Checklist for UK Visa

2-Minute Route Finder: ETA vs Visa

Answer two questions and your route is decided: what passport do you hold, and why are you going. Since February 25, 2026, visitors of 85 nationalities, including the United States, Canada, and France, are legally required to hold an Electronic Travel Authorisation before travelling to the UK, with airlines empowered to deny boarding without one. An ETA costs 16 pounds, allows multiple journeys, and lasts 2 years or until the passport expires, whichever comes first. It covers tourism, family visits, and certain business and short-study activities up to 6 months. If your nationality qualifies and your purpose fits, stop here and apply for the ETA; there is no visa checklist to complete.

Two edge cases trip people up. First, transit passengers who pass through UK passport control need an ETA or visa just like any visitor, so do not assume a connecting flight exempts you. Second, travellers with a criminal record or a previous refusal can be denied boarding or entry on an ETA, and the official guidance explicitly suggests applying for a Standard Visitor visa instead so your case is assessed before you fly. When the route finder points at the Visitor route in detail, switch to the deep visitor checklist; when it points at an ETA, confirm with the ETA checker and read the UK ETA guide for US citizens.

Universal Documents Every Route Needs

Whatever the route, UK Visas and Immigration expects the same foundation: proof of who you are, proof you can fund the trip or stay, proof of where you will live, and proof you will follow the conditions. Assemble these first, because every route checklist below builds on them. All documents not in English or Welsh need certified translations, and bank statements must show the required funds held for 28 consecutive days with day 28 falling within 31 days of the application.

A frequent failure point is the 28-day funds rule. Decision-makers count backwards from day 28, and a balance that dips below the threshold for even one day in the window can sink the application. Keep the money untouched, get statements that cover the full window, and apply while day 28 is still within 31 days. Students face higher thresholds of 1,529 pounds per month in London or 1,171 pounds outside London for up to 9 months plus outstanding course fees, while Skilled Worker applicants generally need 1,270 pounds unless their sponsor certifies maintenance.

Standard Visitor Mini-Checklist

The Standard Visitor visa covers tourism, family visits, business meetings, and courses up to 6 months. It costs 135 pounds for a 6-month visa, with 2, 5, and 10-year long-term options at 506, 903, and 1,128 pounds for regular travellers, each visit still capped at 6 months. Apply online up to 3 months before travel, then attend a visa application centre appointment. This is the condensed version; the full document-by-document walkthrough with evidence examples lives on the UK visitor checklist page.

• Online application form: completed on gov.uk with travel dates, purpose, and UK contact details matching your evidence.
• Purpose evidence: itinerary, hotel bookings, or a business invitation letter describing meetings without productive work.
• Funds evidence: 6 months of bank statements showing stable income and a balance that credibly covers the trip.
• Home ties: employment letter with approved leave, property deeds, or family evidence proving return intent.
• Previous travel: old passports and prior visas, which strengthen credibility for first-time applicants.
• VAC appointment: biometrics enrolment with passport submission; decisions commonly take around 3 weeks.

Medical visitors needing up to 11 months and academic visitors needing up to 12 months pay 234 pounds instead of 135, and must include hospital or institution letters. Transit-only travellers should check the Visitor in Transit route at 74.50 pounds rather than the full visitor visa.

Student Mini-Checklist

The Student route starts with the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies, the CAS number your licensed sponsor issues after you accept an unconditional offer. Without a CAS you cannot apply, so this checklist assumes yours is in hand. The application fee is 558 pounds from outside the UK, plus the health surcharge at 776 pounds per year of the visa, and decisions usually arrive within 3 weeks, with priority services available at higher fees.

• CAS number: valid, unused, and matching your passport details; check the course dates and fees stated on it.
• Course fees plus maintenance: funds for outstanding fees plus 1,529 pounds per month in London or 1,171 pounds elsewhere, up to 9 months, held 28 days.
• English language: Secure English Language Test or qualifying qualification at the level your CAS requires.
• ATAS clearance: required for sensitive postgraduate subjects; apply early because it adds weeks.
• Parental consent and funds: applicants under 18 need consent letters plus proof of the relationship.
• TB certificate: if resident in a listed country, from an approved clinic, valid at application.

Students already in the UK on a valid visa for 12 months or more are exempt from showing maintenance funds, and student loans or official sponsorships can substitute for bank balances if they meet the finance appendix rules. Never pay a deposit to an unlicensed sponsor: verify the institution on the official register of licensed sponsors before transferring any fees.

