How to Get a Work Visa in England

Working in England gives you the chance to visit such sites as the Tower of London.

Working abroad in England can be a very rewarding experience. It gives you a chance to learn about another culture while also making money. On your time off, you can go sightseeing and see all kinds of castles, visit Stonehenge and see the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace in London.

To be able to work in England, you have to first obtain a work visa.

Things You'll Need

• Passport
• Employer who wishes to hire you in England
• Work visa paperwork

Instructions

1. Obtain your passport. Before you can even entertain the idea of getting a job in England, you need to get your passport. Passports can take up to six months to get back, so you want to get your application in early. Otherwise, you will have to pay extra for the expedited service. To get your passport, you have to go to a place that accepts passport applications in person. More information can be found on the site listed in the Resources section.

2. Get a work visa on your own. The United Kingdom, through the UK Border Agency, allows certain types of work visas to be obtained without already having employment in England. One of these is called the new Tier 1 General Work visa, that can be applied for if you are a highly skilled worker, and you may be awarded the visa if you get enough points through the point system. See the UK Border Agency website for more information.

3. Visit the UK Border Agency website and read about the changes. The United Kingdom is changing all of its policies with regard to obtaining work visas for England. Many of the work visas that are being offered now other than the highly skilled worker will become part of another Tier of work visas. For instance, Tier 2 will be for sponsored workers who have been offered employment by an English company. Tier 5 will be for temporary workers.

4. Find an employer who wishes to hire you in England. If you are not going to seek a type of visa that you can get on your own, such as a Tier 1 highly skilled worker visa, the employer must file an application for one of six types of work visas available.

5. Fill out your own Tier 2 or Tier 5 work visa application if you are seeking the visa and found a job with a company in the United Kingdom. See the work visa section of the UK Border Agency website, listed in Resources, to read the specific information about the Tier 2 and Tier 5 work visas as well as other types of work visas.

Tips & Warnings

• The UK Border Agency website is the official website for information on working and living in the UK if you are from another country such as the United States. Look at this website to find out all the specific information you need about working in England.

• The United Kingdom is undergoing changes to its immigration and work visa policies. You should visit the UK Border Agency website to get updates as they come available.

• Make sure to give yourself adequate time to obtain a passport and get your work visa. Otherwise, you could run into problems.

Resources

• U.S. State Department: Passport Information
• UK Border Agency: Working in the UK