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 get one of the following:
- an eVisa (an online record of your immigration status)
- an eVisa and a sticker in your passport (a vignette) - the sticker will be for either 90 days or the full length of your stay
- a sticker in your passport (a vignette) that’s for the full length of your stay
If you apply for a work or study visa on or after 15 July, you may not get a vignette in your passport. This is because vignettes are being replaced by eVisas. Any dependants who apply with you will get a vignette.
The vignette or online immigration status information will show:
- what you’ve been granted (for example, an Innovator Founder 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 before you travel, you should contact UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).
If you’ve already arrived in the UK, you’ll need to report an error with your eVisa if you have one. Otherwise, you should contact UKVI.
Getting an eVisa
An eVisa is an online record of your immigration status.
You need a UKVI account to get access to an eVisa. You can create a UKVI account if you do not already have one.
You’ll be able to view your immigration status information online and share it 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.
If there’s an error in your eVisa
If you notice an error in your eVisa, you should use the online service to report an error with your eVisa.
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: