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Visas to work in Scotland

From America to India, China and beyond, we’re welcoming people from around the world to use their specialist skills in industries across Scotland. With the right visa, you can join them.

Who needs a visa to come to Scotland?

If you’re a non-British or non-Irish citizen, you’ll usually need a visa to live and work in Scotland. The type of visa you require depends on what you want to do when you’re in Scotland – such as visiting, working or studying.

On this page, check if any specific rules apply to you based on your nationality or situation, and then explore visa options that may be available. You can also use the GOV.UK visa check tool opens in a new window  to work out if you need a visa and what types may be suitable. 

Irish Citizens will not be impacted by the UK's withdrawal from the European Union. This is because Irish citizens enjoy a right to live and work in the UK which is not reliant on the UK's membership of the EU, rather it is based on the Common Travel Area

Read Common Travel Area guidance opens in a new window  

Irish citizens will continue to have a right to live and work in the UK as a result of the Common Travel Area arrangements in place.

However, non-EEA/Swiss family members of Irish citizens may need to apply under the EU Settlement Scheme or acquire some other type of visa to continue living in the UK beyond the end of the Brexit Transition period.

The deadline for most people to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme was 30 June 2021. However, some EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members may be able to apply after this deadline.

This includes those who are switching from pre-settled to settled status, qualifying family members, and those who have 'reasonable grounds' for not applying in time.

Find out more about who has a later deadline to apply on GOV.UK opens in a new window  

EEA or Swiss nationals who live outside of the UK but regularly travel here to work may be eligible for a Frontier Worker Permit. To qualify, eligible citizens must have worked in the UK by 31 December 2020 and meet the other eligibility and suitability requirements.

Find out more about the Frontier Worker Permit on GOV.UK opens in a new window  

EEA and Swiss nationals who enter the UK for the first time from the 1 January 2021 will normally have to apply for a visa under the Points-Based System to live and work in the UK (unless they qualify to make a late application under the EU Settlement Scheme mentioned above.

Read points-Based System guidance from GOV.UK opens in a new window  

The Scottish Government have created a toolkit to provide information to those EEA and Swiss citizens who wish to stay in Scotland following the end of the Brexit Transition period.

Find out more about the toolkit on gov.scot opens in a new window  

British citizens who have been living overseas can return to live and work in the United Kingdom at any time – they do not need a visa or any kind of advance permission to do so.

However, where a British Citizen wishes to return to the UK with family members who are non-British/non-Irish, it may be necessary for them to apply for a visa in advance.

Spouses/Civil Partners and Unmarried Partners of British Citizens

Those who are married to British Citizens may be eligible for a Family visa opens in a new window  To qualify, such individuals will have to evidence that they:

  • Are in a civil partnership or marriage with a British Citizen that’s recognised in the UK
  • OR have been living together in a relationship with a British Citizen for at least 2 years when they apply
  • Meet the financial requirements opens in a new window  and evidence the relevant income or savings thresholds (which vary depending on your circumstances and the number of dependants travelling to the UK).

Find full details about the family visa on GOV.UK opens in a new window  

Family visas for qualifying spouses, civil partners and unmarried partners are usually granted for an initial period of 2 years and 9 months, after which an extension will have to be applied for.

Fiancés or fiancées of British Citizens can also apply for a visa to enter the UK, but this is usually granted for an initial period of 6 months to facilitate the wedding or civil partnership (after which the spouse will need to switch in the spousal branch of the Family Visa). It is not usually possible for the fiancé or fiancée to work while they are in the UK on this type of visa.

Children of British Citizens

Children of British Citizens born overseas are in some cases, automatically British Citizens. This means that they would not require a visa to return to the UK, but they may need to register as a British Citizen before travelling. 

Find out more about applying for British citizenship on GOV.UK opens in a new window  

Children who are not British Citizens but will be travelling to the UK with a British parent may be eligible for a Family Visa. This visa route is only for children under the age of 18, or who are not living an 'independent life' and the financial requirement opens in a new window  must be met.

Find out more about applying as a child on GOV.UK opens in a new window  

Staying in Scotland after your studies

If you’re planning on coming to Scotland to study, there are lots of opportunities to stay here after you graduate to live and find work. The most common route is the Graduate visa route, but there may be other options that suit you.

Find out more about staying in Scotland after your studies 

What visa do I need?

If you’re a non-British or non-Irish citizen coming to Scotland to live and work, there are a number of visas available to you. Explore the most common types on this page.

You may be eligible for a Skilled Worker visa if you have a job offer with an approved employer opens in a new window  in Scotland who is willing to sponsor you. The job you’re applying for must be: 

You must also be able to speak, read, write and understand English. 

