If you are planning to travel to the UK as an Indian, you need to take care of formalities. The first question to ask is, of course, do Indians need a visa for the UK? Yes, in most cases, Indian nationals do need a visa to enter the UK. But what type of visa? What about the Schengen visa for Indians in the UK? Does it allow entry? Does the duration of stay matter? What are the UK tourist visa requirements for Indians? In this article, we provide answers to these and other urgent questions and give some practical recommendations.
Types of UK visas for Indians.
Visitor visa
A standard Visitor visa enables holders to visit the UK for recreational purposes or to see family and friends. In other words, it is a UK tourist visa for Indians and other nationals. However, it also allows certain activities like participating in business meetings, attending an interview, or volunteering. Holders of this type of visa cannot do any paid or unpaid work, whether by employment or as self-employed. With some exceptions, this visa is issued for six months, but a long-term Standard Visitor visa is also available.
Work visa
This is an umbrella term for various visas that, unlike the UK tourist visa for Indians, allow employment of Indian nationals in the UK. For example, a Skilled Worker visa is issued to qualified professionals based on a concrete job offer/contract with a specific sponsor (employer). Different conditions apply to UK work visas for Indians regarding healthcare, education, or a field from shortage occupation lists.
Temporary Worker visa
A Temporary Worker visa covers various kinds of paid or unpaid employment of Indian nationals in governmental, commercial, or charity entities in the UK, including creative industries, entertainment, agriculture, etc.
Student visa
Student visa is issued to those Indians who enrol with a qualified British educational institution for a programme lasting longer than six months.
Spouse visa
Spouse visa allows entry for Indian spouses of UK nationals or foreign citizens officially residing in the UK, for example, holders of a UK work visa for Indians.
India Young Professionals Scheme. In the wake of the introduction of new UK visa rules for Indians, a special type of visa has been implemented under the India Young Professionals Scheme. It allows up to 3,000 Indian nationals aged between 18 and 30 and with eligible qualifications to live and work in the UK for a period of up to 2 years. The scheme is realised via special ballots in which candidates are selected randomly. The next ballot is expected to be held in 2024.
Schengen visa/ Visa on arrival
Note that using a Schengen visa for Indians in the UK is not an option as the country is not part of the Schengen area and requires its national visas for entry. Similarly, there is no visa on arrival for Indians in the UK: anybody needing a visa must secure it in advance.
In 2023, some new UK visa rules for Indians and other foreign nationals have been introduced. Specifically, the British government has decided to raise the fees for most visa types as of 4 October 2023. For example, those applying for a skilled worker visa now must pay £94 or £185 more depending on the duration of their stay (up to 3 years or more than three years, respectively). The fee for a Temporary Worker visa has gone up by £39 and for a Student visa, by £127. In the table below, you can find the cost of the UK visa for Indians for selected types of documents.
| Visa type | Application fee | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Visitor | £115 | Up to 6 months |
| Skilled Worker | £719-£1,500 | Up to 5 years |
| Skilled Worker from shortage occupation list | £551-£1,084 | Up to 5 years |
| Health and Care Worker | £284-£551 | Up to 5 years |
| Temporary Worker | £298 | Varies |
| India Young Professional | £298 | Up to 2 years |
| Student | £490 | Varies |
Keep in mind that, besides the application fee, the cost of the UK visa for Indians includes the so-called healthcare surcharge, which has also been increased recently and now varies from hundreds to thousands of pounds depending on the type of visa.
Applying for UK visa for Indians
Most types of visas require Indian nationals to apply at least three months in advance to allow the diplomatic mission the time to evaluate the application. Remember that there is no such thing as a visa on arrival for Indians in the UK. In most cases, you have to apply online but might also need to arrange a visit to the consulate to submit biometric data.
The specific list of required documents depends on the type of visa you are applying for. For example, the UK tourist visa requirements for Indians would differ from those for the UK work visa for Indians. Below are some documents that you might need to provide:
A completed application form
Two recent photographs
A passport valid for the duration of your stay in the UK or at least for six months
Fight tickets, proof of accommodation, and travel insurance
Proof of financial independence. For example, a candidate with the India Young Professionals Scheme must have £2,530 in savings, while a Skilled Worker usually needs to have at least £1,270 available.
If you are applying for a work visa, an employment contract or a binding job offer
Similarly, proof of education, such as diplomas, certificates, etc., in your professional field, as well as, in some cases, proof of English language proficiency
If you intend to stay in the UK for more than six months, you might also need to provide a tuberculosis test from a qualified clinic.
In other words, to get a UK visa as an Indian, you need to clarify to the British authorities the purpose of your visit to the UK, your eligibility in the context of that purpose (e.g. qualifications for work), and the practical arrangements to support you during your stay (e.g. accommodation, money available). You also need to show that you are a person of good character (clear criminal record) and in good health. All these must be supported with the relevant documents that you submit when applying for a UK visa for Indians.
Money matters
Visiting and especially moving to another country often involves the need to transfer money internationally. Especially if, as an Indian, you have secured long-term employment in the UK and would like to bring your family there, which means that they might need a UK tourist visa for Indians or a Spouse visa. There might also be a need to financially support your loved ones back home. The good thing is that today sending money from the UK to India is as easy as it gets – you only need a bank card, a smartphone, and an online money transfer service.
While you most probably already have the first two components, finding a suitable provider might require some time and effort. Or you can try Profee and look no further. Here is why.
Profee is secure. Profee is a fully licensed European EMI (Electronic Money Institution) allowing to send money to 60+ destinations around the globe, including India. The provider is regulated by the EU financial authorities and complies with respective legal requirements. It also employs state-of-the-art security protocols and regularly updates its PCI DSS certification.
Profee is easy to use. For its clients’ convenience, the service is available both as a web-based service and an iOS/Android app with a simple, user-friendly interface. It is suitable even for users with no prior experience with similar services.
Profee is fast. Not only does the service deliver the money in minutes, but the interaction itself is streamlined. Any process, from registration and sending money to verification, requires only a couple of taps and can be completed within a couple of minutes.
Profee is beneficial. It uses a unique AI-driven system to monitor the currency exchange rates on the market and offer a competitive GBP/INR rate at any given moment. Moreover, there is no commission on transfers to India, and for the first money transfer from the UK to India, a special promo rate is applied. The final amount is always known to the sender in advance because Profee charges no hidden fees. As a client, you can not only send but also earn money with Profee thanks to its referral programme: if you invite a friend to try the service and they send €100 or more, you are rewarded with €10 cashback.
Profee is trusted. Based on more than 2,000 reviews on Trustpilot, a popular user review platform, Profee has secured an ‘Excellent’ rating of 4.7 out of 5, with nearly 90% of users assigning it the highest grade of 5.
All the above is easy to crosscheck: visit www.profee.com or download the app from the App Store or Google Play to enjoy the benefits offered by Profee and financially support your loved ones back in India.
