional sportsperson or sports coach

·         study at an academy or a local authority-funded school (also known as a maintained school)

You may be able to bring in family members (dependants).

Innovator/start-up/investment visa in the UK

What is it?

Innovative visa

You can apply for an Innovator Visa if you are looking to expand or start a business in the UK. To meet the Innovator Visa requirements, you will need to have a business idea which is innovative, scalable and viable. You will also need to have access to £50,000 fund to prove that you will be able to launch the business once in the UK.

Start-up

You can apply for a start-up Visa if you are looking to expand or start a business in the UK. To meet the start-up Visa requirements, you will need to have a business idea which is innovative, scalable and viable.

Investment visa in the UK

Investors seeking a residency visa for the UK can consider the Tier 1 investment visa. And they have to have at least £2,000,000

The business you propose must have a prospective benefit to the British economy and/or workforce.

What are the main requirements?

In order to qualify for a Innovator, visa the applicant must satisfy the following requirements:

·         Business idea will need to be innovative (preferably with focus on technology or advanced science);

·         Have access to £50,000 fund to invest or start the business;

·         Have a professionally prepared business plan written in English;

·         Have your business assessed and endorsed by approved organisations in the UK;

·         Intend to establish the company’s first commercial presence in the UK;

·         Have sufficient funds to support themselves; and

·         Meet the required level of English language ability.

·         Experience person

·         Technical knowledge

·         You need to be outside of the UK or you are currently a student visa in UK

·         At least 18 years old

In order to qualify for a start-up visa, visa the applicant must satisfy the following requirements:

Business idea will need to be innovative (preferably with focus on technology or advanced science);

·         Have a professionally prepared business plan written in English;

·         Have your business assessed and endorsed by approved organizations in the UK;

·         Intend to establish the company’s first commercial presence in the UK;

·         Have sufficient funds to support themselves; and

·         Meet the required level of English language ability.

·         Be at least 18 years old

·         Technical knowledge

·         You need to be outside of the UK or you are currently a student visa in UK

In order to qualify for an investment visa, visa the applicant must satisfy the following requirements:

·         Have access to £2,000,000 fund to invest or start the business;

·         At least 18 years old

·         Evidence of investment funds

You’ll need to provide evidence showing that you have the required investment funds.

Your own money

If you’re using your own money to invest, you should be able to show:

·         how much money you have and where it’s being held

·         where the money came from if you’ve had the money for less than 2 years, for example you inherited it from a relative

·         that the money can be transferred to the UK and converted to sterling (if it’s not already in the UK)

Your partner’s money

You’ll need to provide:

·         a certificate of marriage or civil partnership, or in the case of unmarried or same-sex relationships, proof that you are in a long-term relationship (at least 2 years)

·         a statement from your partner confirming that they will allow you to control the funds in the UK

·         a letter from a legal adviser stating that the declaration is valid

Evidence you have a UK bank account

You must provide a letter to prove you have an account at a UK regulated bank to use for your investment funds. The letter must:

·         have been issued by an authorised official

·         be dated within 3 months of your application

·         be on the official headed paper of the bank

·         state your name and account number

·         confirm you’ve opened an account with the bank in order to invest £2,000,000

·         confirm the bank is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority

·         confirm checks for money-laundering have been carried out

How long can I stay and what are the conditions of my stay?

Innovation visa

You can stay for 3 years if you:

·         come to the UK on an Innovator visa

·         switch to this visa from another visa

You can apply to extend for another 3 years when your visa is due to expire. There’s no limit on the number of times you can extend.

You may be able to apply for settlement (known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’) once you’ve been in the UK for 5 years. During their stay in the UK, applicants can only work for their employer. Applicants cannot be self-employed or work for any other business and they are also not permitted to stay in the UK in this category if the sole representative arrangement is terminated by their employer.

