UK Independent. Sourced. Primary. · Est. 2024
UK Visa · Kael Tripton Hub

The Complete UK Visa Guide

Every UK visa route explained: types, application process, and the path to settlement and citizenship. 28 guides, current to May 2026.

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UK Visa & Immigration · Pillar Hub 04 of 08

The complete
UK Visa guide.

From your first visit visa to British citizenship — 228 primary-source guides covering every fee, threshold and rule change for 2026. Part of Kael Tripton: 10,000+ expert guides, 2M+ monthly readers, daily updates. Always free, no paywalls.

228 visa guides 2M+ monthly readers Daily updates GOV.UK primary source
A Visual Journey

From arrival to citizenship.

Arrival
Border & Biometrics
Work
Skilled Worker
Family
Partner & Spouse
Study
Student & Graduate
Settle
ILR & Long Residence
Citizen
Naturalisation
228guides
In this visa hub
Across 20 visa categories
2M+
Monthly site readers
UK applicants & HR teams
20routes
Visa categories covered
From Visitor to Citizenship
10K+
Total expert guides
Across 8 pillar hubs

UK immigration rules changed more between January and May 2026 than in the preceding three years combined. The Skilled Worker threshold climbed to £41,700, the Family route saw the largest financial requirement increase since 2012, and the physical Biometric Residence Permit was retired in favour of the eVisa — all without a unified consumer guide explaining what changed, when, and for whom.

Most published advice is sponsored. Most "best of" lists rank advisers by commercial relationship. This hub does neither. Every figure here comes from GOV.UK, the Home Office, the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner, or the Ministry of Justice Tribunals Service. Where rules have changed in 2026, the article notes the source and the date of change.

If you find a fee out of date, a tribunal decision unreflected, or a route we have not yet covered — write to the editor. Editorial corrections are public, dated, and logged.

Interactive Tool · 60 Seconds

Find your UK visa route in four questions.

Step 1 of 4

What is your primary reason for coming to the UK?

Step 2 of 4

Do you already have a confirmed UK sponsor or partner?

Step 3 of 4

How long do you intend to stay in the UK?

Step 4 of 4

Will you be applying with dependants?

Recommended Route · Indicative Match

Skilled Worker Visa

Based on your answers, this is the most likely UK visa route. Indicative match only — not regulated immigration advice. For your personal circumstances, consult an OISC-registered adviser or an SRA-authorised solicitor.

The Full Index · 228 Guides · 20 Topics

Every UK visa route, organised by intent.

Skilled Worker
Sponsored
routes
Threshold and shortage rules explained
Family Route
Spouse &
partner
Financial requirement and route
Settlement & ILR
Permanent
residence
Path to ILR and citizenship
Citizenship
228
Primary-source UK guides indexed
07

Family & Partner Visas

10 guides

Spouse, fiancé, partner, dependant and marriage visitor routes — including the 2026 income requirement increase to £29,000.

08

eVisa, BRP & Digital Status

9 guides

The 2026 eVisa rollout — UKVI account setup, BRP transition, share codes, view-and-prove status, and travelling with digital-only proof.

09

Student & Graduate Routes

8 guides

Student visa, Graduate visa, dependant rules, work rights and the Youth Mobility Scheme — covering financial requirements, CAS rules and extension paths.

10

Sponsor Licence & CoS (Employers)

7 guides

For UK employers sponsoring overseas workers — applying for and maintaining a sponsor licence, issuing Certificates of Sponsorship, the Immigration Skills Charge and right-to-work compliance.

11

ETA & Visitor Visas

7 guides

The new Electronic Travel Authorisation, standard visitor visas, marriage visitor visa, 6-month rules and switching from visitor routes.

12

Business, Innovator & Talent Visas

6 guides

Routes for entrepreneurs, founders, prize-route talent, and the Hong Kong BN(O) visa — including the Innovator Founder endorsement bodies and Global Talent visa routes.

Your Brand Here Featured Partner · UK Visa Hub
Editorial-grade visibility for regulated immigration firms, legal practices and HR platforms.
228
Guides in this hub
2M+
Monthly site readers
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Reach UK visa readers across 228 primary-source guides.

Featured Partner placements give your brand editorial-chrome visibility with a 100-word sponsor blurb, tracked CTA and presence across the hub. Two slots per hub. All placements editorial-grade, brand-consistent and primary-source adjacent.

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Fee Navigator · Sourced from GOV.UK

UK visa fees: verified, sourced, GOV.UK linked.

