Discover the UK’s potential to offer you the best of job opportunities in industrial sectors like banking & finance, healthcare, IT, banking, and construction. Plan to work in UK by procuring a work visa that suits your professional requirements.

The UK work visa is a visa pathway that is highly encouraged to skilled workers around the world considering the UK is one of the strongest economies even after separating from the EU and going through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Understand the features, processes, and procedures related to work in UK. Learn what it takes to acquire a work visa and what are the possibilities in store for you to become a permanent resident in the UK. Let’s talk more about the UK work visa and the pathways that lead you to the opportunity to work in UK.

About the UK

Here are some interesting facts about the UK.

• The UK is in fact a group of 4 countries namely Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland, and England.
• The largest country in the UK is England.
• Heathrow in London is the biggest airport on the continent of Europe.
• London is the capital city of the UK. It’s also the biggest city in the UK.
• The Windsor Castle in the UK is the world’s largest inhabited castle.
• The oldest monument in the world, the Stonehenge, is in the UK.
• The UK has a diverse and multi-ethnic population with people from across the world coming to settle there.
• The UK is home to more than 130 universities. Cambridge and Oxford are the most prestigious among them.
• The Pound Sterling, UK’s currency, is one of the world’s strongest currencies.
• The UK is the third-largest economy in Europe after Germany and France.
• The biggest UK companies are HSBC, AstraZeneca, British Petroleum, and Unilever.

Top reason for choosing UK?

It’s a big decision to live and work in UK. Before you plan to take a work visa in the UK, learn the best reasons why it’s recommended to take a UK work visa.

• Access to a high-standard healthcare system known as NHS (National Health Scheme). You will get free or heavily subsidized medication in the country.
• UK’s public schools provide free education. Anyone who’s a legal resident in the UK can send their children to a UK public school.
• Owing to the long history of UK immigration and the multitude of immigrants who arrive in the country, the UK population has diversity as its salient characteristic.
• The UK sources skilled foreign workers and offers them a work visa in significant numbers.
• The country ensures that the interests of the employees are safeguarded. Any full-time worker in the UK is eligible to get at least 20 days of annual leave every year.
• It’s easy to travel from the UK to the rest of Europe, especially with budget airlines to fly you around.
• Skilled workers won’t find it hard to move to the UK. If you have a sought-after skill, your migration to the UK is easier than otherwise.

Prominent cities in the UK

Before moving to the UK on a work visa, learn about the most important cities in the country. Here they are:

• London – It’s the capital city of both England and the UK. Landmarks like the Tower Bridge, Big Ben, and Trafalgar Square are situated in this city.
• Birmingham – It’s England’s second-largest city. It’s also one of the UK’s best destinations for shopping and conventions.
• Manchester – It’s the UK’s third-biggest city. It’s well-known for music, football, and its cultural scene.
• Leeds – It’s a city well-known to be a hub of higher education and business. It’s a city that gives you an amazing display of classic Victorian architecture.
• Oxford – It’s England’s famed university town. The city is home to the world-famous University of Oxford.

Top Occupations in demand

Here are the many options for a work visa offered by the UK. Check out some of the UK work visa options.

Skilled Worker visa

A Skilled Worker visa is for you if you want to move to the UK and do a job deemed eligible with an approved employer. This visa is a replacement for the earlier Tier 2 (General) Work Visa.

To be eligible for this work visa, you have to

• work for an employer in the UK who has received approval from the UK Home Office
• possess a sponsorship certificate from your UK employer with information about the job role that has been offered to you
• be employed in an occupation that’s on the list of eligible occupations
• be paid a minimum salary commensurate to the type of work you do
• be able to speak, write, read, and understand English at a level B1 on the CEFR scale

The validity of the visa is 5 years after which it has to be extended. You may even apply for settling in the UK permanently.

Health and Care Worker visa

This visa allows medical professionals to arrive and stay in the UK and do jobs deemed eligible with the NHS, a supplier for NHS, or in adult social care.

To be eligible for this work visa, you have to

• be a qualified nurse, doctor, health professional, or adult social care professional
• work for a UK employer who has received approval from the Home Office
• work in a health or social care job considered eligible by the UK government
• have a sponsorship certificate from your UK employer with information about the role you have been offered in the UK
• be paid a minimum salary commensurate to the type of work you do

A confirmed job offer must be acquired before applying for the visa. The validity of the visa is 5 years after which it has to be extended. You may even apply for settling in the UK permanently.

Intra-company visas

This work visa comes in handy when you want to move to stay in the UK and engage in employment in a job deemed eligible at your employer’s branch. This visa could be either of the 2 as given below:

• Intra-company Transfer visa – It’s for those arriving in the UK being transferred by your employer to a role.
• Intra-company Graduate Trainee visa – It’s for those arriving in the UK with the purpose of participating in a graduate training program for a specialist or managerial role.

To be eligible for this category of visas, you have to:

• be an existing employee of an organization that’s been approved by the Home Office as a sponsor
• possess a sponsorship certificate from your employer with information about the job role you have been offered in the UK
• be employed in a job that’s on the list of eligible occupations
• be paid a minimum of £41,500 for an Intra-company Transfer visa or at least £23,000 it happens to be Intra-company Graduate Trainee visa

Duration of Intra-company Transfer Visa is the shorter of the following:

• 5 years
• 14 days in excess of the time given on your sponsorship certificate
• the period of time that takes you to the maximum total stay allowed

Duration of Intra-company Graduate Trainee Visa is the shorter of the following:

• 12 months
• 14 days in excess of the time given on your sponsorship certificate
• the length of time that takes you to the maximum total stay allowed

Short-term work visas

Temporary Work – Charity Worker visa

This visa is for you if you want to do unpaid work of a voluntary nature for a charity.

Temporary Work – Creative Worker visa

This visa is for you if you have a job offer in the role of a creative worker in the UK.

Temporary Work – Government Authorised Exchange visa

This visa is for you if you

• Have a sponsor
• Want to arrive in the UK for a short period to get work experience/training, for research, for Overseas Government Language Program, or for a fellowship via an approved government authorized exchange scheme
• Meet other requirements for eligibility

Temporary Work – International Agreement visa

You are eligible to apply for this work visa if you will be available for a contract to work in a job covered by international law/treaty while in the UK. E.g., you will be

• working in a diplomatic household in the role of a private servant
• working for a foreign government
• giving a service contractually as a service supplier or an independent professional

Youth Mobility Scheme visa

You can apply for this visa if you

• Are aged between 18 and 30 years
• Are willing to live and work in the UK for not more than 2 years
• Are a national of certain countries including Australia or have certain types of British nationality
• Meet other criteria

With this visa, you can live and work in UK for not more than 24 months.

Graduate visa

With this visa, you can live and work in UK for not less than 2 years after you have completed doing a course in the country successfully.

To apply for this work visa, you must be in the UK. Besides that, you have to meet the following criteria:

• your current visa is a student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa
• you earned a bachelor’s/PG/other eligible degrees from the UK for a minimum period of time with your student visa/ Tier 4 (General) student visa
• your education provider (university/college) has declared that you have successfully completed your course of study

The visa has a duration of up to 2 years. If you possess a Ph.D. or other doctoral qualification, the duration will be 3 years. The visa cannot be extended. To extend your stay you must switch to another type of visa.

How Y-Axis can help you

Y-Axis guides/counsels you for the UK immigration and work visa requirements.