Can I Switch Visa?
Once you arrive in the UK on a visa, you may be able to switch to a different type of visa. There may be a good reason to do so, or it may delay your settlement plans. That’s why it's best to speak to a specialist UK Immigration Solicitor before starting the process of switching visas.
In this blog, our UK Immigration Lawyers examine visa switch options; however, you will need immigration legal advice specific to your circumstances before changing visa routes.
If you require visa switch immigration legal advice, contact OTS Solicitors.
Reasons to switch visa
There are many reasons why you may want to switch your visa after arriving in the UK:
- Your current visa doesn’t allow you to settle in the UK.
- You no longer meet your visa eligibility criteria.
- You are in the UK on a Student Visa and finishing your course.
- You entered the UK on a Visitor Visa but wish to remain in the UK.
- You arrived on a Fiance Visa but are now married.
- Your Graduate Visa is about to expire, but you would like to continue to work in the UK.
- Your sponsoring employer has lost their sponsor licence.
These are just a few of the most common reasons for switching to a different visa. There are several other reasons why you should consider switching to a different visa route.
The statistics of visa switching
The UK government publishes annual statistics on immigration figures and the migrant journey. The 2024 report on the migrant journey was published in 2025 and can be found here.
The report examines how migrants’ leave status changes as they navigate the UK’s immigration system, and either leave the UK, remain subject to UK immigration control, or settle in the UK by securing Indefinite Leave to Remain, with some individuals going on to apply for British citizenship.
The researchers attempt to track both visa applicants and visa switchers to gain a clearer insight into the journey from entry clearance to exit or entry clearance to settlement. For many applicants, the migrant journey includes a visa switch.
For example, the authors noted:
‘’Although students account for nearly half of new journeys each year, only 11% of those granted settlement in 2024 had initially entered the UK on a ‘Study’ route…. Of those students who do seek to stay long-term, many switch to a different route before securing settlement. In 2024, 50% of students granted settlement had transitioned to a ‘work’ route, and 32% had moved to a ‘Family’ route. Only 3% remained on a ‘Study’ route immediately prior to receiving settlement’’.
Can I switch visas?
Some visa holders can switch visas without having to leave the UK. However, there are three essential considerations:
- You must apply to switch before your old visa expires; otherwise, you will be an overstayer.
- Will the new visa lead to settlement?
- What are the new visa restrictions?
It's best to obtain answers to these questions early so you can plan your visa application and gather all the necessary evidence to support a visa switch application.
An Immigration Solicitor will tell you if you are in the UK on a visa that does not allow you to switch to a new visa or if there is a better option than the one you are planning to switch to. Talking to an Immigration Lawyer about your specific circumstances is essential. For example, you may not be able to switch visas due to your immigration status, so it is best to remain on your current visa.
The timing of your switch application
The timing of a visa switch application is also essential, as you do not want to be an overstayer, but while your switch application is pending, you will not be able to travel out of the UK and return. That may be an important consideration if you have a holiday booked or have a planned overseas work trip. The immigration rules say you must remain within the UK. This permits travel to Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, but not overseas until the Home Office decides your switch application.
UK visas you can switch from
The rules governing visa switching are complex. Some visas don’t allow switching, while others permit it under specific circumstances.
Work Visa switches
Here are some of the permissible Work Visa switches:
- Graduate Visa to Skilled Worker Visa.
- Skilled Worker Visa to Innovator Founder Visa.
- Skilled Worker Visa to Health and Care Worker Visa.
- Health and Care Worker Visa to Skilled Worker Visa.
- Skilled Worker Visa to Spouse Visa.
It's essential to follow the visa criteria. For example, unlike the Graduate Visa, with the Health and Care Worker Visa or the Skilled Worker Visa, the applicant must have a job offer from a sponsoring employer before they can apply to switch. The criteria are far more complex than that. For example, the job must pay the minimum salary threshold.
With the Innovator Founder Visa, the applicant does not require a job offer; however, they must obtain endorsement of their business from an endorsing body.
Family Visa switches
Here are some examples of Family Visa switches:
- Fiancé Visa to Spouse Visa.
