Apply for a visa independently if you aren't looking for work sponsorship and aren't moving there as a student. Visit the website listed below, and fill in the appropriate information regarding your educational background, citizenship, financial status and other criteria.England is moving from the Highly Skilled Migrant Program to a new points-based phase, which actually kicked in February 2008.
Practice patience. Obtaining a visa from the U.K.--or the U.S. for that matter--has never been a quick process. But now with the transition to the points-based system, applicants must be especially patient and not lose faith in the process. Also, if you are going in as a student or a worker, you can't do this alone. You need to find a sponsor in the U.K.
Prepare to face questionable odds. Sometimes, no more than half a batch of visa applications are approved at one time. The U.K. government cites 165 of about 300 applications meeting approval once, under current parameters.Therefore, do not expect that just because your great-grandmother Norman still makes bangers and mash means you're getting in. (But of course, don't give up on a first attempt.)
Know when to hire an attorney. If your application is in danger of not being approved and you have a strong need to be in the U.K., don't wait until the rejection has hit the mailbox.Attorneys in both the U.S. and the U.K. can help you at least assess your chances, but at best push the application through successfully.
Face the future. Visas come in a variety of types. Student visas obviously expire after you've graduated. Work visas must be renewed every 5 years.Unless you've married a Brit, chances are you'll need to renew your visa in time or make it permanent. This is a long, arduous process that requires equal doses stamina, patience and dogged determination. But you can face your future now on your own terms: ideally as a citizen of two nations.
