UK immigration terms, explained

Plain English definitions of the words the Home Office uses. Each one is written and reviewed by a solicitor at Compass and sourced to the Immigration Rules or GOV.UK guidance.

Family & partner

Accommodation requirement: The accommodation requirement is a condition on UK family visas under Appendix FM. The applicant must show adequate housing for the family, without recourse to public funds. The home must be owned or exclusively occupied by the family. It must not be overcrowded and must not breach public health regulations.
Adequate maintenance: Adequate maintenance is a financial test in the UK Immigration Rules. After income tax, National Insurance and housing costs, a family must have the income it would have if it received Income Support. It is used for some family visas, including partners whose sponsor receives certain disability or carer benefits, instead of the minimum income requirement.
Appendix FM: Appendix FM is the part of the UK Immigration Rules that sets the requirements for family visas. It covers partners, children and parents of children in the UK whose family member is a British citizen, is settled or has certain other status. It also reflects how Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights is applied.
Appendix FM-SE: Appendix FM-SE is the part of the UK Immigration Rules that lists the specified evidence applicants must provide for family visas under Appendix FM. It sets the exact documents for income, savings, benefits, marriage and English language. Where Appendix FM says evidence must be specified, this appendix says what that evidence is.
Bereaved partner: The Bereaved Partner route is a part of the Immigration Rules that lets a person settle in the UK when their partner has died. The applicant must have, or have last been granted, permission as a partner on a specified route. It leads to indefinite leave to remain, and dependent children can apply too.
Cash savings requirement: The cash savings requirement is the set of rules for using savings to meet the financial requirement on a UK family visa. Only cash held for at least 6 months, in the right kind of account, counts. For a partner visa only the amount above £16,000 is used, and it is divided by 2.5.
Exceptional circumstances: Exceptional circumstances, in a UK family application under Appendix FM, are circumstances where refusing the application would breach Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights because it would have unjustifiably harsh consequences for the applicant, their partner, a child or another family member. Paragraphs GEN.3.1 and GEN.3.2 of the Immigration Rules set the test.
Five-year and ten-year partner routes: The five-year and ten-year partner routes are the two settlement timelines inside Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules. A partner on the five-year route can apply for settlement after 60 months of continuous residence. A partner on the ten-year route must wait 120 months. The grant of permission decides which applies.
Genuine and subsisting relationship: A genuine and subsisting relationship is a requirement in the UK Immigration Rules for partner applications. The relationship must be real and must still be continuing at the date of application. Under Appendix FM the couple must also have met in person and intend to live together permanently in the UK.
Insurmountable obstacles: Insurmountable obstacles are the very significant difficulties a UK-based partner and an applicant would face in continuing their family life together outside the UK, which could not be overcome or would cause very serious hardship. The test is set out in paragraphs EX.1 and EX.2 of Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules.
Marriage visitor visa: A Marriage Visitor visa is a UK visa for a person who wants to marry or enter a civil partnership in the UK, or give notice of it, and who does not plan to stay or settle there afterwards. It allows a stay of up to 6 months and cannot be extended or switched.
Minimum income requirement: The minimum income requirement is the financial test for most partner visas under Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules. The couple must show a gross annual income of at least £29,000 from sources the Rules allow, or cover the gap with cash savings. Lower figures apply to some extensions and different figures to armed forces families.
Sole responsibility: Sole responsibility, in a UK child immigration application, means that one parent alone has continuing control and direction of the child's upbringing and makes all the important decisions in the child's life. The other parent is unknown or has abdicated or abandoned parental responsibility. It is not the same as sole legal custody.

