According to the British government, hundreds of people move to the UK every year. This is a result of UK economic growth, various work opportunities, and social benefits. People from all corners of the world saw the UK as a dream destination where they can start a new chapter of their life. If you are planning to move to the UK from America, there are still some important factors that you need to keep in mind.
Primarily, you need to find out more about how to get a sponsorship license in UK if you want to start living there. More precisely, there are some qualifying criteria that you need to meet in order to apply for a work visa in the UK. In many cases, people are going to the UK because of the job opportunity, however, we will cover other options as well.
Contents
- How to Move to the UK?
- Finding Employment
- Finding the Proper Visa Type
- Applying for the Visa
- Moving to the UK
- Getting an Indefinite Leave to Remain
- Moving to the UK to Join Family Members
- How Hard Is It to Move to The UK?
- How Much Does It Cost to Move to The UK?
- Will You Get Free Healthcare If You Move to the UK?
- How Can You Get UK Citizenship?
How to Move to the UK?
If you want to move to the UK, you can apply for a long-term work visa and you can do this by following these steps:
- You need to find a job
- You need to find the correct visa type
- Start the process of applying for the visa
- You can Move to the UK and find a home
- You must get an Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR).
Finding Employment
As we said, it is crucial to have a job offer in the Uk before you start the process of applying for your visa. There are different sponsored-based visas and this can be one of the easiest and most convenient ways to get the visa. However, you need to have a guarantee that your employer will be your sponsor for a permit.
Finding the Proper Visa Type
There are different options for immigrations that want to come to the UK and the visa that they will get will depend on their skills and the type of work they are looking for. It is crucial for the person that wants to move to the UK to find out more about visa options and see which one suits his or her profile the most. Some of the common work visa types are Innovator visa or start-up visa, Skilled-worker visa, and International sportsperson visa. Whatever type of visa suits you, you should make sure that you are going to have permanent residence.
Applying for the Visa
When you explore different types of visa and you select the one that best suit you, it is time to apply for that visa. It is significant to research what documents you need to collect and submit. Only if you have all the required documents you will be able to conduct the application. In most cases, the practice is to apply for a visa in your local representative office. Once you apply, you are waiting for the answer. However, you should be prepared to wait a few weeks up to a couple of months for the response. It all depends on what type of visa you have applied for.
Moving to the UK
Let’s say that you are application was successful and in that case, the visa office will send you a letter with further details. In general, you will probably get a sticker which is known as a vignette on your passport that will have all the details of your immigration status like your visa type, the validity of the visa, etc. When you move to the UK, the first thing you must obtain is your biometric residence permit – BRP at the post office. This can be your identification as well as the proof of right that allow you to live and work in this country.
Getting an Indefinite Leave to Remain
When the first five years of how you are living and working in the UK pass, you can obtain your Indefinite Leave to Remain (Permanent Residence). This document will provide you to live in this country without limitations. After that, you can apply for UK citizenship.
Moving to the UK to Join Family Members
In case you already have someone that is living in the UK, you have the right to move there and join them. However, in this case, you are applying for a family member visa and there are a couple of them. For instance, there is a family visa to join your spouse, a parent, or a family visa for children. These types of visas are valid for two and a half years. However, this can be changed due to different circumstances.
How Hard Is It to Move to The UK?
This is one of the most common questions that people are wondering about. It can be very difficult to move to the UK in case you do not have a job there that is waiting for you, family members who live in the UK, or enough money. How hard is to move to the UK also depends on where are you living, because all nationalities are having different visa requirements. For Americans, it is not so difficult, as long as they have a job and fulfill visa conditions.
How Much Does It Cost to Move to The UK?
When it comes to the amount of money that you are going to need in the case you decide to move to the UK, you should know that you will be needing at least £1,500 at the beginning to support yourself until you get the first salary. Additionally, there are some essential costs that you need to cover such as:
- Visa application fee: up to £1,400.
- Healthcare tax: £624 per year.
- Flight ticket: up to £500 – this depends on the country
Will You Get Free Healthcare If You Move to the UK?
Yes, you will have the right to get free healthcare that is covered by the NHS. This applies when you are a long-term legal resident of the UK country. However, if you have a work visa, you will need to pay a healthcare surcharge every year.
How Can You Get UK Citizenship?
The process of becoming a UK citizen is not so complex. You primarily need to live in the UK for at least five years and you must have your ILR for one year. If you meet these criteria, you can submit your application for getting UK citizenship. However, you will need to complete the “Life in the UK” test.