UK Work Permit Visa: Types, Eligibility, and Processing Time

As a top travel industry and study destination. The UK has attained success in persuading workers from different regions in the world. With a highly developed and profoundly rich economy. The UK offers employees not only vacant jobs and high salaries. It provides workers good working conditions where workers are respected. However, not everybody obtains the opportunity to work. There are a large number of procedures that one needs to complete and conditions to meet to be able to UK work permit visa.

One of the fundamental parts of having the option to work in the UK is getting the right kind of work visa. Depending on your profession and qualification there are several work visas for the UK.

This article will explain a list of the main UK work visas, shortly and simply explained.

The UK work visas are categorized into four main groups, as follows:

1. Short term work visas
2. Long term work visas
3. Investor, business development, and talent visas
4. Other work visas and exemptions

Long-term UK work permit visa

General work visa (Tier 2): This visa is issued to them from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland. Who has received a job offer in the UK. The applicants must be employed by a licensed sponsor to apply to stay in the UK. Applicants should apply three months before they are due to start work in the UK. Applicants should get a decision on your visa within three weeks when they apply from outside the UK.

Intra-company transfer visa (Tier 2): This visa is for persons from outside the EEA and Switzerland. Who have been offered a role in the UK branch of the organization. You must be employed by a licensed sponsor to apply to stay in the UK. Intra-company transfer visas are categorized into two groups-long term staff and graduate trainees.

Long-term Staff: This visa is applicable for those who are transferring into a role the applicant to have previous experience working for the company. Applicant will need to have worked for their company for more than 12 months as long as they are going to pay them £73, 900 or more a year to work in the.

Graduate Trainee: This type of visa is applicable for recent graduates to complete graduate trainee programs for specialist roles. Applicants must be recent graduates with at least 3 months’ experience with employers overseas.

How long it will take

Applicants should apply for a visa up to three months before the day you are due to start work in the UK. When you apply from outside the UK you should get a decision within three weeks.

Minister of Religion visa (Tier 2)

Applicants from the outside of EEA or Switzerland will be eligible to apply for the minister of religion visa. If they have been offered a job within the faith community for instance as a minister of religion, missionary, or a member of a religious order in the UK.

Eligibility requirements to be eligible for this UK work permit visa:

• Applicant must have a certificate of sponsorship for the job
• Applicant must prove the level of English language
• Having personal savings so the applicant can support himself when they arrive in the UK
• Applicant must show that they can travel and travel history over the last five years

How long it will take

Applicants can apply for a visa up to three months before the day they are due to start work in the UK. Applicants should get a decision on your visa within three weeks when they from outside the UK.

How long they can stay

Applicants can come to the UK with a Tier 2 minister of religion visas for a maximum of up to three years and one month.

Sportsperson visa (Tier 2)

This visa is issued to an elite sportsperson or qualified coach from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland. Who is recognized by the sport’s governing body as being at the highest level of your profession internationally. Besides, the sport’s governing body must endorse the application.

Certain conditions need to be fulfilled to be eligible for a Tier 2 sportsperson visa. For instance:

• Applicant must have a valid certificate of sponsorship for your job
• Applicant must prove the level of English language
• Applicant should have personal savings to supporting themselves while residing in the UK
• You need to show your travel history over the last five years

Short term work visas (Tier 5)

Charity worker visa (Tier 5)

This visa category issue to them from the European Economic Area and Switzerland. Who want to do unpaid voluntary work for a charity and are eligible to meet the eligibility requirements.

To be able to get a Tier 5 visa applicants to need:

• A sponsorship certificate
• Applicants must show they can support themselves by having enough savings

Creative and sporting UK work permit visa(Tier 5)

Applicants from outside the European Economic Area and Switzerland are eligible to get this visa category. When they have been offered in the UK as a sportsperson or creative worker.  Applicants can apply 3 months before the date they are due to start work in the UK. They should get a decision from the UK home office within 3 weeks when they apply from outside the UK.

