Country topic
Visas in United Kingdom
Citizens of the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand can apply for an electronic travel authorisation (ETA), which costs £20 and lets you visit the UK for up to 6 months for tourism, visiting family or certain other reasons. GOV.UK says an ETA does not guarantee entry, and that other websites may charge more. [V1] [V2] A Standard Visitor can usually stay up to 6 months but cannot do paid or unpaid work for a UK company or as a self-employed person (apart from permitted activities), or live in the UK for long periods through frequent or successive visits. The Immigration Rules let a visitor carry out activities relating to their employment overseas remotely from within the UK, if that is not the primary purpose of the visit. How that treats a freelancer's overseas clients is not stated, so it is unknown. [V3] [V4]
What we found
The research, with its sources.
Research information, not advice. Rules change, so check the source before you act on one.
- Citizens of the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand can apply for an electronic travel authorisation (ETA), which costs £20 and lets you visit the UK for up to 6 months for tourism, visiting family or certain other reasons. GOV.UK says an ETA does not guarantee entry, and that other websites may charge more. [V1] [V2]
- A Standard Visitor can usually stay up to 6 months but cannot do paid or unpaid work for a UK company or as a self-employed person (apart from permitted activities), or live in the UK for long periods through frequent or successive visits. The Immigration Rules let a visitor carry out activities relating to their employment overseas remotely from within the UK, if that is not the primary purpose of the visit. How that treats a freelancer's overseas clients is not stated, so it is unknown. [V3] [V4]
- GOV.UK's list of work visas names no digital nomad, remote worker or self-employed route; the page is the evidence, and GOV.UK does not say in words that no such route exists. The retired person of independent means route is closed to new applicants (update of 13 June 2019) and its guidance was withdrawn on 9 November 2022 without replacement. [V5] [V6] [V7]
- A Skilled Worker visa needs a confirmed job offer from a Home Office approved employer, a certificate of sponsorship and a job on the list of eligible occupations. The salary must be at least £41,700 a year and the going rate for the job; to be safe, have a job paying more than £42,000, or the going rate if higher. Lower floors apply in set cases (a relevant PhD, an Immigration Salary List job, a new entrant, some healthcare and education jobs), and across them run about £25,000 to £37,500 a year; if you rely on one of those cases, to be safe, have a job paying more than £38,000. The visa lasts up to 5 years. [V8] [V9]
- From outside the UK the Skilled Worker fee is £819 for up to 3 years or £1,618 for more than 3 years (£628 and £1,235 for jobs on the Immigration Salary List), plus an immigration health surcharge of usually £1,035 a year. You also need about £1,300 in your bank account for 28 days in a row unless your employer certifies it will cover your first month; to be safe, hold more than £1,300. A decision usually comes within 3 weeks from outside the UK, and you can apply up to 3 months before your start date. [V10] [V8]
- Global Talent needs no job offer: an endorsement from a Home Office approved body (or a named prize) for leaders or potential leaders in academia or research, arts and culture, or digital technology. It costs £766 (£561 for the endorsement and £205 for the visa) plus the health surcharge, lasts up to 5 years at a time, and the Immigration Rules allow self-employment. The application must be made within 3 months of getting the endorsement. [V11] [V12]
- High Potential Individual is for people awarded a degree in the last 5 years by a university on the Home Office list for that year. It needs no job offer, lasts 2 years (3 for a doctorate), cannot be extended and has a yearly limit on applications. It costs £880 plus £252 for the qualification check and the surcharge, with savings of about £1,300; to be safe, hold more than £1,300. Innovator Founder is for a new, innovative, scalable business endorsed by an approved body: £1,357 from outside the UK, £1,000 for the endorsement, 3 years' permission. [V13] [V14] [V15]
- Citizens of Australia, Canada and New Zealand aged 18 to 35 can apply for a Youth Mobility Scheme visa to live and work in the UK for up to 24 months, with one more year available to those three countries. The fee is £340 plus a surcharge of usually £776 a year, and you need about £2,500 in your bank account for 28 days in a row; to be safe, hold more than £2,600. You can work in most jobs and be self-employed with rented premises, equipment worth no more than £5,000 and no employees. The United States is not on the list, family cannot join on your application, and you cannot apply if children under 18 live with you. [V16] [V17]
- The UK Ancestry visa is for Commonwealth citizens, British overseas citizens, British overseas territories citizens, British nationals (overseas) and citizens of Zimbabwe who can prove one grandparent was born in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man. It costs £726, lasts 5 years, allows work (including self-employment) and study, and lets you bring a partner or child. The page does not list the Commonwealth countries, so check your citizenship against the Home Office's definition. [V18]
