Moving to the UK from the US: visa and residence routes

A US passport gets you into the United Kingdom as a visitor, but it does not let you live or work there. To move, you need a visa that matches your reason for coming: a job, a talent endorsement, a family member, or a place at a university. This guide compares the four routes most Americans use, using the figures GOV.UK publishes, and explains which ones you apply for from the US before you travel.

Visiting is not moving

GOV.UK says people from the USA usually need an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) rather than a visa to visit. An ETA costs £20 and lets you travel to the UK, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man for up to 6 months for tourism, visiting family or certain other reasons. It does not guarantee entry and it is not permission to live or work in the UK.

GOV.UK also notes that you do not need an ETA if you already have permission to live, work or study in the UK. So once you hold one of the visas below, that visa is what you travel on.

If you plan to stay longer than a visit, start with the GOV.UK "Check if you need a UK visa" tool, choose United States of America as your nationality, and answer the questions about your reason for coming.

The four main routes at a glance

• Skilled Worker visa: you have a job offer from a UK employer approved by the Home Office.
• Global Talent visa: you are a leader or potential leader in academia or research, arts and culture, or digital technology.
• Family visa: your spouse, partner, parent or child is British, Irish or settled in the UK.
• Student visa: you have an offer from a licensed student sponsor.

All four are applied for online. If you are in the US, you apply from outside the UK and get your decision before you travel. As part of each application you prove your identity and provide your documents, and GOV.UK says you may need an appointment for that step. You find out whether you need one when you start the application.

Skilled Worker visa

GOV.UK describes the Skilled Worker visa as permission to come to or stay in the UK to do an eligible job with an approved employer. It replaced the old Tier 2 (General) work visa.

To qualify you must:

1. Work for a UK employer approved by the Home Office (a sponsor).
2. Hold a certificate of sponsorship from that employer describing the role.
3. Do a job on the list of eligible occupations.
4. Be paid at least the minimum salary for that type of work.
5. Speak, read, write and understand English, and usually prove it.

You must have a confirmed job offer before you apply. The certificate of sponsorship is an electronic record with a reference number, and you must apply for the visa within 3 months of getting it.

Salary. GOV.UK sets the usual minimum at the higher of £41,700 per year or the "going rate" for your occupation code. Its own example: a salary of £42,000 does not qualify if the going rate for the job is £45,000. In some cases the floor drops to £33,400, and healthcare and education jobs follow national pay scales.

Eligible jobs. Each job has a 4-digit occupation code. Jobs listed as "higher skilled" qualify. Jobs listed as "medium skilled" qualify only in limited cases, such as being on the immigration salary list or the temporary shortage list.

Timing. You can apply up to 3 months before your start date. GOV.UK says a decision from outside the UK usually takes 3 weeks.

Length and settlement. The visa lasts up to 5 years before you extend it, and you can extend as many times as you remain eligible. After 5 years you may be able to apply for indefinite leave to remain.

Limits. You cannot claim most benefits (public funds) or the State Pension, and you need to update your visa before changing job or employer. Your partner and children may be able to come as dependants. Doctors, nurses and health or adult social care workers should check the Health and Care Worker visa, which GOV.UK says is cheaper and exempt from the annual health surcharge.

Global Talent visa

This route suits people who can show they lead, or are likely to lead, in academia or research, arts and culture, or digital technology. You must be at least 18.

There are two ways in:

• Prize route: if you are the named winner of a prize on the eligible prestigious prizes list, you apply for the visa directly. Other prizes from the same institution do not count.
• Endorsement route: everyone else first applies for an endorsement from the relevant body, then applies for the visa.

Fees. GOV.UK lists £766 in total. On the endorsement route you pay £561 for the endorsement and £205 for the visa. Prize winners pay the full £766 with the visa application. A partner or child included in your application also pays £766 each.

Length and settlement. You can live and work in the UK for up to 5 years at a time, with extensions of 1 to 5 years and no overall limit. Depending on your field and route, you may be able to settle after 3 or 5 years. You do not need a job offer or an employer sponsor.

A decision from outside the UK usually takes 3 weeks.

Family visa (partner or spouse)

GOV.UK says you need a family visa to live with a family member in the UK for more than 6 months. From abroad you can apply to join a spouse or partner, a fiancé or fiancée, a child, a parent, or a relative who will provide long-term care.

For the partner route, you and your partner must both be 18 or over. Your partner must be British or Irish, settled in the UK, or hold one of the other statuses GOV.UK lists. You must intend to live together permanently in the UK.

