Moving from Japan to UK

A Tier 4 Student Visa will allow you to study in the UK for a period longer than six months.

To be eligible, you need:

• An unconditional offer from a regulated university with a Tier 4 Sponsor (this will be most UK universities)
• Enough money to support yourself throughout your studies
• Enough money to pay for your course

If you want to undergo the process of moving from Japan to UK to study for a period of fewer than six months, you can apply for a Student Visitor Visa. This is not an emigration path and only provides temporary entrance into the UK. However, for those intending to visit for short-term courses, this is ideal.

If you have family members who currently live in the UK and has British Citizenship or Indefinite Leave to Remain, you might be able to apply for a Family of a Settled Person Visa.

This visa allows you to move to the UK for any period of six months or more, for a maximum period of 33 months. After this time you are able to extend your visa.

To be eligible you must be:

• Over the age of 18
• Able to prove that your relationship with your relative is genuine and legally recognised
• Living with the person during your stay (who must have enough space for you)

If your spouse, civil partner or long-term partner currently in the UK as a citizen or settled person, you can apply to join them using a Spouse/Partner Visa.

A Spouse Visa lets you take up work in the UK, provided you remain in the relationship with your partner or spouse.

To be eligible you must be able to:

• Prove that the relationship you are in is ‘genuine and subsisting’
• Show proof of your marriage or civil partnership, if you are a spouse
• Show proof of cohabitation and proof that you have been in a relationship for at least two years if you are an unmarried partner 
• Meet the minimum income requirement of £18, 600 per year.

There are three primary types of Work Visa which you can use when moving from Japan to UK for work.

Skilled Work Visas: these work visas let you enter the UK to take on a permanent, skilled job role for up to five years.

Tier 5 Temporary Work: these let you enter the UK to take an a temporary, skilled work for up to 24 months.

Both visa types are measured using the points-based-system. To be eligible for either the Tier 2 or the Tier 5 Work Visa, you will need:

• A job offer from a UK employer with a valid Sponsor Licence
• A Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) from your sponsor
• Proof that you have enough money to financially support yourself before you receive your first paycheck

Tier 1 Exceptional Talent Visa: to be eligible for this type of visa, you will need to be highly-skilled or talented in your field of expertise and sponsored by a regulated institution, such as an arts body.