- The Common Travel Area lets British and Irish citizens move and live freely between the UK and Ireland. It gives a citizen of the United States, Canada, Australia or New Zealand no right to live in the UK. [V19]
- A Skilled Worker's partner and children under 18 can apply as dependants, each on a separate application, and their visas usually end when yours does. For a job listed as medium skilled, a partner or child outside the UK can join only if you have been continually employed in the UK on a Skilled Worker visa in a medium skilled job since before 22 July 2025, or the child was born in the UK. Electricians, plumbers, roofers, and carpenters and joiners are listed as medium skilled. [V20] [V21]
- For a new Skilled Worker applicant, eligible jobs are mostly those skilled to RQF level 6 or above, plus jobs on the Immigration Salary List (including bricklayers, roofers, carpenters and joiners) and the Temporary Shortage List (including electricians and plumbers). Both lists apply only to certificates of sponsorship issued before 31 December 2026; whether they continue after that date is unknown. [V22] [V23] [V9]
- Skilled Worker applicants usually must prove English at level B2, but nationals of Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA are on GOV.UK's list of countries whose nationals do not need to. Work visa holders usually need 5 years in the UK before applying to settle (3 for Global Talent and Innovator Founder holders); settlement rules are separate, so check the Home Office page when you apply. [V24] [V25]
- A tuberculosis test is needed only if you have lived 6 months or more in a country on GOV.UK's list; the United States is not on the list. Canada, Australia and New Zealand have not been checked here. [V26]
The Fernshore Index
How the Index grades visas, by passport.
Each grade is against a published measure, with its source and the date we checked it. It is research information, not advice. Where we have no figure, the row says Unknown.
Visa, United States passport
Unknown
Research for US passports is being checked
Visa, Canada passport
Unknown
Research for Canadian passports is being checked
Visa, Australia passport
Unknown
Research for Australian passports is being checked
Visa, New Zealand passport
Unknown
Research for New Zealand passports is being checked
The country
More on United Kingdom.
Topics
More about United Kingdom.
Questions about Visas in United Kingdom.
Do I need a visa to visit the United Kingdom?
US, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand passports can use a £20 electronic travel authorisation (ETA) instead of a visa for visits of up to 6 months for tourism, visiting family or certain other reasons. An ETA does not guarantee entry, and other sites that charge more are not GOV.UK.
Which UK visas allow a stay of a year or more?
There is no remote-worker or retirement visa. Routes named include Skilled Worker (a job offer), Global Talent and Innovator Founder (an endorsement), High Potential Individual (a degree from a listed university), Youth Mobility (ages 18 to 35, Australia, Canada, New Zealand) and UK Ancestry (a UK-born grandparent).
How much money do I need for a UK Skilled Worker visa?
Salary: the higher of the general floor and the job's going rate; to be safe, more than £42,000, or the going rate if higher. Fee from outside the UK: £819 (up to 3 years) or £1,618, plus a health surcharge of £1,035 a year. Bank balance held for 28 days: to be safe, more than £1,300, unless your employer certifies it.
How long does a UK visa decision take?
GOV.UK says Skilled Worker (from outside the UK), Global Talent and Youth Mobility decisions usually come within 3 weeks of applying online, proving your identity and providing documents. An ETA decision usually comes within a day. You can apply for Skilled Worker up to 3 months before the start date.
Can a Canadian, Australian or New Zealand citizen use the Youth Mobility visa?
Yes if aged 18 to 35: it allows up to 24 months (one more year for those three countries) in most jobs. It costs £340 plus a surcharge of usually £776 a year, and needs savings (to be safe, more than £2,600). US passports are not on the list. You cannot apply if children under 18 live with you.
Sources
Where each figure comes from.
Every figure on this page links to the page we read, with the date we checked it.
- [V1] Check if you can get an electronic travel authorisation (ETA), GOV.UK (Home Office, UK Visas and Immigration). Checked 16 October 2026. Page last updated 9 April 2026, read on 16 October 2026: lists Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States among the nationalities that can apply for an ETA.
- [V2] Get an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) to visit the UK, GOV.UK (Home Office, UK Visas and Immigration). Checked 16 October 2026. ETA costs 20 pounds, lasts 2 years or until the passport expires, decision usually within a day and up to 3 working days; up to 6 months for tourism, family, business trips or short study; what you can and cannot do; no work for a UK company or as a self-employed person; dual British citizens cannot get one.