British citizenship

Absences from the UK (citizenship): Absences from the UK, for citizenship, are the days you spent outside the UK in the qualifying period before you apply to naturalise. The limits are 450 days in 5 years or 270 days in 3 years, and 90 days in the last 12 months. The Home Secretary has discretion to disregard some excess absences.
British citizen by descent: A British citizen by descent holds British citizenship mainly because a parent passed it on, for example by being born abroad to a British parent. Section 14 of the British Nationality Act 1981 defines the term. A citizen by descent cannot normally pass citizenship to a child born abroad. A citizen otherwise than by descent can.
British national (overseas): British national (overseas), often shortened to BNO, is a form of British nationality created for people with a connection to Hong Kong. It is not British citizenship. A BNO can hold it alongside another nationality, and it allows a person to apply for the BNO visa to live in the UK.
Certificate of entitlement: A certificate of entitlement is an official record that proves a person has the right of abode in the UK. It is for people who hold the right but have no UK passport that shows it. It is digital and not a visa, and it lets the holder prove their right to enter and live in the UK.
Certificate of naturalisation: A certificate of naturalisation is the document the Home Secretary grants to an adult who has been naturalised as a British citizen. It is presented at the citizenship ceremony and records the person's name and details. It cannot be used to travel. To travel as a British citizen the person needs a British passport or a certificate of entitlement.
Citizenship ceremony: A citizenship ceremony is the event at which an adult whose application for British citizenship has been approved makes an oath or affirmation of allegiance and a pledge. The local authority organises it. For an adult this is the point at which they become a British citizen, and they are given their certificate at the ceremony.
Citizenship referee: A citizenship referee is a person who endorses an application for British citizenship by confirming they know the applicant and helping to prove their identity. Each application needs two referees. They must meet rules on profession, nationality, how long they have known the applicant and their relationship to the applicant and to each other.
Commonwealth citizen: In UK law a Commonwealth citizen is a person who is a British national of any of the six types, or a citizen of a country listed in Schedule 3 to the British Nationality Act 1981. The status matters because some Commonwealth citizens have the right of abode, but it does not give that right on its own.
Confirmation of British nationality status: Confirmation of British nationality status is an application, made on form NS, asking UK Visas and Immigration for a written opinion that you already hold British nationality. It is for people who want to establish their status for a purpose other than getting a British passport. The decision is made on the balance of probabilities.
Double descent: Double descent describes a child born outside the UK to a parent who is themselves a British citizen by descent. The child has no automatic claim to British citizenship. The child may be able to register under section 3(2) or 3(5) of the British Nationality Act 1981, or at the Home Secretary's discretion under section 3(1).
Dual citizenship: Dual citizenship, also called dual nationality, means being a British citizen and a citizen of at least one other country at the same time. UK law allows it, and you do not need to apply for it. Whether the other country allows it depends on that country's own laws.
Form AN: Form AN is the Home Office paper application form for naturalisation as a British citizen. People living in the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or a British overseas territory use it, as do people elsewhere who choose to apply by post. Most people who live in the UK apply for naturalisation online instead.
Form MN1: Form MN1 is the Home Office paper application form to register a child under 18 as a British citizen if the child qualifies through birth or adoption. People in the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or a British overseas territory use it, as do people elsewhere who choose to apply by post. Others apply online.
Good character requirement: The good character requirement is a legal test for British citizenship. The British Nationality Act 1981 requires adults who naturalise to be of good character, and the test also applies to people aged 10 or over who register. The Act does not define the term. Home Office guidance sets out the conduct it takes into account.
Life in the UK test: The Life in the UK test is a computer-based test of 24 questions, taken in 45 minutes at a test centre, based on the official Guide for New Residents. Many adults who apply for British citizenship or indefinite leave to remain must pass it. A pass gives a unique reference number to use on the application.
Naturalisation vs registration: Naturalisation and registration are the two ways to apply to become a British citizen. Naturalisation is the route for adults and rests on residence in the UK and other tests, and the Home Secretary has discretion to grant it. Registration covers set groups, mostly children, and for some groups the law gives a right to register.
Qualifying period for naturalisation: The qualifying period for naturalisation is the time you must have lived in the UK before applying for British citizenship. It is 5 years, or 3 years if you are married to or in a civil partnership with a British citizen. You must have been in the UK on its first day and within the absence limits.
Renunciation of citizenship: Renunciation of citizenship means formally giving up British citizenship or another British nationality status by making a declaration to the Home Secretary. It is voluntary and affects only the person who makes it, and it takes effect once the declaration is registered. A person normally needs to hold, or be about to gain, another nationality.
Right of abode: The right of abode is a legal status that allows a person to live and work in the UK without any immigration restrictions. The person does not need a visa and there is no limit on how long they can stay. All British citizens have it automatically, and some Commonwealth citizens also have it.
Stateless child registration: Stateless child registration is the process by which a child who is not recognised as a citizen of any country applies to register as a British citizen. The law gives an entitlement to register if the child meets set conditions on birth, residence and statelessness. It follows from the UK's duty to reduce statelessness.
Types of British nationality: There are six types of British nationality: British citizenship, British overseas territories citizen, British overseas citizen, British subject, British national (overseas) and British protected person. They are different legal statuses with different rights. Holding one of them does not by itself give a person the right to live in the UK.

