Immigration
Entry Requirements
With a valid passport, U.S. citizens can stay in the United Kingdom for six months without a visa. Extended stays require appropriate documents (please see visa information below). The U.K. Border Agency has a five-tier, point-based visa system that affects U.S. citizens who are planning to move to the United Kingdom as well as U.S. citizens and dependents already in the country. You can find information on the point-based system on the UKBA website. You must be outside the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man when you make an application for a U.K. visa. To stay updated with changes or to find out more about entry requirements, contact the Home Office of the U.K. Border Agency.
Permanent Residency
If you are planning to move to the United Kingdom and considering permanent residency in the U.K. note that the Immigration Rules are subject to change, so you must stay updated on changes on the United Kingdom’s Border Agency website. You also will need to enroll for your biometrics residence permit as part of the application process. This applies to you and your dependents. Further information will be given once applications are received. Depending on the type of settler you are (retiree, investor, entrepreneur, etc.), you will require a different application form. Before applying, find the application that works best for you and review the requirements.
As an example, use the application form SET(M) if you:
- Currently have temporary permission to remain in the U.K. as the husband, wife, civil partner or unmarried/same-sex partner of a British citizen or a person settled in the U.K.
- Have lived in the U.K. for two years in this category
- Are still planning to live together (and are still married or in a civil partnership, if applicable)
To find out how to apply, see Completing application form SET(M).
Processing service standards ensure that 95 percent of postal applications reach a decision within six months and 90 percent of applications made in person at a United Kingdom public enquiry office reach a decision within 24 hours.
Work Visas
Before you move to the United Kingdom, you can apply for a U.K. work visa up to three months before your date of travel to the U.K. Applications received more than three months before your date of travel will be returned without a visa and without a refund of the application fee. You will then need to submit a new application and re-enroll your biometric information at the appropriate time. Immigration advises that you not confirm your travel arrangements until you have received your visa.
Generally, you must obtain a Work Visa before you can come to the U.K. to work or do business. You must apply in one of the following categories:
- Tier 1 of the points-based system: Investors, entrepreneurs, exceptionally talented people and recent graduates of U.K. universities.
- Tier 2 of the points-based system: Skilled workers who have been offered a permanent job.
- Tier 5 of the points-based system: Temporary workers with a job offer, participants in the Youth mobility scheme and domestic workers in a private household of a representative of an overseas business.
Tier 1 of the points-based system is for high-value migrants and contains five categories: Exceptional Talent, Entrepreneur, Investor, General, and Graduate Entrepreneur.
Tier 2 skilled workers applicants must have a job offer from a licensed sponsor and a valid certificate of sponsorship and pass a points-based assessment. There are four categories of skilled workers under the points-based system: General, Minister of Religion, Sportsperson and Intra-company Transfer.
In order to pass the assessment noted above, the applicant must score 30 points in Certificate of Sponsorship and 10 points in Maintenance Funds (applicable to retirees as well).
Tier 5 temporary workers must have a job offer from a licensed sponsor and pass a points-based assessment. There are different requirements under the Youth mobility scheme. For more information on all Tiers, visit Working in the U.K. You can check visa application fees at this UKBA webpage. Please see our Disclaimers about information on this site.