  • Length of visa granted
  • Whether you apply from inside or outside the UK
  • Number of dependants applying with you
  • Priority or Super Priority service (optional)
  • Immigration Health Surcharge (separate from visa fee)

UK visa fees change without notice and vary by circumstance. The only authoritative source is the current UKVI fee schedule on GOV.UK. We link directly to it so you see the exact official number that applies to your application.

Selected route
Skilled Worker visa

For sponsored skilled professionals with a UK job offer from a licensed sponsor. Fee depends on length of visa, whether you apply from inside or outside the UK, the job's shortage status and any dependants.

Verify the official fee on GOV.UK → Read our guide on this route →

Fees and the Immigration Health Surcharge change without notice. Always check GOV.UK before paying. Kael Tripton does not give regulated immigration advice.

Apply From · Sourced from GOV.UK

Applying from your country? Go straight to GOV.UK.

What you'll find on GOV.UK
  • Current application fee for your route
  • Application centre and biometric enrolment location
  • Document checklist and translation requirements
  • Current UKVI processing time guidance
Selected origin
India

For applications from India, GOV.UK's country-specific page lists the current Visa Application Centres, document requirements and fee schedule.

Go to GOV.UK India page →
13

Immigration Advice & Advisers

6 guides

How to choose a regulated UK immigration adviser, what advice costs, and how to spot unregulated practitioners. Reference: the OISC/IAA register.

14

Switching & Extending

4 guides

In-country route switches, visa extensions and the 28-day rule — covering Skilled Worker switches, student-to-work transitions and post-refusal moves.

15

Skilled Worker Visa

4 guides

The UK's primary skilled migration route — salary thresholds, the cooling-off period, sponsor licence requirements and the new £41,700 minimum.

16

Overstay & Compliance

4 guides

Overstay consequences and re-entry bans, right-to-work checks for employers, right-to-rent checks for landlords, and BRP replacement procedures.

17

Shortage Occupation & Salary List

2 guides

The shortage occupation list and UK going-rate salaries for sponsored roles — the basis for the £41,700 threshold floor.

18

Right of Abode

1 guide

The right of abode for Commonwealth citizens with UK ancestry — eligibility, certification and entry rights.

Side-by-Side · Live Comparison

Compare two UK visa routes side by side.

Skilled Worker
Global Talent
Length of stay
Up to 5 years
Up to 5 years
Sponsor required
Yes — licensed UK employer
No — endorsement required
Salary / financial test
Salary threshold applies (check GOV.UK)
No salary requirement
Settlement (ILR)
Yes — after qualifying residence
Yes — after qualifying residence (endorsement-dependent)
Dependants allowed
Yes — partner and children
Yes — partner and children
Best for
Sponsored skilled professionals with a UK job offer
Recognised leaders or emerging talent in eligible fields

Application fees and salary thresholds vary by length of visa, in-country vs out-of-country and change without notice. Verify current figures on GOV.UK before applying.

2026 Editorial Log · Scroll →

UK immigration rule changes, dated and sourced.

15 May 2026

Skilled Worker threshold confirmed at £41,700

Home Office confirms phased increase pathway for transitional applications.

GOV.UK · Home Office
08 May 2026

Family visa £29,000 income requirement in force

Statement of Changes HC 1780. Affects new applications from 11 April 2026.

Statement of Changes HC 1780
22 Apr 2026

eVisa rollout completion: physical BRPs withdrawn

UKVI confirms account-based digital status is now the sole proof of immigration leave.

UKVI Published Guidance
14 Apr 2026

ETA expanded to GCC nationals from May

Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman join the Electronic Travel Authorisation scheme.

GOV.UK · Home Office
02 Apr 2026

IHS unchanged at £1,035 per year

Spring statement confirms no Immigration Health Surcharge rise during current fiscal cycle.

HM Treasury
18 Mar 2026

Care worker route restrictions extended

Health and Care visa rules continue restrictions on dependants for new care worker applicants.

HC 1780
12 Feb 2026

Graduate visa retained after MAC review

Migration Advisory Committee recommends retention; Home Office accepts the recommendation in full.

MAC Report · Home Office
07 Jan 2026

Visa fee uplift across all routes

Annual fee schedule revision: Skilled Worker, Student, Family and Visitor fees increased by avg 4.5%.

UKVI Fee Schedule 2026
How We Edit

An editorial standard without compromise.

Every guide on this hub is built from primary-source UK government data only. We cite source, date, and statutory instrument. Where rules are contested or in transition, we say so.