Start-up visa

You can stay for 2 years if you:

·         come to the UK on a start-up visa

·         switch to this visa from another visa

You can apply to extend for another 3 years (move to innovative visa) when your visa is due to expire. There’s no limit on the number of times you can extend.

You may be able to apply for settlement (known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’) once you’ve been in the UK for 5 years under other visa, the 2 years of start-up visa doesn’t count.

Investment visa

You can come to the UK with a Tier 1 (Investor) visa for a maximum of 3 years and 4 months.

You can apply to extend this visa for another 2 years.

You may be able to apply for settlement (known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’) once you’ve been in the UK for 5 years

How can I start?

If you have enough funds to invest and a good business idea you can start the process straight away. Initially, the most important document you will need is a professionally prepared Business Plan. Broadly speaking the Business Plan should explain what your business is; the sector you operate in; why you wish to operate their business in the UK and how it is ‘Innovative’, ‘Viable’ and ‘Scalable’.

Visitor visa

The Standard Visitor visa has replaced the:

·         Family Visitor visa

·         General Visitor visa

·         Child Visitor visa

·         Business Visitor visa, including visas for academics, doctors and dentists

·         Prospective Entrepreneur visa

·         Private Medical Treatment Visitor visa

·         Visa for the visitor for other purposes

If you visit the UK on business

You can apply for a Standard Visitor visa if you want to visit the UK for business-related activities, for example:

·         you’re coming to the UK for a conference, meeting or training

·         you want to take part in a specific sports-related event

·         you’re an artist, entertainer or musician and coming to the UK to perform

·         are an academic and are doing research or accompanying students on a study abroad programme

·         you’re a doctor or dentist and are coming to the UK to take a clinical attachment or observer post

·         you want to take the Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board (PLAB) test or sit the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)

·         you want to get funding to start, take over, join or run a business in the UK

Check the Visitor Rules to find the full list of business-related activities you can do with a Standard Visitor visa.

If you’re being paid by a UK company to visit as an expert in your profession, you should apply for a Permitted Paid Engagement visa.

What you can and cannot do

You can:

·         take part in any of the business-related activities mentioned in the Visitor Rules

·         study for up to 30 days, as long as it’s not the main reason for your visit

·         take part in an exchange programme or educational visit (if you’re under 18)

·         convert your civil partnership into a marriage

·         pass through the UK in transit (on your way to another country)

You cannot:

·         do paid or unpaid work

·         live in the UK for long periods of time through frequent visits

·         get public funds

·         marry or register a civil partnership, or give notice of marriage or civil partnership

How long it will take

The earliest you can apply is 3 months before you travel.

Example You can apply from 16 March if you plan to travel on 15 June.

You should get a decision on your visa within 3 weeks.

How long you can stay

You can usually stay in the UK for up to 6 months.

You might be able to stay for longer if:

·         you’re coming to the UK for private medical treatment – up to 11 months (£190 fee)

·         you’re an academic on sabbatical and coming to the UK for research – you, your spouse or civil partner may be able to stay for up to 12 months (£190 fee)

If you’re staying in the UK as an academic or to receive private medical treatment for longer than 6 months, you must apply for a biometric residence permit.

You might be able to get a visit visa for up to 30 days if you’re a Chinese citizen visiting under the Approved Destination Status (ADS) Agreement.

If you need to visit the UK regularly

If you need to visit the UK regularly over a longer period, you can apply for a long-term Standard Visitor visa that lasts 2, 5 or 10 years. You can stay for a maximum of 6 months on each visit.

If you’re under 18 years old when you apply, your long-term Standard Visitor visa will only be valid for up to 6 months after you turn 18.

Fees

A Standard Visitor visa costs £95.

The fee for a long-term Standard Visitor visa depends on its length:

2 years – £361

5 years – £655

10 years – £822

You can apply for a Standard Visitor visa if you want to visit the UK:

for leisure, for example on holiday or to see your family and friends

for business, or to take part in sports or creative events

for another reason, for example to receive private medical treatment