Can South African citizens work in the UK?

The increasing opportunities and better health and education have always been the reason for moving to the UK. Especially, commonwealth country citizens can prefer to move to the UK if they wish to secure better job opportunities and financial stability.

Statistics quote over 229,000 South Africans currently live in the UK, and many more are expected to add to this number post Brexit.

Visas that allow you to work in the UK

Sole Representative Visa

If you are a senior member of an overseas business and are looking to expand their operations in the UK, you may be considered their Sole Representative. Being a sole representative qualifies you to apply for a Sole rep visa. It would be best if you observed the following

1. You will need to show that you hold a senior position as their employee.
2. You have sufficient funds to accommodate yourself in the UK
3. The visa seeker meets the English language requirement.
4. The overseas business will need to show genuine trading, have a fully operational headquarters, evidence enough funds to support the UK entity's commercial presence in the UK. 
5. The registration of the company should be outside the UK.
6. The main focus of a sole representative is to establish the presence of the business.

The Sole rep visa allows you to be in the UK for up to 3 years. Then you can extend for a further two years and in due course apply for settlement after 5 years in the UK. You can also bring your spouse and children to the UK as your dependants.

Additional eligibility for Sole rep visa

1. The visa seeker must pass the English proficiency test.
2. No criminal convictions, if applicable
3. He/she must not use any public funds.
4. He/she must have a valid police registration.
5. Proof that the applicant does not have more than 50% shares of the business.
6. The applicant has the intention to stay for long in the UK.

Visa processing time

A sole rep visa application is usually processed between 4-6 weeks by the Home Office.

It is always advisable to apply 3 months before the travel.

There are super-premium services available if one seeks a Fastrack decision.

The applicant can also consider applying through a professional immigration lawyer.

A Y & J Solicitor have a panel of one of the best immigration lawyers UK to help you with all immigration needs.

What is the cost of a Sole rep visa?

The general fee for a sole representative visa is £610 per applicant

The additional immigration health surcharge costs £624 per year per applicant

Besides, a separate fee is paid if the dependant is a child under 18, which is £470 per year per child

Other charges include fees for biometrics.

Global Talent Visa

Global Talent visa is for people with exceptional talent or emerging or 'promise' talent. The categories include:

• Engineering
• Science
• Medicine
• Digital technology
• Architecture
• Humanities
• The arts
• Fashion
• Film and television

There are two stages to applying for a Global talent visa UK– application for endorsement from the Home Office and application for the visa. Once the Home Office grants the application, you can live up to 5 years on a 'promise' category and 3 years on a talent category. Upon settlement and permanent residency, you can even apply for citizenship in the UK.

How long does it take?

1. It takes up to 28 days for the endorsement application to get processed.
2. If you are applying from outside the UK, it will take a minimum of 3 weeks.
3. Under certain circumstances, some endorsements like digital technology can be fast-tracked.

Stay in the UK with a Global Talent Visa

With a Global talent visa UK the visa holder can stay in the UK from 1 year to a maximum of 5 years.

The visa holder can either extend the stay or apply for ILR.