01
Primary sources, no aggregators

Every figure is sourced from gov.uk, the Home Office, the OISC/IAA, the Ministry of Justice Tribunals Service, or Parliamentary Statements of Changes.

gov.ukHome OfficeOISCHMRCHMCTS
02
No commercial inclusion

We do not accept payment for editorial inclusion. We do not rank advisers by commercial relationship. Sponsorship is clearly labelled and editorially separate.

03
Monthly review

Every visa guide is reviewed monthly against current rules. Material changes — fee revisions, threshold changes, eVisa rollout phases — trigger same-week updates with dated annotations.

04
Editor of record

Every page is published under the editorial direction of Chandraketu Tripathi, finance editor. Editorial corrections are public, dated, and logged.

How This Hub Is Built

Independent editorial publisher. Open-source primary data.

01
Primary-source only
Open data · Public registers

Every figure on this hub is sourced from GOV.UK, the Home Office, UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), legislation.gov.uk, HM Treasury and Office for National Statistics — all public, open-source records.

02
Dated & linked
Date-stamped · Source-linked

Where rules change, we cite the date and the Statement of Changes (HC number). Where a figure is from a specific UKVI fee schedule, we link the schedule and note its effective date.

03
Not regulated advice
Editorial only · Not OISC

Kael Tripton is not authorised by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner and does not give regulated immigration advice. For personal-circumstance advice, consult an OISC-registered adviser or SRA-authorised solicitor.

04
Editor of record
Public byline · Corrections log

Every page is published under the editorial direction of Chandraketu Tripathi. Editorial corrections are public, dated and logged. Reader queries on factual accuracy are answered in writing.

Frequently Asked

Hub-level questions, answered straight.

01 How is the Kaeltripton UK Visa hub updated?
Every visa guide is reviewed monthly against the current Home Office Immigration Rules, updated when material changes occur (fee revisions, threshold changes, eVisa rollout phases), and verified against primary sources including GOV.UK, UKVI published guidance, and Ministry of Justice tribunal statistics. Update dates are stamped on every guide.
02 Who writes Kaeltripton's UK visa guides?
All Kaeltripton UK visa content is published under the editorial direction of Chandraketu Tripathi, citing primary regulatory sources only: GOV.UK Immigration Rules, the Home Office, UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC), and the Ministry of Justice Tribunals Service.
03 Are these guides regulated immigration advice?
No. Kaeltripton is an independent editorial publisher and is not regulated by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC). Content is for informational purposes only. For regulated immigration advice on personal circumstances, consult an OISC-registered adviser at Level 1, 2 or 3 (depending on case complexity) or an SRA-authorised solicitor.
04 Why doesn't this hub rank "best" immigration advisers?
Ranking advisers commercially would compromise our editorial independence. We list regulated advisers in our Adviser Directory in a sponsored, clearly labelled tier — but never rank them, never accept payment for editorial inclusion in guides, and never make recommendations on personal circumstances.
05 How can I correct an error or suggest a missing topic?
Write to the editor via the contact page. Editorial corrections are public, dated, and logged in our editorial log. If a fee is out of date, a tribunal decision is unreflected, or a route is not yet covered, we will acknowledge and respond within five working days.
06 Can I advertise or partner with Kaeltripton on this hub?
Yes. Three placement tiers are available across all Kael Tripton hubs: Studio Partnership (one sponsor per hub, co-branded, from £1,999/mo on this hub), Featured Partner (two slots per hub, from £749/mo on this hub) and Editorial Listing (Adviser Directory listing, from £299/mo on this hub). Pricing differs by hub category, audience size and inventory. See advertise with us for current rates across all 60+ hubs.
For Regulated Advisers

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Related: Schengen Visa

UK residents travelling to Europe also use this site's Schengen visa directory: provider routing, UK application centres, fees and processing times for all 26 Schengen countries.

Schengen Visa from the UK: Country Directory »

New - Full Guide Embassies and Visa Centres in the UK 72 pages - 30+ embassies, VFS Global, TLScontact and BLS International across 8 UK cities. View Guide →
Editorial Disclaimer

Content on Kaeltripton.com is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute immigration, legal, financial or regulatory advice. Kaeltripton.com is not authorised or regulated by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) and does not provide regulated immigration advice. UK visa rules, fees and thresholds change regularly. Always verify current requirements with GOV.UK, UKVI, the Home Office or an OISC-registered adviser before making decisions on personal circumstances. For regulated immigration advice, consult an OISC-registered adviser at the appropriate level or an SRA-authorised solicitor.

The Brief

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