Immigration United KingdomImmigrant

How to Apply for a UK Visa (Work, Study, Family)

Last reviewed: October 2026

Verified against official agency guidelines

Apply online on gov.uk. Pay the fee. Pay the immigration health surcharge too. Book an appointment at a visa application centre (VAC) for your fingerprints and photo. Then wait for a decision. Most decisions come within 3 weeks. If you pass, you get a vignette in your passport or an eVisa.

At a glance

Cost:: From £135 (visitor) to £819+ (Skilled Worker 3-year)
Total time:: About 3 weeks (most routes)
Steps:: 8 steps
Where to apply:: gov.uk

Last reviewed October 2026 against official sources. Re-checked every 6 months · next review due April 2027.

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Difficulty

Hard

Total Time

About 3 weeks (most routes)

Cost

From £135 (visitor) to £819+ (Skilled Worker 3-year)

Steps

8 steps

Reviewed

October 2026

Apply on the official site

The Steps

Follow these in order

Each card shows the phase, expected time, and any cost. Data checked against official UK sources(October 2026).

0 of 8 steps

Before You Go 1–2 hours
Pick the correct visa route
These are the main routes. Skilled Worker: you have a job offer from a licensed sponsor. Student: you have a CAS from a licensed place of study. Family or spouse: your partner or parent lives in the UK. Standard Visitor: you visit for a short stay. Each route has its own rules. Check the route page before you spend any money.
Click to mark as done
Before You Go 1–2 weeks
Translate your non-English documents
Some documents are not in English or Welsh. For example, birth certificates, marriage certificates, bank statements, or police clearances from your home country. Each one must come with a full English translation. Passports are fine as they are. Can the document not be translated in your country? The Home Office guidance says the translation can be done in the UK. But it must have the translator's contact details. It must also say the translation is correct. Certified services charge £20–£50 per page. They take 2–5 days. You can read this whole guide in Hindi, Nepali, Português (Brasil), or Español. Use the language dropdown at the top of the page.
UK visa routes (gov.uk) Check if you need a visa
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Before You Go 1–4 weeks
Gather evidence for the rules you must meet
Work visas need a Certificate of Sponsorship. You get it from an employer with a Home Office licence. Student visas need a CAS. Family visas need proof of your relationship. They also need a minimum income of £29,000 or savings. Most work/study routes need bank statements showing you held the money for 28 days. Family-route cash savings, by contrast, must have been held for six months.
Financial evidence rules (gov.uk)
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Fill / Prepare 1–2 hours
Complete the online application
Apply at gov.uk. Or use visas-immigration.service.gov.uk. Pay online. The fees are now: a Skilled Worker visa for up to 3 years costs £819 if you apply from outside the UK. A Student visa costs £558, and a Standard Visitor 6-month visa costs £135. You also pay the immigration health surcharge on top. It is usually £1,035 per year for most people. It is £776 for students and under-18s.
Visa fees (gov.uk) Immigration health surcharge
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Go Appointment: 30 min
Give your fingerprints and photo at a visa application centre
After you pay, book an appointment at a VAC. In some countries this is VFS Global. In others it is TLScontact. They take your fingerprints and your photo. Is priority service offered on your route? You can pay £500 on top of the application fee for it. It usually takes 5 working days for most visas, but 30 working days for family visas applied for from outside the UK and for settlement applications. Keep your receipt.
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Wait 3 weeks (typical)
Wait for the decision
Standard times are: 3 weeks for most work and study visas if you apply from outside the UK. 12 weeks for family visas from outside the UK. 8 weeks for family visas inside the UK. 15 working days for visitors. The Home Office may ask you for an interview or more documents. Reply fast. If you do not, your visa may be refused.
Click to mark as done
Receive 1–2 weeks
Get your vignette or eVisa
If you pass, you get an eVisa, a digital record of your status that you access through a UKVI account. Set the account up and check your eVisa before you travel. Some applicants, such as dependants and visitors, may still receive a vignette (entry sticker) in their passport instead. BRPs are gone. All physical immigration documents were replaced by eVisas. All BRPs expired on 31 December 2024. Make a UKVI account. You can see your status there. You can also prove your status online there.
eVisa and UKVI account (gov.uk)
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Follow Up Ongoing
Follow your visa rules
Check what your visa lets you do. For example, how many hours you can work. Or if you can change employer. Most visas do not let you claim public funds. Tell the Home Office if your life changes. Watch your visa end date. Check the rules for extending it before that date. If you stay too long, you may be banned.
Click to mark as done

Be Careful

Don't make these mistakes

Picking the wrong visa route. Each route has its own rules. A Skilled Worker needs a licensed sponsor, a Student needs a CAS, and a Family route needs proof of relationship and income. Check the route page before you spend any money.

Sending documents without a proper translation. Birth certificates, marriage certificates, bank statements, and police clearances not in English or Welsh each need a full English translation. The translation must carry the translator contact details and say the translation is correct.

Missing the funds holding rules. Most work and study routes need bank statements showing you held the money for 28 days. Family route cash savings must have been held for six months. Do not apply until the money has been held for the full period.

Forgetting the health surcharge on top of the fee. The application fee is not the whole cost. You also pay the immigration health surcharge, usually £1,035 per year for most people and £776 for students and under 18s, for the whole length of your visa at once.

Ignoring a Home Office request. The Home Office may ask you for an interview or more documents. Reply fast. If you do not, your visa may be refused.

Travelling before you check your eVisa. BRPs are gone and all BRPs expired on 31 December 2024. Set up your UKVI account and check your eVisa before you travel, since that digital record is now your status.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I speed up my visa decision?

Yes, on some routes. Priority usually takes 5 working days for most visas, but 30 working days for family visas applied for from outside the UK and for settlement applications. Super priority takes the next working day, where it is offered. They cost extra, on top of the application fee. Priority is £500 and super priority is £1,000. They make the decision faster. They do not make the appointment queue faster. You do not get the money back if your visa is refused.

What is the immigration health surcharge?

It is a fee for the NHS. You pay it before your visa starts. It is £1,035 for each year of your visa for most adults. For students and children it is £776 each year. You pay for the whole length of your visa at once. If your visa is refused, you get back the money for unused years.

What happens if my visa is refused?

The refusal letter tells you why you were refused. It lists what you can do next. You can ask for an administrative review. That costs £80, and it is for mistakes by the caseworker. You can appeal on some routes only, like family and human rights routes. Or you can apply again and fix the problems in the letter. Get advice before you apply again. More refusals can make things worse.

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