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The visa policy of the United Kingdom is the policy by which His Majesty's Government determines visa requirements for visitors to the United Kingdom and those seeking to work, study or reside there. The visa policy of the UK also applies to the Crown dependencies of Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man, which each operate their own immigration enforcement and have separate work permit systems.[1][2][3] The visa policy does not apply to any of the British Overseas Territories, who generally apply their own visa policies.
Anyone who does not have right of abode in the United Kingdom (British citizens and some Commonwealth citizens, but not some categories of British national) requires leave (permission) to enter the UK. "Visa nationals" must always obtain entry clearance by obtaining a visa in advance of travelling to the UK, and "non-visa nationals" may travel as a visitor to the UK for up to six months without a visa.[4] Since November 2023, some nationals must apply for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA).[5] The UK Government plans to extend this to all non-visa nationals.[6]
Visas are also required to live, study and work in the UK as a foreign national. Some EU, EEA and Swiss citizens who lived in the UK prior to Brexit are exempt under the EU Settlement Scheme,[7] and long-term foreign residents can apply for indefinite leave to remain, which is approximate to permanent residency in other countries.[4]
The UK maintains the Common Travel Area (CTA) with the Republic of Ireland and the Crown Dependencies.[8] This means that most citizens of Ireland are exempt from the requirement to hold a visa, residence permit or travel authorisation to enter, study and work in the UK or the Crown Dependencies, and vice versa.[9] The CTA does not apply to those who are not British or Irish citizens, so other citizens must have the correct permission to enter the UK when crossing the border.[10]
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