Find out more about the Skilled Worker visa on GOV.UK opens in a new window  

You may be eligible for a Scale-up visa if you have a job offer from a qualifying UK scale-up who is willing to sponsor you and the role is:

  • An eligible occupation (roles which are highly skilled only)
  • Paid the relevant minimum salary or the going rate for the job, whichever is higher (the minimum salary for this route is £34,600).

Those with a Scale-up visa will be required to work in the qualifying role they are sponsored to do for their sponsor for a minimum of six months. After this initial six-month period, you are able to work for any employer in the UK at any skill or salary level.

However, to extend your visa or to settle in the UK, individuals must be able to evidence PAYE earnings of at least £34,600 per year for a prerequisite period of time or £33,000 per year if their certificate of sponsorship was assigned on or before 11 April 2023.

Find out more about the Scale-up visa opens in a new window  

You may be eligible for a Global Talent visa if you’re a leader or potential leader in any of the following fields:

  • Academia or research
  • Arts and culture
  • Digital technology

To qualify, you’ll either need to apply for an endorsement, or show that you’ve won an eligible award in your field.

Find out more about the global talent visa, approved endorsers and eligible awards opens in a new window from GOV.UK.

From 11 April 2022, you may be eligible for a Global Business Mobility visa if you work for an overseas business, have a UK sponsor and fit into one of the subcategories. These are:

Most subcategories are subject to minimum skills and salary levels. See the individual links for more information on GOV.UK.

This route replaced the Start-Up and Innovator visa routes. There are transitional arrangements in place and further guidance can be found on the Home Office website.

The Innovator Founder route is for those individuals with an innovative, viable and scalable business idea they have generated, or to which they have significantly contributed. The applicant must have a business plan that they would have a day-to-day role in carrying out and they must be the sole founder or an instrumental member of the founding team of the business.

The individual's business idea will require to be endorsed by one of the Home Office's recognised Endorsing Bodies. Under this new route, there is no requirement to show initial capital of £50,000 to invest in the business. However, the business plan must be realistic and achievable based on the applicant's 'available resources' and the endorsing body will need to confirm that there are no concerns over the legitimacy of sources of, or mode of transfer of funds and that there is no reason to believe that the applicant or the endorsed business may be the beneficiary of illicit or otherwise unsatisfactory explained wealth.

This visa will last for a maximum of 3 years initially. Towards the end of this period, you will have the option to apply for an extension for a further three years, or to apply to settle permanently in the UK. This visa would permit individuals to carry out additional work in the UK for third parties providing the work is at level RQF level 3 or above.

Find out more about the Innovator Founder visa on GOV.UK opens in a new window  

The Start-up category was intended for high potential entrepreneurs seeking to start up a business in the UK for the first time.

This immigration route is closed to new applications.

Start-up visas were issued for a period of two years. Towards the end of this period, visa holders will need to meet the requirements of, and switch in to, another visa category.

Find out more about the Start-up visa on GOV.UK opens in a new window  

This route closed to new applicants from 13 April 2023.

Applicants who had received an endorsement letter from an Innovator Endorsing Body up to 12 April 2023, can use this endorsement to apply under the Innovator Founder Route for as long as the endorsing letter remains valid and they otherwise meet the requirements of the Innovator Founder Route.

Towards the end of an individual's existing Innovator visa, they will need to either apply to settle in the UK (if they qualify) or meet the requirements of, and switch into the Innovator Founder route, or another visa category.

Find out more about the Innovator visa on GOV.UK opens in a new window  

If you come from certain countries, are aged between 18 and 30 (or between 18 and 35 if you are a New Zealand national) and have at least the minimum required levels of savings. You may be eligible to apply for a Temporary Worker (Youth Mobility Scheme) visa.

This visa will last for up to two years (or up to three years if you are a New Zealand national) and will allow you to live and work in the UK during this time.

Learn more about the levels of savings required on GOV.UK opens in a new window  

Find out more about the Youth Mobility Scheme on GOV.UK opens in a new window  

If you and your family want to visit Scotland, you can usually enter the UK as a visitor. Certain nationalities must apply for a standard visitor visa in advance of travel to the UK.  It allows you to travel around the country and the rest of the UK for up to a maximum of six months. 

Find the list of nationalities on GOV.UK  opens in a new window  

The UK is implementing an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme for nationalities not on the list above who currently do not require to apply for a visitor visa in advance of travelling to the UK. This is being rolled out across 2023 and 2024. Qatari nationals will be the first to be able to apply for an ETA in October 2023 and they will need an ETA for travel to the UK from 15 November 2023. The ETA scheme will then be rolled out to further nationalities.

