Other UK Work Visas (5 of 11)

There are over 85 UK visa types. To help you understand various UK immigration routes, I’ve divided these visa types into six main categories.

There are visas for:

  1. Visiting the UK
  2. Studying in the UK
  3. Working in the UK:
    1. Long-term UK work visas
    2. Short-term UK work visas
    3. Investor, business and talent routes
    4. Other work-related routes
  4. Joining family members in the UK:
    1. Settlement routes
    2. Temporary work-related routes
  5. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens
  6. Protecting citizens

 

This article is a part of the ‘UK Immigration and All UK Visa Types in 2022’ article series. You can get all the links to articles and videos from this series HERE.

Below, I’ll explain the third category – visa types suitable for those who would like to work in the UK.

The topic is very deep. We’ve covered long-term, short-term, investor, business, and talent-related work visas in the previous articles.

Today’s article will be the last chapter on UK work visas. Today I’ll cover the remaining work-related visas, which are not part of the UK’s new Points-Based Immigration system.

Many of the routes, which I describe below, are not ‘work visas’ per se. They are UK immigration routes, which allow the holders to work in the UK.

Please note that the UK immigration routes, which I explain below, are suitable for those who do not have a right of abode in the UK. Even if your country is not on a visa national list, if you intend to work, you still need to apply for a visa before travelling to the UK.

Other UK Work Visas (5 of 11)

Eleven Work-Related Routes

In addition to work visas, which I’ve covered in my previous videos and articles there are eleven other work-related UK Immigration routes:

  1. UK Ancestry applicants
  2. Frontier Worker
  3. Hong Kong British National (Overseas)
  4. Overseas Domestic Workers
  5. Representative of an Overseas Business
  6. Turkish Businessperson
  7. Turkish Worker
  8. Private Life in the UK applicants
  9. Windrush applicants
  10. Seafarers
  11. Aircrew

Let us explore these routes in more detail.

Due to the size, I’ve divided this article into two parts. In this part, we’ll consider the first five routes. In the next one, we’ll concentrate on:

6. Turkish Businessperson
7. Turkish Worker
8. Private Life in the UK applicants
9. Windrush applicants
10. Seafarers
11. Aircrew

UK Ancestry

Other UK Work Visas
Other UK Work Visas

The UK Ancestry route is for a Commonwealth citizen aged 17 or over who wants to live and work in the UK and who has a grandparent who was born in the UK or Islands.

A dependent partner and dependent children can apply under this route.

All successful UK Ancestry applicants can settle in the UK, usually after 5 years of residence. It is provided, of course, they meet all the requirements for settlement.

According to the rules, to succeed, all applicants will need to prove that they are ‘able to work and intend to seek and take employment in the UK.’ There are no restrictions on what type of work they can apply for. The employers do not need to be registered with the Home Office in order to hire UK Ancestry applicants. In other words, once the Home Office grants their application, they have unrestricted access to the UK labour market.

 

Frontier Worker Permit for EU citizens

You need to get a Frontier Worker permit if you want to work in the UK but live in another country.

You may be eligible if all of the following apply if you’re from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and live outside the UK. Additionally, to qualify, you need to prove that you began working in the UK by 31 December 2020.

Usually, you need to have worked in the UK at least once every 12 months to qualify for this type of visa.

What the permit allows you to do

This type of permit will allow you to do what other EU citizens with settled or pre-settled status can do: work, rent, have access to benefits and services, including NHS healthcare.

You don’t need to pay a fee to apply for a Frontier Worker permit. Also, you do not have to pay the immigration health surcharge. However, you may have to pay to submit your biometric information (photograph or fingerprints).

 

Hong Kong British National (Overseas) Route

Other UK Work Visas
Other UK Work Visas

BN(O) status is a form of British nationality created for people from Hong Kong so they could retain a form of British nationality and a connection to the UK after the handover to China in 1997 in line with the Sino-British Joint Declaration.

The Hong Kong British National (Overseas) route has two routes – the BN(O) Status Holder route and the BN(O) Household Member route.

The BN(O) Status Holder route is for a British National (Overseas) citizen who is ordinarily resident in Hong Kong or the UK.

the BN(O) Household Member route is for family members of the Hong Kong British National (Overseas) route applicant. They usually include a  dependent partner and a dependent child of a British National (Overseas) citizen. Other family members with a high degree of dependency may also apply in exceptional circumstances.

The BN(O) Household Member route may also provide opportunities for the adult child of a BN(O) citizen. The Home Office specifically stated that it is for those born on or after 1 July 1997.  The BN(O) Household Member and any dependent partner or child applying under this route will need to form part of the same household as the British National (Overseas) citizen.

Both Hong Kong British National (Overseas) routes allow work and study in the UK and are routes to settlement.

 

Overseas Domestic Worker

This route also allows applicants to work in the UK. However, it is for a very small category of people. This route is for an Overseas Domestic Worker who would like to come to the UK to work for up to a maximum of 6 months as a domestic worker with their current employer.

This route is very restrictive. Overseas Domestic Workers cannot bring their dependents with them to the UK. Also, they cannot settle in the UK on this route.

Also, Overseas Domestic Workers can only work in the household of their current employer.

If you are thinking to apply under this route, you should know that your employer will need to complete two copies of this statement.

 

The Representative of an Overseas Business Route

This route is for an employee of an overseas business that does not have a presence in the UK.

A person applying as a Representative of an Overseas Business will need to be either a Sole Representative or a Media Representative.

A Sole Representative is a senior employee of an overseas business assigned to the United Kingdom to establish a branch or subsidiary.

A Media Representative is an employee of an overseas media organisation posted to the United Kingdom on a long-term assignment.

A dependent partner and dependent children can apply under this route.

Although representative of an Overseas Business is a route to settlement, the first visa grant will only be for 3 years.

If you succeed in your application, you can only work for the overseas business which you represent.

 

You can continue reading this article here.

Other UK Work Visas (5 of 11)