What types of UK work visa are there?

GOV.UK lists many work visas. This guide compares 20 of them. Most need a sponsor: Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, Scale-up, five Global Business Mobility visas and six Temporary Work visas. Graduate, Global Talent, High Potential Individual, Youth Mobility Scheme and India Young Professionals Scheme do not. Innovator Founder needs an endorsement.

How do the UK work visa types compare?

The table uses only what each visa’s GOV.UK page says. In the “Sponsor?” column, “Yes” means you need a sponsor, a certificate of sponsorship or a reference number from a licensed sponsor. “No” means the page names no employer sponsor in its list of who can apply. “Family” is what the page says about partners and children.

Visa	Who it is for	Sponsor?	Maximum stay	Family
Skilled Worker	An eligible job with an approved UK employer	Yes	Up to 5 years before extending. You can extend as many times as you like if you still qualify	Partner and children may apply as dependants
Health and Care Worker	Qualified doctors, nurses, health professionals and adult social care professionals working for the NHS, an NHS supplier or in adult social care	Yes	Up to 5 years before extending. You can extend as many times as you like	Partner and children may apply as dependants
Graduate	People who completed an eligible UK course on a Student visa. You must apply from inside the UK	No	2 years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026. 18 months if you apply on or after 1 January 2027. 3 years with a doctorate. Cannot be extended	Partner and children can apply to stay if eligible
Global Talent	Leaders or potential leaders in academia or research, arts and culture, or digital technology. You must be at least 18	No. You need an eligible prize or an endorsement	Up to 5 years at a time. No limit on total stay. Each extension is 1 to 5 years	Partner and children can apply
Scale-up Worker	An eligible job for a fast-growing UK business, with a job offer of at least 6 months	Yes	2 years, then extensions of 3 years as many times as you like	Partner and children can apply if eligible
Senior or Specialist Worker	An existing employee of an approved sponsor doing an eligible job at its UK branch	Yes	The shorter of the certificate of sponsorship time plus 14 days, or 5 years. Total stay is 5 years in any 6, or 9 years in any 10 if you are paid £73,900 or more	Partner and children can apply if eligible
Graduate Trainee	An existing employee on a graduate training programme for a managerial or specialist role	Yes	The shorter of the certificate of sponsorship time plus 14 days, or 12 months. Cannot be extended	Partner and children can apply if eligible
UK Expansion Worker	A senior manager or specialist employee setting up a UK branch of an overseas business that has not started trading in the UK	Yes	The shorter of 12 months after the job start date, or the certificate time plus 14 days. One 12-month extension. 2 years maximum	Partner and children can apply if eligible
Service Supplier	A contract to provide services to a UK company, as an employee of an overseas company or a self-employed overseas professional	Yes	The shorter of 6 or 12 months (depending on the trade agreement), or the certificate time plus 14 days	Partner and children can apply if eligible
Secondment Worker	Your overseas employer sends you to do an eligible job for a different UK organisation under a high-value contract	Yes	The shorter of 12 months after the job start date, or the certificate time plus 14 days. One 12-month extension. 2 years maximum	Partner and children can apply if eligible
Seasonal Worker	Horticulture work for up to 6 months, or poultry work from 2 October to 31 December	Yes	Up to 6 months (horticulture). 2 October to 31 December each year (poultry)	No. You cannot bring family members
Creative Worker	Work in the creative industries, for example as an actor, dancer, musician or film crew member	Yes	Up to 12 months, or the certificate time plus up to 28 days, whichever is shorter. May be extended	Partner and children can apply if eligible
Charity Worker	Unpaid voluntary work for a charity	Yes	Up to 12 months, or the certificate time plus 14 days, whichever is shorter	Partner and children can come if eligible
Religious Worker	Religious work in a non-pastoral role or religious order	Yes	Up to 24 months, or up to 28 days more than the certificate time	Partner and children can apply if eligible
Government Authorised Exchange	Work experience, training, an Overseas Government Language Programme, research or a fellowship through an approved scheme	Yes	A visa for a maximum of 12 or 24 months, depending on the scheme	Partner and children can apply if eligible
International Agreement	Work covered by international law or a treaty. For example, work for an overseas government, or as a private servant in a diplomatic household	Yes	Up to 2 years for government and international organisation workers. Up to 5 years for private servants, 2 years at a time	Partner and children can apply if eligible
Youth Mobility Scheme	People aged 18 to 30 or 18 to 35, depending on where they are from, with £2,530 in savings	No	Up to 24 months. People from Australia, Canada and New Zealand can extend by one year	Cannot be on your application. They must apply separately
India Young Professionals Scheme	Indian citizens aged 18 to 30, selected in a ballot	No	Up to 24 months. Cannot be extended	Cannot be on your application. They must apply separately
High Potential Individual	People who got a qualification from an eligible university in the last 5 years	No	2 years, or 3 years with a doctorate. Cannot be extended	Partner and children can apply if eligible
Innovator Founder	People setting up an innovative business endorsed by an approved endorsing body	No employer sponsor. You need an endorsement	3 years. You can extend for another 3 years, with no limit on how many times	Partner and children can apply if eligible

Which work visas lead to settlement?

Settlement means staying in the UK for good. GOV.UK calls it “indefinite leave to remain”. Its pages say different things:

• Skilled Worker and Health and Care Worker: after 5 years you may be able to apply to settle.
• Scale-up Worker: after 5 years you may be able to apply to settle.
• Global Talent: you may be able to get indefinite leave to remain after 3 or 5 years, depending on your field and how you apply.
• Innovator Founder: you may be able to apply for settlement once you have been in the UK for 3 years.
• Graduate Trainee and UK Expansion Worker: GOV.UK lists applying to settle as something you cannot do.
• High Potential Individual: GOV.UK lists applying to settle as something you cannot do. It also says time on the visa does not count towards settlement.

Where can I read more?

• For one visa’s rules, fee and length of stay, follow its link in the table.
• For the steps to get a visa through an employer, see how to get a UK work visa.
• For cost and timing across visas, see UK work visa cost and processing times.
• The UK work permit overview lists every visa GOV.UK shows, including those without a guide here.