Moving from Pakistan to the UK: 2026 Visa & Lawyer Application Support

As a country with one of the largest economies in the world, the United Kingdom offers good employment and business opportunities, not to mention accessible public healthcare services and other benefits for British citizens.

For these reasons, the UK is a popular destination for people looking to settle there permanently and many people from Pakistan choose to travel to the UK for work or to live there permanently.

The UK’s immigration laws seek to reduce rates of legal migration, and many visas have stringent requirements; for example, a minimum salary and knowledge of the English language. However, if you are eligible for one of the available UK visas and have prepared the correct documentation for your visa application, this should not hinder you from being approved for a visa to the UK.

Page Contents

• Overview of Immigrate to the UK From Pakistan
• Do I Need a UK Visa From Pakistan?
• New UK Immigration Rules
• Types of UK Visa
• Visa eligibility
• Our Packages
• What can we help you with?
• Settle Permanently in UK
• Seek Asylum in UK
• Documents Required
• Fees, Requirements & Processing
• How to Apply for a UK Visa
• How Can Total Law Help?
• Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Typically, nationals of Pakistan will need a visa to travel to the UK, except for a few exceptional circumstances where you may not need to. For example, if you are visiting a family member from the EU who has been living in the UK since 2020.

The UK Home Office offers several visas depending on your purpose in the UK, from tourism and visiting family to medical treatment and joining a partner. The UK is tightening legislation to reduce the amount of people moving to the UK each year; however, this should not prevent you from applying for a UK visa that is suitable for you if you wish to work, study or live in the UK.

New rules were established in 2023 for people applying for visas in Pakistan. These new rules are to protect Pakistani people who are genuinely applying for visas and to take action against fraudulent agents who are blocking out visa appointments and taking payment from genuine customers for appointments that don’t exist.

Firstly, all people must attend their visa appointment themselves and provide their appointment letter, passport, and document checklist for validation.

Secondly, agents are not allowed into visa application centres, or to collect passports or schedule on-demand mobile visas for their clients.

Finally, to rearrange a visa appointment you must email a copy of your passport, appointment letter and personal details directly to VFS.

Work Visa Eligibility

What type of employment you will be undertaking will determine which visa you are eligible for. Each visa offers different permissions in the UK; you will need a job offer, minimum salary and proof of English language level to apply for some work visas, and others cannot be extended or do not allow you to settle permanently.

Types of Work Visa

• Health and Care Worker visa: For doctors and nurses working for the National Health Service (NHS), an NHS supplier or adult social care.
• Skilled Worker visa: For people with job offers to work in eligible professions.
• Senior or Specialist Worker Visa: For high-skilled employees moving to their employer’s UK office.
• Graduate Trainee Visa: To undertake specialist graduate training in your employer’s UK office.
• Temporary Worker Visa: To take part in an approved training, work experience scheme or temporary work assignment
• High Potential Individual Visa: For recent graduates from eligible top global universities.
• Scale-up Worker visa: If you have a job offer from a UK business that is growing fast.

Family Visa Eligibility

Family Visa requirements can be stringent in the UK, and only exceptional circumstances might waive the regulations. Typically spouses/civil partners/unmarried partners must prove their relationship is genuine and subsisting. The sponsoring partner must also prove they have enough funds to support their partner. This is typically £29,000 which can be proven through salary, as well as any other earnings, dividends or financial support from others/your partner.

For child or parent dependents, you will likely need to prove they are in need of your care. For example a child must be under 18 and you must be their sole carer, or the carer with joint custody must be present in the move too, otherwise the process is more complex. For a parent, you are able to apply for a visa to care for them if they are over 65 and in need of your care. Variations apply, and it’s important to read each thoroughly, and reach out to an immigration adviser for full details.

Visitor Visa Eligibility

The Standard Visitor Visa is valid for 6 months. It allows you to:

• Visit for a holiday
• Visit family or friends
• Volunteer with a registered charity
• Pass through to another country
• Attend certain business activities, e.g., a meeting or interview
• Attend a school exchange programme
• Attend a recreational course
• Study or take an exam
• Travel as an academic, senior doctor or dentist
• Travel for medical reasons

While in the UK on this visa, you can’t do paid or unpaid work, claim public funds, live in the UK through frequent visits, or marry.

