UK visas for Bangladeshi citizens

For Bangladeshi applicants, some of the most important country-specific issues are the visitor visa requirement, TB testing, English evidence and family documentation. A long-established community in the UK shapes the pattern: many applications are for spouses and children joining family, and student numbers grew sharply before the 2024 restriction on dependants. This page covers what depends on Bangladeshi citizenship and residence — entry documents, the TB test, English evidence, family documentation — and points to the route guides for the rest.

Visiting the UK

Bangladesh is a visa-national country. A Standard Visitor visa is required for any visit, and the Electronic Travel Authorisation is not available to Bangladeshi citizens. Applications are made online and completed at a visa application centre in Bangladesh, where biometrics are taken. Family visits are common and are assessed on the same basis as any visit: the purpose, the plan to leave at the end, and the applicant’s circumstances at home.

Changing planes in the UK without passing through immigration normally requires a Direct Airside Transit Visa, unless an exemption applies, such as holding certain valid visas for the United States, Canada, Australia or New Zealand.

Studying in the UK

The Student visa process is the same as for other nationalities. Since January 2024, only postgraduate research students and government-sponsored students can bring dependants; a taught master’s does not allow a partner or children on the Student route, which changed the calculation for many Bangladeshi families. Financial evidence must be held for the required period in an acceptable form: the rules are prescriptive, so bank statements need to cover the required period and meet the specified format, and funds in a parent’s account need a letter of consent and proof of the relationship. The Graduate visa gives two years for applications made by 31 December 2026 and 18 months for applications from 1 January 2027.

Joining family in the UK

The partner visa is the route Bangladeshi applicants use most. The requirements are the same as for everyone else: a genuine relationship, the £29,000 minimum income requirement, where applicable, adequate accommodation and A1 English at entry. Marriages in Bangladesh are proved with the registration under the applicable personal law. For a Muslim marriage, the Kazi registers the marriage and issues a Nikah Nama; the Kazi may also issue a shorter certificate recording the couple’s names and the date of marriage. Certified translations are needed. Couples who marry in the UK instead use the fiancé(e) visa first. Children apply alongside a partner, and elderly parents needing care would look at the strict Adult Dependent Relative route.

Working in the UK

Skilled Worker is the main work route, with the same salary and skill thresholds as for everyone else; Bangladeshi doctors and nurses also use the Health and Care Worker route. Overseas recruitment of care workers closed in July 2025. Bangladesh is not a Youth Mobility Scheme country. As a Commonwealth citizen you could qualify for the UK Ancestry visa if a grandparent was born in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man.

Bangladesh-specific requirements

TB test. Bangladesh is on the list of countries where a tuberculosis test is required. The rule turns on residence rather than nationality: it applies if you are applying for more than six months and have lived in Bangladesh, or another listed country, for six months or more in the last six months. The test must be taken at a clinic approved by the Home Office and the certificate is valid for six months. Each family member who meets the requirement needs their own certificate; children must attend an approved clinic, although those under 11 do not normally have a chest X-ray. Partner-visa applicants need one too.

English. Bangladesh is not a majority-English-speaking country for immigration purposes, so routes that require English must be evidenced. For the partner route this means an approved test at A1 for entry, rising at extension and settlement. For work and study routes, an approved Secure English Language Test or a degree taught in English confirmed by Ecctis; some Bangladeshi degrees qualify under the second method once the Ecctis statement is obtained. Skilled Worker applications made from 8 January 2026 need B2. See the English requirements guide.

Applying in Bangladesh. Applications are submitted online and completed in person at a visa application centre. For an extra fee, a priority or super priority decision may be on offer, depending on the route and on capacity at the time you apply. A successful application results in an eVisa, tied to your UKVI account. Since 1 July 2026 there is no vignette in the passport; a form for accompanying an eVisa (FAV) may be issued for travel where one is needed.

Routes to settlement

The partner route leads to Indefinite Leave to Remain after five years under current rules, with English at a higher level and the Life in the UK test at that stage. Skilled Worker and Health and Care Worker lead to ILR after five years. Student and Graduate time counts only towards the ten-year Long Residence route.

Bangladesh permits dual nationality with the UK in some circumstances for people of Bangladeshi origin. A Dual Nationality Certificate is available, but current Bangladeshi mission guidance says that someone who previously held a Bangladeshi passport and later obtained a British passport can retain or renew the Bangladeshi passport without one. Check the current consular rules for your circumstances before naturalising. Spouses of British citizens can apply for citizenship as soon as they hold ILR. See the ILR vs citizenship comparison.

Common questions

Can Bangladeshi citizens use the ETA? No. A Standard Visitor visa is required.

Does my spouse need a TB test for the partner visa? Yes, if they are applying from Bangladesh for more than six months, which a partner visa always is.

Can I bring my family on a Student visa? Only if you are a postgraduate research student or government-sponsored.

Will I lose Bangladeshi citizenship if I become British? Bangladesh permits dual nationality with the UK in some circumstances. Current mission guidance does not require a Dual Nationality Certificate to retain or renew a Bangladeshi passport after obtaining a British one, but check the current position with the Bangladeshi authorities.