- [V3] Standard Visitor visa: what you can do, UK Visas and Immigration, GOV.UK. Checked 16 October 2026. Read on 16 October 2026. 'You can usually stay in the UK for up to 6 months.' A visitor cannot 'do paid or unpaid work for a UK company or as a self-employed person' (apart from permitted business activities and paid engagements) or 'live in the UK for long periods of time through frequent or successive visits'.
- [V4] Immigration Rules Appendix Visitor: Permitted Activities, Home Office, GOV.UK. Checked 16 October 2026. Read on 16 October 2026 (page updated 8 October 2026). PA 4, General Business Activities: a Visitor may '(h) undertake activities relating to their employment overseas remotely from within the UK, providing this is not the primary purpose of their visit'. That is a limited allowance for a visitor, not a residence route.
- [V5] Work visas, UK Visas and Immigration, GOV.UK. Checked 16 October 2026. Read on 16 October 2026. Routes named without a job offer: British National (Overseas), Graduate, Youth Mobility Scheme, India Young Professionals Scheme, Global Talent, UK Ancestry and High Potential Individual. With an employer or by invitation: Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, Global Business Mobility routes (Senior or Specialist Worker, Graduate Trainee, Secondment Worker, Service Supplier, UK Expansion Worker), Representative of an Overseas Business, Scale-up Worker, temporary work routes, and Innovator Founder (start a business). Closed to new applicants: Entrepreneur and Investor (Tier 1), Start-up and the Turkish routes. No digital nomad, remote worker or self-employed route is named. The page is the evidence of absence; GOV.UK does not state in words that no such route exists.
- [V6] Extend your stay as a retired person of independent means, UK Visas and Immigration, GOV.UK. Checked 16 October 2026. Read on 16 October 2026. 'This category is closed for new applicants' (update of 13 June 2019). The publication was withdrawn on 9 November 2022: 'This guidance is no longer in use and has not been replaced.' It applied only to people who already held permission as a retired person of independent means.
- [V7] Browse: visas and immigration, UK Visas and Immigration, GOV.UK. Checked 16 October 2026. Read on 16 October 2026. The topics are: Visit the UK, Work in the UK, Study in the UK, Family in the UK, EU, EEA and Swiss citizens, Ukrainians and their families, Commonwealth citizens and British nationals (overseas), Live permanently in the UK, seek protection or asylum, appeals and travelling to the UK. None names a retirement or independent means route.
- [V8] Skilled Worker visa, GOV.UK (Home Office, UK Visas and Immigration). Checked 16 October 2026. Job offer from an approved employer, certificate of sponsorship, eligible occupation, minimum salary 41,700 pounds or the going rate, lower floors in set cases; fees 819 and 1,618 pounds; immigration health surcharge 1,035 pounds a year; 1,270 pounds for 28 days; decision within 3 weeks from outside the UK; the United States is listed as a country whose nationals need not prove English.
- [V9] Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Worker (updated 8 October 2026), GOV.UK (Home Office, UK Visas and Immigration). Checked 16 October 2026. Salary options A to F: 41,700 pounds and the going rate; 37,500 pounds with a relevant PhD; 33,400 pounds for a STEM PhD, the Immigration Salary List or a new entrant; funds of 1,270 pounds or sponsor certifies maintenance.
- [V10] Skilled Worker visa: how much it costs, GOV.UK (Home Office, UK Visas and Immigration). Checked 16 October 2026. Read on 16 October 2026: fee £819 up to 3 years or £1,618 over 3 years from outside the UK; £628 and £1,235 if the job is on the Immigration Salary List; healthcare surcharge usually £1,035 a year; £1,270 available for 28 days.
- [V11] Global Talent visa, GOV.UK (Home Office, UK Visas and Immigration). Checked 16 October 2026. Leaders or potential leaders in academia or research, arts and culture or digital technology; endorsement or named prize; 766 pound fee (561 for the endorsement and 205 for the visa); up to 5 years at a time; 3 weeks from outside the UK.
- [V12] Immigration Rules Appendix Global Talent (updated 3 August 2026), GOV.UK (Home Office, UK Visas and Immigration). Checked 16 October 2026. Work, including self-employment, is permitted except as a professional sportsperson or sports coach.