Coming to the UK for marriage

The UK offers the Innovator Founder visa for people who want to set up and run a business that has been endorsed by an approved endorsing body. For this visa, your proposed business must be new, innovative, possible and scaleable, with planning for growth into national and international markets and an aim to create jobs. You must also submit evidence of your English language level when you apply.

This visa will permit you to stay for three years; however, you will have to have a meeting with your endorsing body at 12 and 24 months to show that your business is progressing. If the endorsing body withdraws its approval, your visa may be cut short and you will have to find a new endorsement before your visa expires.

People from Pakistan will need a visa to study in the UK; there are three depending on personal circumstances:

• Short-Term Study visa: To study an English language course for up to 11 months.
• Student visa: If you are planning to study in college or university.
• Child Student visa: For children between 4 and 17 years old to study at an independent school.

If you are looking to settle in the UK permanently with indefinite leave to remain, you will have to live lawfully in the UK for a certain minimum time period, alongside other requirements.

Typically, you will have to spend five years in the UK under a form of settlement visa (for example, a Spouse visa or Skilled Worker visa), although there are certain routes where you can apply after two or three years.

Once you are granted indefinite leave to remain, you will be able to live, work and study in the UK with no time limit or any restrictions and eventually apply for naturalisation and full citizenship.

World-Class Immigration Services

• Thousands of applications approved worldwide
• Highly-qualified & accredited UK immigration lawyers
• Fast and friendly lawyers ensure all applications are submitted on time
• Global offices, including UK offices in London, Birmingham and Manchester
• Expert assistance from anywhere
• Comprehensive visa and citizenship application services
• Legal representation for complex cases like refusals and deportations

The Home Office offers humanitarian protection to people worldwide who are unable to live safely in their country free from persecution due to their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or other protected social characteristics (for example, gender).

Seeking asylum in the UK can be a complicated process; you must enter the country safely and legally to avoid deportation and try to gather as much evidence to support your claim as possible.

Each UK visa will request several baseline documents to prove your identity; however, you will also have to supply many additional documents which will depend on which visa you choose to apply for. The Home Office may also request additional documents beyond those outlined on the UK government website.

Generally, you will have to submit:

• A valid passport.
• A Tuberculosis test certificate if you have lived in Pakistan for more than six months in the previous six months.
• Evidence of your financial situation to show you can support yourself while in the UK.

Some Work visas will require you to have a job offer from a UK employer, in which case, you will have to provide a copy of your job offer or employment contract and details of your sponsor.

The Spouse and Family visa applications will request evidence of your relationship with the person in the UK and their UK visa or settlement information.

Applications to study will need a letter of acceptance from a UK college or university and a letter of consent from parents for children under 18 years old.

As part of your visa application, you will have to provide tuberculosis (TB) test results if you have lived in Pakistan (or another country that is on the UK TB list) for more than six months and have been living there within the last six months.

A TB test certificate is needed if you’re applying for a UK Family visa or are a returning resident who has been away for over two years.

The estimated time to process your visa application will depend on the visa you apply for.
The UK government website advises that most visas, such as Work, Study, and Visit visas, are estimated to take three weeks to process. Outliers to this three-week turnaround are family visas, where you can expect to wait 12-24 weeks, and the Innovator Founder visa if you are applying from inside the UK, which is eight weeks.

Asylum decisions are considered separately and take considerably longer to process. The average waiting time for an asylum application is 20 months, and some people can wait up to five years.

The cost of your visa will also depend on what visa you apply for. A short-term Visitor Visa for up to six months costs £135 , whereas a long-term work visa for up to three years can cost over £1,618 .

UK visa applications can be made online. You can select your visa and check the required documents and eligibility criteria through the UK Home Office website. At this point, you will pay your visa fee and the health surcharge required from Pakistani nationals and provide your documents and TB test certificate.
Once your application has been submitted online, you must attend an interview at a local visa application centre to provide your biometric information (fingerprints and photographs). If your visa is more complex, you may be invited for an interview with an officer while at the application centre.