- Spouse Visa to Skilled Worker Visa.
- Spouse Visa to leave to remain using the domestic violence concession.
- Dependant Visa to Skilled Worker Visa.
- Family Visa or Unmarried Partner Visa to Student Visa.
Some Spouse Visa holders need urgent immigration legal advice if their relationship breaks down. That’s because their immigration status and visa are based on their relationship with their sponsoring partner. If the relationship ends, they are under a duty to tell the Home Office.
The Home Office will then curtail the Family Visa. The visa holder must then decide whether to leave the UK or switch to a different type of visa, such as a Health and Care Worker Visa or a Skilled Worker Visa. If the relationship breaks down due to their sponsoring partner’s violence, they can apply to settle in the UK even if they have not met the five-year residence requirement for a settlement application. If a partner has passed away, a Spouse Visa holder can apply to settle even if they have not lived in the UK for five years.
Student Visa switches
Some international students can switch to alternate routes, such as:
- The Graduate Visa.
- The Spouse Visa.
- The Skilled Worker Visa.
- The Health and Care Worker Visa.
Some statistics from 2021 show that of those who entered the UK on Student Visas, 59% still held a valid visa three years after arrival. Of this 59%:
- 15% remained on a study route.
- 36% had switched to a Work Visa route.
- 8% had moved to other routes, predominantly British National (overseas) and Family Visas.
Taking care in switching visas
Care must be taken when choosing a visa to switch to.
For example:
- The Graduate Visa is designed for international students. You do not need a job offer to apply for a Graduate Visa, nor do you require sponsorship from an employer or be paid the minimum salary threshold for other types of Work Visa. However, time spent in the UK on a Graduate Visa does not count toward the residence requirement when applying to settle in the UK. If your priority is to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain, the best alternative is to apply for a Skilled Worker Visa or a Health and Care Worker Visa. These two types of Work Visa allow you to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain after meeting the five-year residence requirement.
- The Family Visa has a minimum income requirement of £29,000, and an applicant switching to a Family Visa, such as a Spouse Visa or Unmarried Partner Visa, must be able to show they are in a genuine and enduring relationship.
- Switching to a Student Visa is unusual as you cannot bring dependents to the UK on most Student Visas, the visa does not lead to settlement, and there are strict restrictions on working while studying in the UK on a Student Visa.
The six visas you cannot switch from
There are six visas for which you cannot apply to switch to a different visa. They are:
- The Visitor Visa.
- The Business Visitor Visa.
- The Seasonal Worker Visa.
- The Domestic Worker Visa.
- The short-term Student Visa.
- Parent of a child Student Visa.
An international student in the UK on a general Student Visa can apply to switch visas, provided they meet the eligibility criteria for the new visa.
Visitor Visa holders and other categories need to leave the UK and apply for their new visa from overseas.
Dependants and their switch visa options
If you have dependents living with you and you decide to switch visas, their visas will not be automatically switched simply because you have chosen to switch visas. They must make their application and meet the specific visa criteria.
Immigration legal advice on switching visas
There are several factors to weigh up before switching visas in the UK. It's worth checking to see if what you want to do is feasible and strategic. After all, you don’t want to switch into a visa that has more onerous visa conditions or one that won't allow you to count time in the visa category towards meeting the residence requirement for your Indefinite Leave to Remain application.
Talk to OTS Solicitors about switching visas
At OTS Solicitors, our award-winning immigration team is recommended in the 2025 edition of Chambers & Partners for the quality of its immigration legal advice. We will:
- Advise you on your options.
- Explain the visa eligibility criteria for your chosen switch option.
- Provide guidance on the necessary paperwork to demonstrate visa eligibility.
- Prepare your switch visa application and progress it with the Home Office.
- Continue to help you with your immigration journey. For example, advising on when you can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain or British citizenship, the documents you will need and the residence requirements and absence thresholds you will need to meet.
For visa switch immigration legal advice, contact OTS Solicitors.
Our lawyers speak Arabic, Armenian, Farsi, French/Mauritian Creole, Spanish, Tamil, Tagalog/Ilonggo, and Urdu/Punjabi.
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