Work & business

ATAS certificate: An ATAS certificate is a clearance issued by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) under the Academic Technology Approval Scheme. Some overseas students and researchers need one to study or research certain sensitive technology subjects in the UK at postgraduate level. It is free to apply, and some visa applications must include it.
Certificate of sponsorship: A certificate of sponsorship (CoS) is an electronic record that a licensed UK employer assigns to a worker from overseas it wants to employ. It is not a paper document. It carries a unique reference number, which the worker enters on their visa application to show that an approved sponsor has offered them an eligible job.
Cooling-off period: A cooling-off period is the time a UK employer must wait before it can make a successful new application for a sponsor licence. It applies after a refusal, a withdrawn application, a revoked or surrendered licence, certain civil penalties or an unspent conviction. An application made during the wait is automatically refused.
Criminal record certificate: A criminal record certificate is an official document from the police or another authority in a country, showing whether a person has a criminal record there. Some Skilled Worker and Health and Care Worker applicants outside the UK must provide one for each country where they were present for 12 months or more in the last 10 years.
Genuine vacancy: A genuine vacancy is a real job that exists and that the sponsoring employer needs filled, not one created mainly so someone can get a visa. The Skilled Worker rules and the sponsor guidance call this the genuine role requirement. If the job is not genuine, the worker's application is refused and the sponsor licence can be revoked.
Going rate: The going rate is the annual salary the Home Office sets for each occupation code that is eligible for the Skilled Worker visa. A sponsored job must usually pay at least the going rate for its code, and at least the general salary minimum, whichever is higher. The rates are listed in a table on GOV.UK.
Illegal working civil penalty: An illegal working civil penalty is a fine the Home Office can issue to an employer that employs someone who is not allowed to do the work, if the employer has no statutory excuse. The starting point is £45,000 for each worker for a first breach and £60,000 for each worker for a repeat breach within three years.
Immigration Salary List: The Immigration Salary List is a list of occupations in an appendix to the Immigration Rules. A Skilled Worker sponsored in one of these jobs can qualify with a lower minimum salary and pay a lower visa fee. Each entry names the UK nations it covers and has a removal date after which new certificates no longer qualify.
Immigration skills charge: The immigration skills charge is a fee a UK employer pays when it assigns a certificate of sponsorship to a Skilled Worker or a Senior or Specialist Worker. The amount depends on the size of the sponsor and the length of the job. The employer must pay it and cannot pass the cost on to the worker.
New entrant: A new entrant is a Skilled Worker at the start of their career who can be paid less than the standard salary. The worker must be under 26 or meet another listed test, such as being a recent graduate. The salary must still be at least £33,400 a year and 70% of the going rate for the job.
Occupation code: An occupation code is a four-digit Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) number that groups a job by the skills and qualifications it needs. On the Skilled Worker route the sponsor chooses a SOC 2020 code for the job. The code decides whether the job is eligible and which going rate applies to the salary.
Register of licensed sponsors: The register of licensed sponsors is the public list, published on GOV.UK, of organisations that hold a Home Office licence to sponsor workers on the Worker and Temporary Worker routes. It shows the routes each organisation can sponsor and its rating. A worker can use it to check that a job offer comes from an approved employer.
Right to work check: A right to work check is the check a UK employer must make, before a worker starts, to confirm the person is allowed to do the job. The employer uses original documents, the Home Office online service with a share code, or a registered digital identity service. A correct check gives the employer a statutory excuse against a civil penalty.
Salary threshold: The salary threshold is the minimum yearly pay a sponsored job must offer to qualify for a Skilled Worker visa. For most jobs it is the higher of £41,700 or the going rate for the occupation. Lower thresholds apply in set cases, such as new entrants, some PhD holders and jobs on the immigration salary list.
Skilled worker dependant: A Skilled Worker dependant is the partner or child of a person on a Skilled Worker visa who applies to join or stay with them in the UK. Each family member makes a separate application and pays their own fee. Their visa usually ends on the same date as the Skilled Worker's visa.
Sponsor compliance visit: A sponsor compliance visit is an inspection by Home Office compliance officers at a UK employer that holds, or has applied for, a sponsor licence. Officers check that the employer's systems, records and sponsored jobs meet the rules. A visit can be announced or unannounced, and the employer must allow access on demand.
Sponsor duties: Sponsor duties are the obligations a UK employer takes on when it holds a sponsor licence. They include reporting changes about sponsored workers and about the business, keeping records, following immigration law and wider UK law, and not behaving in a way that harms the public good. Failing them can cost the employer its licence.
Sponsor licence key personnel: Key personnel are the people a UK employer appoints to manage its sponsor licence with the Home Office. The three roles are the authorising officer, who is responsible for the licence, the key contact, who deals with UK Visas and Immigration, and the Level 1 user, who runs the licence day to day.
Sponsor licence rating: A sponsor licence rating is the grade the Home Office gives a UK employer's sponsor licence, shown on the public register of sponsors. An A-rating means the employer can assign certificates of sponsorship. A B-rating means it has been downgraded for failing its duties and cannot sponsor new workers until it regains an A-rating.
Sponsor licence suspension and revocation: Suspension and revocation are the two most serious actions the Home Office can take against a UK sponsor licence. Suspension freezes the licence while the Home Office investigates. Revocation ends it. A revoked sponsor cannot sponsor workers, has no right of appeal and must wait before applying again.
Sponsorship management system: The sponsorship management system (SMS) is the Home Office online system that a licensed UK sponsor uses every day to run its licence. Through it the sponsor assigns certificates of sponsorship, reports changes to its sponsored workers and to its own business, and reads messages from UK Visas and Immigration.
Temporary Shortage List: The Temporary Shortage List is a list of 52 occupation codes written into paragraph SW 6.1A of Appendix Skilled Worker. A job on it can qualify for a Skilled Worker visa even though it is below graduate level. It applies only where the certificate of sponsorship was issued before 31 December 2026.