- [V13] High Potential Individual (HPI) visa, GOV.UK (Home Office, UK Visas and Immigration). Checked 16 October 2026. Qualification from an eligible non-UK university in the last 5 years; 2 years (3 for a doctorate), cannot be extended; no job offer; yearly limit on applications; fees 880 pounds plus 252 pounds for Ecctis; 1,270 pounds in savings.
- [V14] High Potential Individual visa: global universities list 2025 (qualifications awarded 1 November 2025 to 31 October 2026), GOV.UK (Home Office, UK Visas and Immigration). Checked 16 October 2026. Eligible universities for qualifications awarded in that period, including US universities such as Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University; the list changes each year.
- [V15] Innovator Founder visa, GOV.UK (Home Office, UK Visas and Immigration). Checked 16 October 2026. Endorsed new, innovative, viable and scalable business; 3 years; fee 1,357 pounds from outside the UK; 1,000 pound endorsement fee; 500 pounds for each endorsing body meeting; 1,270 pounds in the bank for 28 days.
- [V16] Youth Mobility Scheme visa, GOV.UK (Home Office, UK Visas and Immigration). Checked 16 October 2026. Read on 16 October 2026: up to 24 months, application fee £340, healthcare surcharge usually £776 a year, savings £2,530, extension of one year for Australia, Canada and New Zealand, work in most jobs, self-employment on conditions, no family on the application.
- [V17] Youth Mobility Scheme visa: eligibility, GOV.UK (Home Office, UK Visas and Immigration). Checked 16 October 2026. Read on 16 October 2026: ages 18 to 35 for Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Korea; at least £2,530 in the bank for 28 days in a row; no one with children under 18 living with them or financially dependent.
- [V18] UK Ancestry visa, GOV.UK (Home Office, UK Visas and Immigration). Checked 16 October 2026. Open to Commonwealth citizens, British overseas citizens, British overseas territories citizens, British nationals (overseas) and citizens of Zimbabwe, with a grandparent born in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.
- [V19] Common Travel Area: rights of UK and Irish citizens (updated 1 January 2026), GOV.UK (Home Office, UK Visas and Immigration). Checked 16 October 2026. Under the Common Travel Area, British and Irish citizens can move freely and reside in either jurisdiction.
- [V20] Skilled Worker visa: your partner and children, GOV.UK (Home Office, UK Visas and Immigration). Checked 16 October 2026. Read on 16 October 2026: a partner and children under 18 can apply as dependants on separate applications; for a job listed as medium skilled, a partner or child outside the UK can join only if you have been continually employed in the UK on a Skilled Worker visa in a medium skilled job since before 22 July 2025, or the child was born in the UK.
- [V21] Skilled Worker visa: eligible occupations and codes, GOV.UK (Home Office, UK Visas and Immigration). Checked 16 October 2026. Page last updated 22 July 2025, read on 16 October 2026: lists electricians, plumbers, roofers and carpenters and joiners as Medium Skilled.
- [V22] Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Occupations, GOV.UK (Home Office, UK Visas and Immigration). Checked 16 October 2026. Read on 16 October 2026: Tables 1 and 2 list occupations skilled to RQF level 6 or above; trades such as electricians (5241), plumbers (5315) and carpenters (5316) sit in Tables 1a and 2aa, which apply to Skilled Worker applicants granted permission before 22 July 2025.
- [V23] Immigration Rules Appendix Immigration Salary List, GOV.UK (Home Office, UK Visas and Immigration). Checked 16 October 2026. Read on 16 October 2026: stonemasons, bricklayers, roofers, carpenters and joiners (all jobs), high integrity pipe welders with 3 or more years of experience, and retrofitters are listed with a removal date of 31 December 2026 (for certificates of sponsorship issued before that date).
- [V24] Skilled Worker visa: knowledge of English, GOV.UK (Home Office, UK Visas and Immigration). Checked 16 October 2026. Read on 16 October 2026: nationals of Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA are on the list of countries whose nationals do not need to prove their English.
- [V25] Check if you can get indefinite leave to remain, GOV.UK (Home Office, UK Visas and Immigration). Checked 16 October 2026. Work visa holders usually need to have lived and worked in the UK for 5 years; Global Talent and Innovator Founder can be 3 years.
- [V26] Tuberculosis tests for visa applicants, GOV.UK (Home Office, UK Visas and Immigration). Checked 16 October 2026. A TB test is needed only if you have lived 6 months or more in a listed country; the United States is not on the list of countries where a test is needed.