Should You Get Citizenship or a Visa to Move to Britain?

Should You Get Citizenship or a Visa to Move to Britain?

Moving to the UK is as popular as ever, and there are a number of ways to do so. In this article, we’ll compare moving to Britain on a visa to gaining citizenship…

Receiving a British citizenship has always been a key objective for overseas nationals looking to relocate. Despite Brexit and the global COVID-19 pandemic, this remains largely unchanged.

In 2021, approximately 573,000 people from overseas chose to make Great Britain their home despite changes to the rules. In this article, we’ll look at the two main options for moving to the UK - on a visa or through British citizenship.

British Citizenship

Gaining a British citizenship is considered to be the holy grail for a significant number of people from overseas but, while that may be the case, actually achieving this can be easier said than done.

Citizenship means that an individual is allowed to remain in the UK indefinitely with no restrictions on work. British Citizenship can be gained by:

Marriage

If an individual is married, or in a civil partnership with a British person, they may be eligible for an immediate citizenship as long as they have Settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme or Indefinite leave to remain (ILR).

As the name suggests, this allows you to remain in the UK for an unlimited time. To be eligible for ILR, an individual needs to have lived in the country for at least five years. A person with ILR may then apply for British citizenship after a further 12 months.

Many people make the mistake of believing that marriage automatically entitles them to citizenship, but this is not the case.

Citizenship under the Windrush Scheme

Under the Windrush Scheme, a person may gain British citizenship if:

  • The individual or one of his or her parents arrived in the UK before 1973
  • The individual was born in the UK
  • The individual arrived in the UK before he or she turned 18

Windrush refers to people who arrived in the UK from the Caribbean between 1948 and 1971 and, therefore, may be able to gain citizenship under the unique status, as may their children.

Applying for British citizenship can often be a long, drawn-out process, and sometimes an expensive one too. For this reason, it’s important that individuals check the eligibility criteria thoroughly before making their application in order to avoid wasted time and disappointment.

Moving to Britain on a Visa

passport with visasPhoto by mana5280 from Unsplash

The second route for moving to the UK is with a visa. While gaining access to Great Britain through a visa is considerably quicker and easier than trying to secure citizenship, the downside is that there are almost always limits on how long the person is allowed to stay. The types of visas available are:

Skilled Worker Visa

This type of visa allows foreign nationals to stay in the UK for up to five years and is open to overseas workers who have skills which are desirable in the UK. In order to qualify for a skilled worker visa, the individual must:

  • Have received a firm job offer from a UK company which is part of the visa scheme - the job offer must be received in writing before making the application for a skilled worker visa
  • Have evidence that the job will pay a minimum of £25,600 per year or £10.10 per hour
  • Confirmed that the UK company has approval from the Home Office

Graduate Visa

Individuals who have been studying in the UK for at least two years, may be eligible for a graduate visa which will allow them to live and work in Great Britain for a further two years.

High Potential Visa

Overseas students who have completed a university course in the last five years, may be eligible for a high potential visa if they are able to demonstrate that they have a superior set of skills or knowledge which would be beneficial to a company in the UK.

Visa vs Citizenship

In this article, we’ve explored the two main ways in which a person may be eligible to move to Great Britain, but which is best?

For those looking to make the UK their home, or at least to live here long term, citizenship is, without a doubt, the best option as it allows unlimited stays and no restrictions on the work that the individual is able to take on. On the downside, there are strict rules governing who can apply for citizenship and, in many cases, an individual will need to have lived in Great Britain for up to 10 years before they are even able to make an application.

Visas, on the other hand, offer a much easier gateway to moving to the UK and, there are a few different visas available as we’ve demonstrated in this article. While a visa only offers a short term stay to begin with, these can often be extended and, this can mean that the person will be able to build up enough years in the country to be able to then apply for citizenship. For example, after five years on a skilled worker visa, the individual may be able to apply for ILR, after which they can apply for citizenship. For this reason, a visa is almost certainly the easiest way to make Great Britain your home.

Please be advised that this article is for general informational purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for advice from a trained immigration professional. Be sure to consult an immigration professional if you’re seeking advice about moving to the UK. We are not liable for risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information on this site.

Lead Photo Credit: Aleks Marinkovic from Unsplash