Visa Requirements for Indian Workers Moving to the UK

visa

People wish to move to the UK for work for different reasons. The country has conducive working environments with a high standard of living. Despite the effects of Brexit and the coronavirus, the UK remains among the richest economies in Europe; only Germany is better.

If you’re an Indian worker looking for an oversea job, the UK is one of the best destinations to consider. Moving from India to the UK for work is easier than in most other countries as the UK and Indian governments are in a partnership to foster bilateral relations.

However, you still need a visa to move to the UK and there are requirements necessary to obtain your visa. In this post, we’ll be looking at UK visa requirements for Indians of some popular work visas. 

.Skilled Worker Visa 

This is the most popular UK work visa. It’s a sponsored route so to apply, you must have a job offer from a UK company approved by the home office. To sponsor your application, your employer must first apply for a sponsor licence and, if successful, issue you a Certificate of Sponsorship. This Certificate of Sponsorship will contain the sponsorship licence number and other details about your job. 

Proficiency in English is another key requirement for this visa. Also, your job must attract a minimum salary depending on the industry. You can stay and work in the UK for 5 years with a Skilled Worker visa. You can extend your stay when it expires but after 5 years, you should be eligible to apply for settlement (indefinite leave to remain). 

  • Temporary Worker Visa 

You can apply for a Temporary Worker Visa if you plan to work in the UK for a short while. The visa allows you to work in the country for 6 months. You pay £259 (around ₹25,000) for the application.

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Like the Skilled Worker Visa, your employer must issue a Certificate of Sponsorship for you to apply. The visa further requires you to be up to 18 years old and have at least £1,270 (around ₹124,000) in savings.

If your employer agrees to support you financially, you can skip the financial requirement. However, there must be a mention of this fact in the certificate of sponsorship you receive.

.Scale-up Visa 

This is one of the new work visas and is set to launch in late August. It’s an ideal route for talented individuals and permits you to work in the UK for up to 5 years. As a result, this route leads to settlement.

To qualify for this visa, you must have skills in-demand by scale-up companies. It requires a sponsor licence application and your employer must also meet the scale-up requirement. They must have had at least 20% annual growth in employee or turnover for the past 3 years and at least 10 employees in the first year.

Furthermore, your job must meet a minimum salary rate and you must demonstrate proficiency in English.

.High Potential Individual Visa 

The High Potential Individual visa allows you to travel from India to the UK without a job offer or sponsorship license. It’s another new visa and is set to launch in early May. 

The main requirement for this visa is that you’re a recent graduate of a top global university, having graduated no more than 5 years before your application date. You can apply as a Bachelor’s or Postgraduate degree graduate. 

However, it doesn’t accommodate all degree qualifications. You’ll need to certify your degree and year awarded with Ecctis. 

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.Youth Mobility Scheme Visa

You can work in the UK for up to 2 years with the Youth Mobility Scheme visa. It’s an exclusive visa, open to only select British nationals, and residents of specified countries and territories, including India. 

Application is via Youth Mobility Scheme ballots but Indians are to exclusively apply via the India Young Professionals Scheme. The visa requires you to have a monthly income of £2,530 and you must be between 18 to 30 years. 

.Global Business Mobility Visa

Are you an employer of an Indian company with a branch in the UK, or in partnership with a UK company? You can come to work in the UK temporarily under the Global Business Mobility visa. This visa accommodates different categories of temporal workers so the requirements will depend on your work type. Nevertheless, a general requirement is that you must be an employee for at least 3 months immediately before you apply.

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