Settlement & residence

180-day absence rule: The 180-day absence rule is the limit on time outside the UK for most settlement applications. Under Appendix Continuous Residence, a person must not have been outside the UK for more than 180 days in any 12-month period of their qualifying period, unless a listed exception applies. Exceeding it breaks continuous residence.
Confirmation of acceptance for studies: A confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) is a reference number that a licensed UK student sponsor gives a student after offering them an unconditional place on a course. The student must enter it on their Student visa application and must apply within 6 months of receiving it.
Continuous residence: Continuous residence is a requirement that a person has lived in the UK without a break for the whole qualifying period of their route. Under most settlement routes, a break occurs if they spend too long outside the UK, lose lawful permission, are imprisoned, or become subject to removal. Different routes use different tests.
EUSS family permit: An EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) family permit is a document that lets an eligible family member of someone from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, or of an eligible person of Northern Ireland, travel to the UK. It lasts 6 months, is free and must be applied for from outside the UK.
Frontier worker permit: A Frontier Worker permit is a Home Office document for citizens of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein who live outside the UK but work in it, and who began working here by 31 December 2020. It allows them to enter the UK as a frontier worker and proves their right to benefits and services.
ILR vs British citizenship: Indefinite leave to remain (ILR) is permission to live in the UK without a time limit. It is a form of immigration status. British citizenship is a different status, which a person with ILR can usually apply for after a qualifying period. Having ILR does not make someone a British citizen.
Indefinite leave to enter: Indefinite leave to enter (ILE) is permission to come to the UK to settle, with no time limit. It is usually granted outside the UK as an entry clearance, so the holder does not need further leave on arrival. It is the entry equivalent of indefinite leave to remain, and the Immigration Rules treat both as settlement.
Long residence: Long residence is a route to indefinite leave to remain for people who have lived lawfully and continuously in the UK for 10 years or more. Time on most immigration routes can count towards the 10 years, but some types of time, such as visitor time or overstaying, cannot.
No time limit application: A no time limit (NTL) application is a free Home Office application that confirms indefinite leave to remain or enter by giving the person an eVisa, which is a digital record of identity and immigration status. People use it when they hold settlement but have no valid document to prove it.
Permitted paid engagement: A permitted paid engagement is a specific, pre-arranged paid activity that an expert in their profession may do in the UK as a Standard Visitor, on the written invitation of a UK-based organisation or client. It is an exception to the rule that visitors cannot work, and the engagement must take place in the first month.
Private life route: The private life route is a Home Office immigration route that lets a person who has built a private life in the UK apply for permission to stay. It is set out in Appendix Private Life of the Immigration Rules, applies inside the UK only, has separate residence tests for children, young adults and adults and leads to settlement.
Returning resident visa: A Returning Resident visa is an entry clearance for settlement. It is for a person who previously had indefinite leave to remain or enter in the UK, which lapsed because they spent too long abroad, and who now wants to return and settle. Each person must qualify in their own right.
Settled vs pre-settled status: Settled status and pre-settled status are the two outcomes of the EU Settlement Scheme. Settled status gives the right to live in the UK permanently and is usually granted after 5 years of continuous residence. Pre-settled status is granted to people with less than 5 years and can later become settled status.
Seven-year child rule: The seven-year child rule lets a child under 18 who has lived continuously in the UK for at least 7 years apply for permission to stay on the private life route, if it would not be reasonable to expect the child to leave the UK. A child born in the UK can apply for settlement on the same basis.
Zambrano carer: A Zambrano carer is a person who, on 31 December 2020, had a right to reside in the UK as the primary carer of a British citizen, because that citizen would otherwise have been compelled to leave the UK and the EU. The EU Settlement Scheme route for them is now closed to most new applicants.