The government authorized Exchange visa:

This type of visa category is issued to those who want to come to the UK for a short time for work experience or to do training, an Overseas Government Language Programme research, or a fellowship through an approved government authorized exchange scheme. Applicants’ work, training, or research in the UK must relate to the work of your sponsor organization.

International Agreement visa

Applicants from outside the EEA area and Switzerland who have been offered work in the UK for a foreign government or as a private servant in a diplomatic household are eligible to get this type of visa category. A certain condition needs to be fulfilled to be able for an international agreement visa. For instance, a certificate of sponsorship reference number is required. Applicants must prove that they have enough savings to support themselves. Applicants must have had £945 savings in their bank account for 90 days before they apply.

Religious worker visa:

Applicants from outside the European Economic Area or Switzerland who want to do religious work such as preaching or working in a religious order. Certain conditions need to be fulfilled to be eligible for this type of visa category. Such as, a certificate of sponsorship reference number from your UK sponsor is required.

Seasonal worker visa

Applicants from outside the European Economic Area and Switzerland who have a sponsor are eligible for a Tier 5 seasonal worker visa. This visa is issued for up to 6 months to do farm work. Certain requirements need to be met for being eligible for this type of visa category. For example, a certificate of sponsorship reference number from our UK sponsor is required.

Youth mobility scheme visa

This type of visa is issued to those who want to live and work in the UK for up to 2 years and are aged 18 to 30. Applicant must have £1890 in savings. Applicants should apply for 6 months before traveling. The cost of applying for this visa category is £244.

Investor, business development, and talent visas

This type of visa category is issued to them from outside the European Economic Area and Switzerland who want to set up or run a business in the UK. You must have at least £50,000 in investment funds if you want to set up a new business. If your business is already established you do not need funds.

Innovator visa  

This type of visa category is applicable for those who want to set up or run a business in the UK and are from outside the European Economic Area and Switzerland. Applicants must the English language requirement. Need to be over eighteen. Applicants must be able to prove that they have enough personal savings to support themselves while residing in the UK. Applicants must have at least £50,000 in fund to be eligible for an innovator visa. Besides you must have at least £945 in the bank account for 90 consecutive days before submitting the application.

Start-up UK work permit visa

Applicants from the European Economic Area and Switzerland who are eligible to set up a business in the UK can apply for this type of visa category. Applicants must have their business idea assessed by an approved body. They must be 18 years old and meet the English language requirements. Moreover, applicants must be able to prove they have enough personal savings to support themselves while staying in the UK.

Entrepreneur visa

Applicants are not able to apply for an entrepreneur visa anymore. If they want to set up or run a new business in the UK they might be able to apply for an innovator visa or a start-up visa. Once applicants have an entrepreneur visa they are still able to settle in the UK and extend your visa. Applicants can apply for their family members as well.

Exceptional talent visa

Applicants are eligible to apply for a Tier 1 exceptional talent visa if you work in a qualifying field and have been endorsed as a recognized leader or an emerging leader.

Graduate Entrepreneur visa

Foreigners are no longer able to apply for a new Tier 1 graduate entrepreneur visa. If they want to set up a business in the UK they can apply for a start-up visa instead.

Investor visa

Applicants from outside the European Economic Area or Switzerland are eligible for a Tier 1 investor visa if they invest £2,000,000 or more in the UK. Applicants should submit their application three months before you travel. You should get a decision on your visa within 3 weeks when you apply from outside the UK. Applicants must pay £1623 to apply for a Tier 1 investor visa.

Other work visas and exemptions

UK ancestry visa: UK ancestry uk work permit visa is issued to them who is a commonwealth citizen and applying from outside the UK. Applicants who are able to prove that one of their parents was born in the UK can apply for a UK ancestry visa. Besides, with the eligibility requirements, applicants should have planned to work in the UK.

