Changing status or category

Switching is decided route by route

There is no automatic right to change from one visa to another. Each route's own rules say whether you can apply to switch into it from inside the UK, and whether your current permission allows it. So the same person may be able to switch into one route but not another, and two people on different visas may get different answers about the same target route.

Because of this, always check the specific guidance for the exact route you want to move to before making plans. The examples below illustrate the principle but do not cover every route.

An example: switching to a Skilled Worker visa

The Skilled Worker route is a good illustration because it clearly sets out who may switch and who may not. If you are already in the UK on many types of visa, you can apply to switch to a Skilled Worker visa without leaving, provided you meet that route's requirements — for instance having a job offer from an approved sponsor and meeting the English language requirement.

• Student visa holders have extra conditions: broadly, you must have completed the course you were sponsored to study, or your job start date must be after your course ends, or you must be studying full-time for a PhD of at least 24 months.
• Some groups cannot switch into the Skilled Worker route from inside the UK and must apply from outside instead. Gov.uk lists these as: visitors, short-term students, Parent of a Child Student visa holders, seasonal workers, domestic workers in private households, people on immigration bail, and people with permission to stay outside the immigration rules.

Visitors and most short-term routes cannot switch

A recurring theme across the rules is that people in the UK as visitors, and those on most short-term routes, generally cannot switch to a longer-term visa from inside the country. They are expected to leave and make a fresh application from outside the UK.

This matters because a visit visa is not a stepping stone to living or working in the UK. If your plans change while you are here as a visitor, the usual route is to return home and apply for the appropriate visa from there, meeting that route's full requirements.

You must meet the new route's requirements

Switching is not a shortcut. When you apply to change category, you are treated as a new applicant for that route and must satisfy all of its conditions — for example the salary or skill level, English language, financial and any sponsorship requirements. Being in the UK already does not waive any of these.

Practical points when switching from inside the UK

• Apply online before your current permission expires. If your current visa runs out before you apply, you may lose the ability to switch and could be in the UK without valid permission.
• On the Skilled Worker route, gov.uk warns you must not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you get a decision, or your application will be withdrawn.
• Processing times vary by route. Gov.uk states Skilled Worker switching decisions usually come within 8 weeks, though this can take longer if extra checks or an interview are needed.