Applications & status

Biometric residence permit: A biometric residence permit (BRP) was a card issued by the Home Office to prove a person's immigration status in the UK. BRPs have been replaced by eVisas, which are digital records. GOV.UK says all BRPs have now expired, but an expired card can still be used for a few set purposes.
Biometrics appointment: A biometrics appointment is a visit where you give your fingerprints and a photograph of your face as part of a UK immigration application. Inside the UK it is usually at a UKVCAS service point. Outside the UK it is usually at a visa application centre. Some applicants prove their identity with a phone app instead.
Curtailment of leave: Curtailment of leave is when the Home Office cuts short a person's limited permission to be in the UK, so that they have less time left or none. Since December 2020 the Immigration Rules mostly use the word cancellation for the same power. The cut can take effect immediately or on a later date.
Dependant: A dependant is a partner or child who applies to join or stay in the UK with a person who holds a UK visa, most often a work or study visa. The dependant makes their own application. Their visa usually ends on the same date as the main applicant's, and each route sets who qualifies.
Electronic Travel Authorisation: An electronic travel authorisation (ETA) is a digital permission that lets eligible visitors travel to the UK, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man for up to 6 months. It is not a visa. You apply online or in the UK ETA app, it is linked to your passport, and it does not guarantee entry.
English language requirement: The English language requirement is the proof of English that many UK visa, settlement and citizenship applications must include. The level is set on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) scale, from A1 upwards, and it differs by route. You prove it with an approved test, a qualifying degree or another accepted qualification.
Entry clearance: Entry clearance is permission to come to the UK that some people must obtain before they travel. Under the Immigration Rules it takes the form of a visa or an entry certificate, which may be electronic. If it states the purpose and conditions of the stay, it has effect as leave to enter.
eVisa: An eVisa is a digital record of a person's identity and UK immigration status, including the conditions of that status, such as whether they are allowed to work or study. It is viewed online through a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account. eVisas have replaced physical immigration documents.
Fee waiver: A fee waiver is a Home Office decision that lets some people who apply for permission to stay in the UK avoid paying the visa application fee because they cannot afford it. It is available only in set situations, mainly family, private life and human rights based applications. You must get the decision before you make the visa application.
Immigration Health Surcharge: The Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) is a fee most people pay as part of a UK visa or immigration application. It is charged for each year of the visa and paid up front with the application. Once the visa starts, the holder can use the NHS without being charged for most services.
Immigration Rules: The Immigration Rules are the rules, laid before Parliament by the Home Secretary under section 3(2) of the Immigration Act 1971, that set how people may enter and stay in the UK. They state the requirements for each visa route and the period and conditions of leave, and they change through published statements of changes.
Immigration solicitor vs immigration adviser: An immigration solicitor is a solicitor regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) who gives immigration advice, usually in a law firm. An immigration adviser is registered with the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) at one of three levels. The law says only a qualified person may give immigration advice or services in the UK.
Immigration status: Immigration status is a person's legal position under UK immigration law. It shows whether they need permission to be in the UK, what permission they hold, for how long and on what conditions. For most people with permission it is recorded online as an eVisa, which they can prove to employers and landlords with a share code.
Leave to enter: Leave to enter is the permission, under the Immigration Act 1971, that a person who is not a British citizen needs to come into the UK. It can be for a limited or an indefinite period and may have conditions. An immigration officer can give it on arrival, or entry clearance can have effect as leave to enter.
Leave to remain: Leave to remain is permission to stay in the UK, given to a person who is already in the country and is not a British citizen. It can be limited or indefinite and may carry conditions. The Immigration Rules also call it permission to stay, and the term includes extending or varying existing leave.
