UK visas for Indian citizens

Indian nationals are one of the largest groups across the UK immigration system. In the year ending June 2026, India was the second-largest source of sponsored students and the largest nationality group on the Graduate route and for settlement grants. The routes themselves are the same as for everyone else. What differs is the paperwork around them, and this page covers only that. For salary thresholds, fees and eligibility, follow the links to the route guides.

Visiting the UK

India is a visa-national country. You need a Standard Visitor visa before travelling, even for a short holiday or a business meeting; the Electronic Travel Authorisation is not available to Indian citizens. Applications are made online and completed at a visa application centre in India, where biometrics are taken. Long-validity visitor visas — two, five or ten years — are available for people who travel often, and the fee rises much more slowly than the number of visits.

If you are only changing planes in the UK without passing through immigration, a Direct Airside Transit Visa is normally required. Exemptions exist — for example holders of certain valid visas for the United States, Canada, Australia or New Zealand — so check the transit rules against your own documents before assuming either way.

Studying in the UK

Indian students follow the standard Student visa process. Two points tend to cause trouble.

The first is dependants. Since January 2024 most students cannot bring family members; the exception is postgraduate research students and government-sponsored students. If you are coming for a taught master’s, your partner and children cannot join you on the Student route.

The second is the Graduate visa timetable. Applications made by 31 December 2026 receive two years; from 1 January 2027 the standard grant is 18 months. Indian graduates are the largest group on the route. See the Graduate visa guide and the Graduate vs Skilled Worker comparison.

Working in the UK

The Skilled Worker visa is the main route, and Indian nationals are its largest group, concentrated in IT, engineering, finance and healthcare. The route was tightened in 2025: the general salary threshold is now £41,700 or the going rate, the skill level is normally RQF 6, and overseas recruitment of care workers closed in July 2025. An intra-company move through the Global Business Mobility routes is common for employees of Indian groups with UK subsidiaries, but those routes do not lead to settlement.

India Young Professionals Scheme

Instead of the standard Youth Mobility Scheme, Indian citizens aged 18 to 30 with a degree can apply under the India Young Professionals Scheme: two years in the UK to work, study or travel, with no sponsor. Places are limited and allocated through ballots held at times announced by UKVI; you can only apply for the visa after receiving an invitation. The visa fee, health surcharge and savings requirement match the Youth Mobility Scheme, and the route does not lead to settlement — people who want to stay typically switch to Skilled Worker from inside the UK.

Bringing your family

Partners and children of Skilled Workers can normally apply as dependants, subject to the 2025 restrictions for medium-skilled shortage-list jobs. Indian marriage and birth certificates are accepted; where a document is not in English, a certified translation is required. Spouses of British citizens and settled people use the partner visa, with the £29,000 minimum income requirement, where applicable, and A1 English at entry.

India-specific requirements

TB test. India 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 India, 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 TB requirement needs their own certificate. Children must attend an approved clinic, although those under 11 do not normally have a chest X-ray.

English. India is not a majority-English-speaking country for immigration purposes, so routes that require English must be evidenced. Two methods are common: an approved Secure English Language Test taken at an authorised centre in India, or a degree that was taught in English, confirmed by Ecctis as both equivalent to a UK degree and delivered in English. Many Indian degrees qualify under the second method, which saves a test — but the Ecctis statement must be obtained before you apply. Note that Skilled Worker applications made from 8 January 2026 require B2, a higher level than before. See the English requirements guide.

Applying in India. Applications are submitted online and finished in person at a visa application centre. Whether a priority or super priority service is available depends on the route and on capacity when you apply; where it is, it costs extra. Successful applicants now receive an eVisa linked to a UKVI account. The passport sticker ended on 1 July 2026, and a form for accompanying an eVisa (FAV) is issued to some applicants for the journey. Keep the UKVI account details safe — they are how you prove your status in the UK.

Routes to settlement

Skilled Worker, the partner route and UK Ancestry all lead to Indefinite Leave to Remain after five years under current rules; Student, Graduate, Global Business Mobility and the Young Professionals Scheme do not count towards that period, although lawful time on them counts towards the ten-year Long Residence route. Indian nationals are the largest group granted settlement each year, most of them having arrived as Skilled Workers or as students who later switched.

At the citizenship stage there is a decision unique to nationals of countries like India. Indian law does not allow dual citizenship: naturalising as British ends your Indian citizenship, and you would need to surrender your Indian passport. Overseas Citizen of India status provides lifelong entry to India and broad residence and work rights, but it is not Indian citizenship and does not include voting rights or an Indian passport. ILR has no such effect. For many Indian families, “stop at ILR or go on to citizenship” is the most significant decision in the whole process. See the ILR vs citizenship comparison.

Common questions

Can Indian citizens use the ETA? No. The ETA covers nationalities that do not need a visa to visit; Indian citizens need a Standard Visitor visa.

Does an Indian degree count for the English requirement? Often, yes, if Ecctis confirms it was taught in English and is equivalent to a UK qualification. Without that confirmation, you need an approved test.

Do I need a TB test for a six-month visitor visa? No. The requirement applies to applications for more than six months.

Can I bring my spouse on a Student visa? Only if you are a postgraduate research student or government-sponsored. Otherwise, not on the Student route.

Will I lose my Indian citizenship? Not by getting ILR. Only by becoming a British citizen, at which point OCI status is the usual next step.