Which Countries Can You Apply For?

As a UK resident there are very few countries in the world that aren’t open to you as a new immigrant. The UK has reciprocal links with many countries throughout the world and if you’re hoping to emigrate there’s normally at least one visa category that will be suitable to you and your application. Many countries will limit their intake of migrants due to social and political reasons, whereas others will actively seek migrants to strengthen their workforce and community.

Main Countries Where UK Residents Apply

The main countries who actively seek individuals on a skilled basis are: Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa and the USA. For this reason, most UK residents apply for visas to these countries. If you’re looking to move within the EU or EEA, then you normally don’t require a visa, but should still inform all the correct local authorities that you are becoming a non-resident of the UK. If you are applying to one of these other main countries, you will need to apply for a visa through either the family sponsored route or the skilled migrant route. You will often need to have enough ‘points’ to qualify for immigration into one of these countries. These points are allocated due to education, family, experience, age and much more.

Applying to the USA

If you are desperate to move to the USA permanently, you may have heard of a process where you can obtain a ‘green card’. The USA has a wonderful diversity lottery that allows a certain number of individuals the chance to permanently move to the USA simply by entering the lottery draw. Sadly, this isn’t available at present to UK citizens (excluding Northern Ireland) as there have already been many UK residents who have immigrated to the USA. This means that you must apply through a family sponsored visa or a skilled migrant visa, much as you would any other country.

Applying and the Costs Involved

When you apply to any of the countries listed, you will need to be financially capable of going through the entire application process. Normally you will need to pay for immigration fees and government application forms, professional advisor fees including migration agent fees, removal costs and transport to your new home and of course all the normal costs associated with moving into your new home once you’ve emigrated. There can be huge variances in the prices dependent on the visa class and country you’re applying to, but always remember and work out a rough estimate of the costs before you start the application process. It can be lengthy, but ultimately if it’s your dream to move abroad, this is the only way of doing so.

Which Countries have in Demand Occupations

Many countries that you can apply to have in-demand occupations and some of the most common are: chefs, nurses, engineers, tradesmen, technicians and IT workers. You can usually obtain a list of the highest demand occupations from the immigration website of the country you wish to move to. This will help you make a decision on which area may require your skills most and therefore which is likely to be a good choice for a visa application. Remember that just because you’re qualified for something in the UK, doesn’t necessarily mean those qualifications will transfer over to your new country. This is where a specialist migration officer can come in handy, as they will be able to tell you exactly what your qualifications are worth in another country.

The Next Step

Now that you have read through the advice above, you might want to put it into practice. Our Visa Eligibility Checker lets you check your eligibility for visas in popular destinations based on your circumstances. Try it now →