Limited leave to remain: Limited leave to remain is permission to stay in the UK for a fixed period, given to someone already in the country. It ends on a set date and can carry conditions, such as limits on work or on claiming public funds. It differs from indefinite leave to remain, which has no time limit.
No recourse to public funds: No recourse to public funds (NRPF) is a condition on some UK immigration permission. It means you cannot claim most benefits, tax credits or housing assistance paid by the state. The Immigration Rules and the Home Office define and list public funds. Benefits based on National Insurance contributions are not public funds.
Overstaying: Overstaying means remaining in the UK after your permission to be here has expired. A person who does this is called an overstayer. It is a criminal offence under section 24 of the Immigration Act 1971, an overstayer loses the conditions of the old permission, and the period can affect later applications for entry clearance or permission.
Priority and super priority service: The priority and super priority services are paid options that speed up a decision on a UK visa, settlement or citizenship application. Priority costs £500 on top of the application fee and usually gives a decision within 5 working days for most visas. Super priority costs £1,000 and usually gives a decision by the next working day.
Right to rent check: A right to rent check is the immigration check that a landlord or letting agent in England must make on adult tenants before a tenancy starts. It confirms the person may live in the UK. Tenants prove it with original documents or an online share code, and landlords who rent to someone without the right can be fined.
Section 3C leave: Section 3C leave is the automatic extension of your current UK permission under section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971. It applies if you apply to extend or change your permission before it expires and the Home Office has not decided by then. Your permission and its conditions continue while the application, and any appeal or administrative review, is pending.
Secure English Language Test: A Secure English Language Test (SELT) is an English test, from a Home Office approved provider, that you can use as proof of English in some UK visa, settlement and citizenship applications. After you pass, you receive a unique reference number. The Home Office checks your result online with the test provider, and the result is valid for 2 years.
Share code: A share code is a code you generate online from your UKVI account to prove your immigration status to someone else, such as an employer or a landlord. They enter it with your date of birth to see your right to work or to rent. A share code lasts for 90 days.
Suitability requirements: Suitability requirements are the rules in Part Suitability of the Immigration Rules that set out when the Home Office must or may refuse an application for entry clearance or permission, or cancel permission you already hold. They cover areas such as criminality, deception, breaches of immigration law and failing to provide information, and apply to most routes.
Switching visa: Switching means changing from one type of UK visa to a different type while you are already in the UK, for example from a Student visa to a Skilled Worker visa. It is not a separate visa. Each route sets its own rules on who may switch into it and who must leave the UK and apply from abroad.
Tuberculosis test: A tuberculosis (TB) test is a chest x-ray, and sometimes a sputum sample, taken at a Home Office approved clinic. Some people applying to come to the UK for 6 months or more must have one if they have lived in a listed country. A clear result gives a certificate that you include with your visa application.
UK Visas and Immigration: UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) is the part of the Home Office that decides who has the right to visit or stay in the UK. It runs the visa service, considers applications for British citizenship and decides applications from employers and education providers to join the register of sponsors. The Home Office is the department it belongs to.
UKVI account: A UKVI account is an online account with UK Visas and Immigration, part of the Home Office. You need it to view your eVisa, which records your UK immigration status, and to get a share code that proves that status to others. GOV.UK says setting it up and viewing your eVisa are free.
Visa application centre: A visa application centre (VAC) is a place outside the UK where you give your fingerprints and photograph, and sometimes your documents, for a UK visa application. The Immigration Rules say it can be a commercial partner or a British mission authorised to take biometrics. Inside the UK, UKVCAS service points do this job.
Visa vignette: A visa vignette is a sticker placed in a passport or travel document as proof of a UK visa. UK Visas and Immigration stopped issuing vignettes to successful new applicants on 1 July 2026 and gives an eVisa instead. A vignette you already hold remains valid until it expires.