If you are a citizen of a Commonwealth country and have a grandparent who was born in the UK, you may be able to apply for a visa to live and work in Scotland and the rest of the UK. This visa lasts five years. You must be aged 17 or over and have the intention to undertake work, as well as showing that you have enough money to support yourself in Scotland.

To be eligible, the qualifying grandparent must have been born either:

  • In the UK
  • In the Channel Islands (Bailiwick of Guernsey or Bailiwick of Jersey) or the Isle of Man
  • In what is now Ireland (but only if they were born before 31 March 1922)
  • In certain circumstances, on a UK-registered ship or aircraft – see nationality policy guidance from GOV.UK opens in a new window  

Eligibility cannot be gained through great-grandparents, nor through step-parents.

Find out more about the UK Ancestry visa on GOV.UK opens in a new window  

Those from Hong Kong who are a British nationals (overseas) may be eligible for a The Hong Kong British National (Overseas) Visa.

This allows those who qualify to apply to enter or remain in the UK for up to 30 months or 5 years initially to live, work and study. It may be possible to extend this visa or to settle in the UK subject to the eligibility requirements.

Find out more about the British National (Overseas) visa on GOV.UK opens in a new window  

Generally, you must first secure a place at a licensed education institution opens in a new window , which can then sponsor you for your visa application. There are a number of additional requirements you must meet in order to obtain your student visa.

Find guidance on studying in Scotland from Scotland.org opens in a new window  

Find out more about the Student visa on GOV.UK. opens in a new window  

The graduate route provides international students the opportunity to stay in the UK to work or look for work after they graduate from a qualifying course and institution. Undergraduate and masters degree students can to stay for two years under the route, whilst PHD students can stay for three years.

Find out more about the Graduate visa on GOV.UK. opens in a new window  

This visa route provides graduates of certain qualifying non-UK universities the opportunity to come to the UK to work or look for work. To qualify, individuals will have to have graduated from a qualifying non-UK university opens in a new window in the five years before they make their application.

Undergraduate and masters degree students can come to the UK for two years under the route, whilst PHD students can come for three years.

Find out more about the High Potential Individual visa on GOV.UK opens in a new window  

For those affected by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, or for Ukrainian nationals who want to come to the UK or who are already in the UK and who may need to extend their visa, you can read the UK government's guidance on the UK visa support available for Ukrainian nationals. opens in a new window  

When and where to apply

In most cases, you must apply for your visa or permit before you travel to Scotland and the UK. If you don’t have the required entry clearance documents, you can be refused entry to the UK and sent back home.

There are specific requirements that you will need to meet depending on the visa you are applying for.

You may have to apply online depending on where you're located. Normally you apply for your visa or permit to allow you to enter and work in the UK at a Visa Application Centre – these are often at British Embassies, Consulates, High Commissions or processing centres located around the world.

Find out where to apply in your country on GOV.UK. opens in a new window  

Processing times

Processing times vary depending on the type of document you are applying for and where you are applying from.

Find out about current visa processing times on GOV.UK. opens in a new window  

Bringing family with you

If you’re coming to Scotland to work or invest, your spouse, partner or dependent children under 18 years old can usually apply to join you. There are usually conditions you’ll need to meet.

Find out more about bringing your family with you 

A family enjoying some time by the sea in Scotland

Settling in the UK

Depending on the type of visa that you have, it may be possible to 'settle' in the UK (also known as 'indefinite leave to remain' or 'Settled Status' for qualifying EEA/Swiss nationals).

The ability to settle usually occurs after 5 or 10 years residence (depending on the visa you have) and requires you to meet other eligibility requirements such as knowledge of English language, passing a life in the UK test and not having excessive absences from the UK over the life time of your visa.

You may be able to qualify to settle in the UK faster in some cases, depending on the type of visa that you have.

Find out more about eligibility to settle in the UK on GOV.UK. opens in a new window  

Being settled in the UK means that there’s no time limit on your right to live and work here and it can lead to naturalisation as a British Citizen. While settling is regarded as an indefinite or permanent right to be in the UK, it can be lost in some cases.

Find out more about indefinite leave to remain on GOV.UK. opens in a new window  

British Citizenship

To qualify for British citizenship, you must normally have lived in the UK for at least five years and have had either indefinite leave to remain or Settled Status for at least 12 months. You may be able to qualify for British citizenship quicker in some cases.

Find out more about getting British Citizenship on GOV.UK. opens in a new window  

If your application to naturalise as a British citizen is successful, you will normally be invited to attend citizenship ceremony and then be issued with your citizenship certificate. You can then apply for a British passport.

Find out more about what happens after you apply on GOV.UK. opens in a new window  

Getting visa and immigration support

Immigration law is complex. Immigration specialists can give you advice on your personal situation.