How to apply for a visa to come to the UK
Getting a decision on your application
You’ll get a letter or an email telling you the Home Office has made a decision on your application.
It will tell you what you need to do next.
If you have not received your email, check your spam or junk folder.
If your application is successful
You’ll be given either:
- a sticker (called a vignette) that goes in your passport - if you gave your biometric information at a visa application centre
- access to view your immigration status information online - if you used the smartphone app to prove your identity
The vignette or online immigration status information will show:
- what you’ve been granted (for example, a Student visa)
- the dates your visa is valid (start date and end date)
- the conditions of your visa
Your visa conditions
The conditions say what you can and cannot do in the UK. For example, they might say:
- ‘No access to public funds’ - you cannot claim benefits
- ‘No work’ - you cannot take paid or unpaid work in the UK
- ‘Restricted work’ - you can only work for your sponsor
Getting your vignette
If the visa application centre kept your passport, they’ll either:
- send it to you with the vignette inside - if you paid for this service when you applied
- ask you to collect the passport and vignette
If you kept your passport, you’ll need to take it to the visa application centre to collect your vignette.
If there’s an error in your vignette
If you notice an error in your vignette, you should contact your visa application centre immediately to correct it before you come to the UK.
If you notice the error after you’ve arrived in the UK, you must report it to UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) within 3 months of arriving or you’ll need to make a new application.
Getting a biometric residence permit
If you get a vignette and you’re coming to the UK for more than 6 months then you have to collect a biometric residence permit (BRP) after you arrive.
You must do this before the vignette sticker expires or within 10 days of arriving in the UK, whichever is later.
You choose where to collect your BRP from during your application.
When you get your BRP, check the details are correct. If your name is long it may appear ‘cut off’. This is not a mistake - it is because there is limited space on the BRP card. However, if there’s a spelling mistake, you must report it.
You need to report any errors in your BRP within 10 days of collecting it.
If you get access to your immigration status information online
You’ll be able to view your immigration status information online. You can also use the online service to share your immigration status information with others, for example employers or universities.
Some government organisations and public authorities will be able to access your immigration status information, for example when you travel through the UK border.
You will not get a vignette or a BRP.
If your application is refused
You’ll get a letter or an email explaining why your application was refused.
Your passport will be returned, if it was kept as part of your application.
Your refusal letter will explain if you have the right to either an: