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Updated March 2024
The United Kingdom is a popular destination for visitors looking to settle down. The country issues several visas, and you can easily choose what’s right for you based on your circumstances. However, several visas mandate sponsorship for entry, which may not always be easy to acquire.
Looking for sponsor-free UK visas? We’ve got you covered. Keep reading to find out what types of UK visas are available without sponsors and how to get them.
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UK visas without sponsors
Visit visas, family visas, and graduate visas do not require a sponsor in the UK.
Only work visas require sponsorship in the UK. Most work visas, especially long-term ones, require sponsorship for the application process. This refers to a ‘certificate of sponsorship’ from your employer with information about the role you’ve been offered in the UK.
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However, this sponsorship is not required for certain visas. Below are the visas which don’t require a UK sponsor:
Short-term work visas
Investor, business development and talent visas
Other work visas
- UK Ancestry visa
- Get an exempt vignette
- Frontier Worker permit
- British National (Overseas) visa
- Overseas Domestic Worker visa
- Representative of an Overseas Business visa
- Turkish Businessperson visa
- Turkish Worker visa
How to apply for a sponsor-free UK visa?
Just like every other visa application, you must apply online. How you apply depends on whether you’re:
- outside the UK and are coming to the UK
- inside the UK and extending your current visa
- inside the UK and switching from a different visa
If you want to change your job or employer, you must apply to update your visa. You can include your partner and children in your application to stay in the UK if they are eligible.