Refusals & appeals

Administrative review: An administrative review is a Home Office check of an eligible refusal or cancellation decision, to decide whether the decision was wrong because of a caseworking error. A Home Office reviewer carries it out. It is not an appeal to a tribunal, and it is open only for the decisions and routes the Immigration Rules list.
Administrative review vs appeal: An administrative review is a Home Office check of a refused application for caseworking errors, available only for decisions the Immigration Rules list. An appeal is a case put to an independent tribunal judge, available only where the law gives a right of appeal. The decision letter usually says which one applies.
Article 8: Article 8 is the part of the European Convention on Human Rights that gives everyone the right to respect for their private and family life, their home and their correspondence. In UK immigration cases it is used to ask whether a refusal or removal is justified. The right is not absolute and can be limited for listed public interests.
Cancellation of leave: Cancellation of leave is a decision by the Home Office to end a person's entry clearance or permission early, or to shorten it, under Part Suitability of the Immigration Rules. It can take effect immediately or on a set future date, and it can apply to someone in the UK or overseas. The Rules now use the word permission.
Deception: In immigration law, deception means a deliberate act that makes the Home Office believe something untrue, such as giving false information or a false document, or not disclosing a relevant fact. If the Home Office is satisfied an applicant used deception, the application must be refused and a 10-year re-entry ban follows.
First-tier Tribunal: The First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) is the independent tribunal that hears appeals against some Home Office immigration decisions, such as the refusal of a human rights claim. A judge decides the appeal after hearing both sides. An appeal starts with a notice of appeal, sent within a short time limit.
General grounds for refusal: The general grounds for refusal are the Immigration Rules that say when the Home Office must or may refuse a UK application, whatever the route, for reasons such as criminality, deception or a previous breach of immigration law. Since 11 November 2025 these rules sit in Part Suitability, which replaced Part 9.
Human rights claim: A human rights claim is a claim made to the Home Office that removing a person from the UK, requiring them to leave, or refusing them entry would be unlawful under section 6 of the Human Rights Act 1998. If the Home Office refuses the claim, the law gives the person a right of appeal.
Judicial review: Judicial review is a court process that challenges the lawfulness of a decision made by a public body such as the Home Office. The judge does not decide whether the decision was right. The judge decides whether it was lawful. Most immigration judicial reviews are heard by the Upper Tribunal.
Pre-action protocol letter: A pre-action protocol letter, also called a letter before claim, is the letter a person sends to a public body such as the Home Office before starting a judicial review. It sets out the decision challenged, the facts, the legal reasons and the outcome wanted, so the dispute can be narrowed or settled without court.
Re-entry ban: A re-entry ban is a period during which the Home Office must refuse an application to come to the UK because the applicant previously broke immigration law, for example by overstaying or using deception. The Immigration Rules call it a mandatory refusal period. It lasts from 12 months to 10 years, depending on how the person left.
Reconsideration request: A reconsideration request is a written request to UK Visas and Immigration to review a decision on an application made inside the UK. It is not a formal appeal or an administrative review, and it is not available if you have a right to either. It must be made no later than 14 days after the decision.
Refusal letter: A refusal letter is the written notice the Home Office sends when it refuses a visa or immigration application. GOV.UK calls it a decision letter. It usually says whether the applicant can ask for an administrative review or appeal to a tribunal, and the time limits for those steps run from the decision.
Right of appeal: A right of appeal is the legal right to ask the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) to review a Home Office immigration decision. It exists only for the decisions the law lists, such as the refusal of a human rights claim. The decision letter usually says whether you have one.
Upper Tribunal: The Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) hears appeals against First-tier Tribunal immigration decisions when the appeal is about a legal mistake, known as an error of law. A party needs permission to appeal. The Upper Tribunal also hears judicial review applications against certain Home Office decisions.

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