Skilled Worker Mini-Checklist

The Skilled Worker route requires a job offer from a Home Office licensed sponsor that issues a Certificate of Sponsorship. The job must meet the minimum skill and salary thresholds, and the sponsor must certify or you must evidence maintenance. Application fees from outside the UK run 819 pounds for up to 3 years or 1,618 pounds for longer stays, reduced to 628 or 1,235 pounds for jobs on the immigration salary list, plus the 1,035-pound annual health surcharge. Price the full package with the UK visa fee guide before committing.

• Certificate of Sponsorship: valid reference number with salary, occupation code, and start date matching the offer.
• Salary threshold: general threshold met or going rate for the occupation code, whichever is higher, unless a discount applies.
• English at CEFR B1: approved test, qualifying degree taught in English, or eligible nationality.
• Maintenance funds: 1,270 pounds held 28 days, unless in the UK 12 months or the sponsor certifies support on the certificate.
• Criminal record certificate: required for education, health, and social care roles from every country lived in for 12-plus months in the last decade.
• Dependants: separate applications with 285 pounds for a partner, 315 for one child, and 200 for each further child in maintenance.

Health and Care Worker variants carry lower fees, so check whether your occupation qualifies before paying the standard rate. Switching from inside the UK costs slightly more at 943 or 1,865 pounds, and visitors on a visit visa cannot switch to this route without leaving.

Family Mini-Checklist

Family visas let partners, children, parents, and long-term-care relatives live with a settled or British family member for more than 6 months. Applications from outside the UK cost 2,064 pounds per person, with 1,407 pounds per person for in-country applications, plus the health surcharge of 1,035 pounds per year for stays over 6 months. Expect evidence-heavy assessment: the Home Office tests whether the relationship is genuine and whether finances meet the minimum income requirement. Demonstrate both with documents, not assertions.

• Relationship evidence: marriage or civil partnership certificates, or 2 years of cohabitation proof such as joint bills and tenancy agreements.
• Financial requirement: sponsor income and employment evidence at the required level, with 6 to 12 months of payslips and bank statements.
• Accommodation: proof the UK home is adequate and not overcrowded, with tenancy or ownership documents.
• English A1: entry-level test for new partners, rising to A2 at extension and B1 at settlement.
• Children: birth certificates, sole-responsibility or custody evidence where a parent applies alone with a child.
• TB certificate and prior immigration history: where applicable, with full disclosure of any refusals or overstays.

Fiance applicants enter for 6 months to marry, then switch inside the UK, while those already in the UK on a visit visa or a visa of 6 months or less usually must leave to apply. If your family member is in the UK temporarily on a work or student visa, you apply as their dependant, not through the Family route.

Biometrics, VAC Appointments, and the eVisa

Every visa route funnels through a visa application centre for fingerprints and a photograph, and since 2026 the decision at the end of that process is digital. Physical biometric residence permits have all expired and been replaced by eVisas, and most successful applicants now receive an eVisa only, viewed through a UKVI account rather than collected as a sticker. Under the May 2026 process change, centres return your passport while the application is still being decided, then contact you when it is ready to collect, so keep your phone and email active throughout.

Practically, this means three tasks. First, book the earliest VAC slot you can attend, because appointment availability, not the decision clock, is usually the bottleneck. Second, create and verify your UKVI account with the email from your application, and check it before travelling, since carriers and border officers verify status digitally. Third, link any new passport to the UKVI account immediately if you renew during the process, because an eVisa attached to an old passport number causes boarding failures that no paper printout can fix.

Top Refusal-Avoidance Checks

UK refusals cluster around a handful of avoidable errors. Run this final pass the night before you submit: funds held the full 28-day window with day 28 inside 31 days of application, every deposit explained, translations certified, dates consistent across the form and every letter, and no document older than the guidance allows. Vague itineraries, lump-sum deposits with no source, and sponsor letters that omit salary details are the three fastest routes to a refusal, and all three are fixed with a week of preparation.

Honesty outranks polish. Disclose prior refusals, overstays, and criminal history even when the form feels unforgiving, because deception findings carry far longer consequences than the underlying issue. Keep a complete copy of the submitted bundle with timestamps, since administrative review and reapplications both depend on proving what was filed. If the refusal risk feels material, a one-hour review by a regulated immigration adviser costs far less than a second application fee plus a second health surcharge.

Frequently Asked Questions