How do you apply for a UK visa or residence permission in 2026?

Work routes split between sponsored and unsponsored paths. Skilled Worker and Health and Care Worker visas need a Home Office-approved sponsor, a certificate of sponsorship (the employer reference that describes the job), an eligible occupation, and a salary that meets the published threshold for that role. Global Talent, High Potential Individual, Graduate, and Youth Mobility schemes use different tests and do not all need the same sponsor licence. Employer sponsorship detail also appears in Get a work permit.

Family visas cover partners, children, parents, and some adult dependent relatives of eligible UK-based family members. You cannot usually use a family visa to join someone who is only in Britain temporarily on a work or student visa; those households use dependant applications under the main route instead.

Student visas need a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies from a licensed education sponsor, money evidence, and English-language proof where required. Partner and child dependants are limited mainly to eligible postgraduate or government-sponsored students.

Irish citizens do not need a visa to live and work in the UK under Common Travel Area arrangements. British and Irish dual nationals follow citizenship rules, not a Skilled Worker form.

Apply online for the specific route, usually up to three months before a Skilled Worker start date shown on the certificate of sponsorship. Prove identity with the UK Immigration ID Check app or a visa application centre appointment. Pay the application fee and, for most stays over six months (or for leave inside the UK), the Immigration Health Surcharge. Private insurance does not replace that surcharge when it is due.

Decision times differ for out-of-country and in-country applications. A successful grant creates or updates digital status. Link the passport you will travel with, then keep renewals on a calendar. Switching or extending leave is a fresh application, not a passport stamp update: Renew a residence permit.

After arrival, sequence everyday identifiers such as a National Insurance number and the wider post-move paperwork. Long residence toward settlement is a later legal test: Get permanent residence.