UK Entry Clearance Visa Applications

Getting permission before you travel to the UK, where your route requires it.

For applicants overseas — partners, family members, workers, students and visitors — and for UK-based sponsors supporting them.

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Entry clearance is permission obtained from outside the UK, before you travel, where your route requires it. The application is made online, and most applicants then give their biometrics or verify their identity as the Home Office instructs.

Since 1 July 2026, UKVI no longer issues visa vignettes (stickers) to successful new applicants. Permission is held as an eVisa, which you view and prove through a UKVI account. Before you travel, check that the account shows the correct details and is linked to the passport you will travel on.

You may need entry clearance if

You are outside the UK and want to join a partner, parent or child here.
You have a job offer from a licensed sponsor.
You have a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies from a licensed student sponsor.
You need a visa to visit for tourism, family, permitted business or a short course.
Your settled status lapsed while you were abroad for a long period.

What we will check

The correct route for your real plans.
Your sponsor's status, and the relationship or job evidence.
Financial and maintenance requirements, and how they must be evidenced.
English language requirements and exemptions.
Your immigration history, so we can confirm the matter is within our Level 1 authorisation.
Biometrics or identity steps, and setting up your UKVI account.

Common problems
Financial evidence in the wrong format or covering the wrong period.
Evidence that contradicts the application form.
A route chosen by the form name rather than by the real plan.
A UKVI account linked to an old or different passport.

How WLIS can help

1 We check that the route suits your plans and that the matter is a straightforward one within our IAA Level 1 authorisation.
2 We review your eligibility and your documents, and explain plainly anything that needs attention.
3 We give you a document checklist written for your circumstances rather than a generic one.
4 We prepare the application form and supporting documents, and you check and approve the final information before anything is submitted.
5 We help with submission, biometrics or identity steps, and your eVisa and UKVI account after the decision.

What we can and cannot help with

We provide advice and application assistance for straightforward immigration matters within our IAA Level 1 Immigration authorisation. Where a matter falls outside that authorisation — for example because it involves adverse immigration history, a discretionary or human-rights claim, an administrative review, an appeal or tribunal work — we will tell you and signpost or refer you to an adviser authorised at the appropriate level.

If an application is refused, we will explain the decision and whether any further work remains within our Level 1 authorisation. Where an administrative review, an appeal or other higher-level casework is needed, we will signpost or refer you to an appropriately authorised adviser. We do not provide appeal or tribunal representation.

UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) makes the final decision on every application. No immigration adviser can guarantee that an application will be approved.

Our IAA regulation How we work Fees

Questions clients often ask

How long will my application take to decide?

Processing times differ by route, by country and by time of year, and UKVI publishes current guide times. Priority services are available for many routes at extra cost, though they are sometimes suspended. Check the published time before you commit to travel dates.

Can I travel abroad while my passport is with the visa centre?

It depends on how you are asked to prove your identity. Some applicants use the UK Immigration: ID Check app and keep their passport; others attend a visa application centre, where the passport may be needed. Follow the instructions given when you apply, and do not book travel that depends on having the passport back by a particular date.

Will I get a sticker in my passport or a digital status?

A digital status. Since 1 July 2026, UKVI no longer issues visa vignettes (stickers) to successful new applicants. Your permission is an eVisa that you view and prove through your UKVI account. Check that the account shows the right details and the passport you will travel on before you travel.

Official sources we check

We check what we publish against the Home Office's own guidance. These are the GOV.UK pages behind the advice on this site — use them to confirm anything you read here, because the rules change and the official page is always the current one.

GOV.UK content is published by the UK government and is not part of this website.

Talk to us about uk entry clearance visa applications

Tell us what you want to apply for, the status you hold now and when your current permission ends. We will confirm whether the matter is within our Level 1 authorisation and offer a suitable appointment.

Start an enquiry See how we work

The enquiry form is on this site and reaches us directly. Please do not send identity documents until we ask for them.