You need to prove one of these:

• You are married or in a civil partnership recognised in the UK.
• You have lived together in a relationship for at least 2 years.
• You will marry or form a civil partnership in the UK within 6 months of arriving.
• You have been in a relationship for at least 2 years but cannot live together, for example for work or study.

You also need to show good knowledge of English and meet the financial requirements. Relationship evidence must be less than 4 years old and come from sources such as the government, a bank, a landlord or a utility provider.

Fees. Joining a partner, parent or child costs £2,064 from outside the UK, plus £2,064 for each dependant. The health surcharge for an adult is £3,105 for 2 years and 9 months.

Length and settlement. A partner visa lasts up to 2 years and 9 months, then you extend by up to 2 years and 6 months. The earliest you can apply for indefinite leave to remain is after 5 continuous years on a partner visa. Time as a fiancé or fiancée does not count.

Timing. GOV.UK says applications from outside the UK usually get a decision within 12 weeks. Fiancé visa holders cannot work or study until they marry and extend.

If your family member is in the UK on a work or student visa, this route is closed to you. Apply as their dependant instead.

Student visa

You can apply if you are 16 or over, have an offer from a licensed student sponsor, can support yourself and pay for the course, and can speak, read, write and understand English. Applicants aged 16 or 17 need parental consent.

Timing. From outside the UK, the earliest you can apply is 6 months before the course starts, and a decision usually takes 3 weeks. You can arrive up to 1 month early for a course longer than 6 months, but never before the start date on the visa.

Fees. The application costs £558. The health surcharge for students is £776 per year.

Length. Degree-level courses usually allow up to 5 years. Courses below degree level usually allow up to 2 years.

After graduating. The Graduate visa lets you stay after the course for 2 years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026, and 18 months if you apply on or after 1 January 2027. PhD graduates get 3 years.

Student visa holders cannot claim public funds, cannot be self-employed and cannot work in certain jobs, such as professional sports. How much other work you can do depends on your course.

The immigration health surcharge

Most visa applicants pay the immigration health surcharge (IHS) as part of the online application. GOV.UK lists:

• £1,035 per year for most applicants (for example £3,105 for a 3-year visa).
• £776 per year for students, their dependants and applicants under 18.

You can use the NHS free of charge from the date your visa starts. You still pay for some services, such as prescriptions, dental treatment and eye tests. You do not pay the surcharge for an application from outside the UK for 6 months or less.

Which route fits

1. You have a UK job offer: Skilled Worker, through your employer as sponsor.
2. You have a strong record in research, the arts or tech and no employer: Global Talent.
3. Your partner is British, Irish or settled in the UK: Family visa.
4. You have a university place: Student visa, with the Graduate visa as a possible next step.

In every case the application, the fee and the health surcharge are handled online, and you get your decision before you travel from the US.

Before you apply

Check that your US passport stays valid for the length of the visa you want, since the application is tied to it. Gather the documents your route asks for early: a certificate of sponsorship reference, an endorsement, relationship evidence, or a confirmation of your course. Then use the GOV.UK visa checker with United States of America as your nationality to confirm the route before you pay any fee.

Common questions

Can I move to the UK on an ETA and look for work? No. GOV.UK describes the ETA as permission to travel for up to 6 months for tourism, visiting family or certain other reasons. Living and working need a visa such as the Skilled Worker visa, which requires a job offer before you apply.

Do I apply for a UK visa from the US before I travel? Yes, for the routes in this guide you apply online from outside the UK and wait for the decision before travelling. GOV.UK says Skilled Worker, Global Talent and Student decisions usually take 3 weeks from outside the UK, and partner family visas usually take 12 weeks.

What is the minimum salary for a Skilled Worker visa? GOV.UK sets the usual minimum at the higher of £41,700 per year or the going rate for your occupation code. Some applicants can qualify at £33,400 per year, and healthcare and education jobs follow national pay scales.

Do I have to pay for the NHS on a UK visa? Most applicants pay the immigration health surcharge with the application: £1,035 per year for most people and £776 per year for students and under 18s. You can then use the NHS free of charge from the date your visa starts, though some services such as prescriptions and dental treatment still cost money.

How soon can I settle permanently in the UK? On a Skilled Worker visa or a partner family visa, GOV.UK says you may be able to apply for indefinite leave to remain after 5 years. On the Global Talent visa it can be 3 or 5 years depending on your field and how you applied.