Get an exempt vignette: Applicants can apply for an exempt vignette if you do not normally need a visa to work in the UK due to exemptions from immigration control. It can help you avoid delays when you enter the UK, but you do not have to have one.

Domestic workers on a private household visa

You can visit the UK with your employer if you are a domestic worker in a private household. If you work for your employer for at least one year and are from outside the European Economic Area and Switzerland you can apply for a domestic worker visa. Domestic workers include cleaners, chauffeurs, cooks, nannies. You can apply for this visa category up to three months before your date of travel to the UK.  With this visa, you can reside in the UK with your employer for up to six months.

You can live in the UK if your employer takes a short trip to another country during the visit. You can change employers to another job as a domestic worker in a private household.

What you cannot do is you are not able to change your job for the employer you came to the UK with. You cannot reside in the UK for long periods of time through frequent visits.

All main applicants must pay the £456 fee to get an endorsement when applying for the first time or switching to this visa category. Once you get your endorsement you can apply for your visa is 3 months earlier before your travel. You will not automatically have a visa after you have been endorsed. if your visa application is turned down, you are not eligible to reimburse your endorsement fee. You should get a decision on your visa within 3 weeks when you apply from outside the UK.

While applying from outside the UK you can stay in the UK for 5 years and 4 months and if you apply from inside the UK you can reside in the UK for 5 years.

The representative of an Overseas Business visa

If you are from outside the European Economic Area and Switzerland you can apply to come to the UK as a representative of an overseas business. The sole representative of an overseas company who is planning to establish a branch in the UK can apply for this UK work permit visacategory. An employee of an overseas newspaper, news agency, or broadcasting organization posted on a long-term assignment to the UK is eligible to apply to the UK. Certain requirements need to be fulfilled. Such as applicants must have enough money to support them without any help from public funds. Besides, you must meet the English language requirements.

If you are coming to the UK as a sole representative you require being recruited and employed outside the UK by a company whose headquarters and principal place of business are outside the UK. You need to have extensive related industry experience and knowledge.

You should apply 3 months before you travel and get a decision within 3 weeks when you apply from outside the UK.

Turkish Business Person Visa

You can apply for a Turkish businessperson visa if you a Turkish national and you want to commence a new business in the UK. Besides, if you want to come to the UK to assist to run an established business, you can apply for a Turkish businessperson visa. The certain condition needs to be fulfilled to be eligible for this type of visa category. Such as applicants must be Turkish nationals and show that applicants must be intending to establish a viable business. Moreover, applicants must have sufficient funds to establish their business. Applicants must be able to pay their share of the costs of running the business. The share of the profits must be enough to support them and their families without their needing to have another job.

Turkish worker visa

You can apply for permission to stay in the UK as a Turkish if you are a Turkish national and have legally worked in the UK for at least 1 year as the spouse of a British or settled person without restrictions on working in the UK. Students are allowed to work 20 hours a week during term time and full-time during vacation periods.

Sponsors and sponsorship UK work permit visa

If your employers lose their license: Employees holding worker visas will have to leave their job and leave the UK if their employer loses their sponsor license. This issue would be sorted out if employees make a new visa application to stay in the UK. Employees could also be affected if their license is suspended. If they are taken over or they do not renew their license their visa will also be affected. Furthermore, when the sponsor of the employees loses their license the certificate of sponsorship is canceled. However, if employees are involved in why their sponsor has lost their license the visa of the employees will be withdrawn and they will have to leave the UK immediately.

UK visa sponsorship for employers: You might require a sponsor licence to employ someone from outside the European Economic Area and Switzerland to work for you in the UK. This includes unpaid work like running a charity. Please do bear in mind sponsoring someone does not guarantee that you will be allowed to come or stay in the UK.

UK visa sponsorship management system: You should use the sponsor management system to meet your requirements as an employer sponsoring tier 2 and tier 5 visa holders. You must hold a sponsor license to be able to get a sponsorship management system. You must use it to manage or renew your organization’s license or services.

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