How you can successfully move to the UK from South Africa with full visa sponsorship

In the whole of Europe, the United Kingdom (UK) has the highest number of South Africans living in the country, and they are willing to welcome more.

Hopefully, you will be among them soon. All you have to do is follow what we will share here about how others are moving to UK from South Africa.

The United Kingdom and South Africa have enjoyed a good relationship over the years, protected each other’s interests and worked together in many different areas.

This is why South Africa is among the countries with the highest UK visa approval rate in Africa.

You can move to the UK from South Africa through different immigration pathways, however, the best options (which we will talk about here) come with visa sponsorship.

That is; the cost of your visa, flight ticket and other travel expenses will be covered for you. How you can do this is what we’re going to explain here.

Why you should consider moving to the UK from South Africa

If you are still doubting whether moving to the UK from South Africa is a good choice, then, you should read this.

The UK has more opportunities for you: No matter your age, level of education (for those who want to study) or work experience (for anyone who wants to work), the UK has more opportunities for you than South Africa.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean to disrespect South Africa (we are doing well on our own) but the facts are there.

Take for instance, as of the third quarter of last year, South Africa’s unemployment rate was 32.1%, with youth unemployment (ages 15-24) at 60.8%.

In contrast, the UK’s unemployment rate during the same period was very low.

Whatever you are paid or you make now in South Africa, if you move to the UK, you will make way more and still work under better conditions.

In addition to more opportunities, the UK’s economy is better, recent reports show that South Africa’s GDP per capita was $6,253.

While the UK’s GDP per capita is way higher than $6,253, indicating a more robust economy and better living standards.

If you have always dreamed of immigrating from South Africa to the UK, this is your chance.

What do you need to move to the UK from South Africa?

Unless you are on a special function, to move to the UK from South Africa, you need a valid visa, like a Skilled Worker visa, a Student visa, a Business visa or a Family visa.

The type of visa you will get depends on your reason for moving to the UK from South Africa.

Common UK visa options for South Africans

Visa Type	Purpose	Duration
Skilled Worker Visa	For those with a job offer from a UK employer.	5 years (renewable)
Student Visa (Tier 4)	For those enrolling in UK universities or colleges.	Course duration + extra time
Spouse/Partner Visa	For those joining a UK citizen or resident spouse/partner.	2.5 years (renewable)
Ancestry Visa	For those with a UK-born grandparent.	5 years (renewable)
Global Talent Visa	For highly skilled professionals in certain fields.	5 years
Investor/Innovator Visa	For entrepreneurs and investors.	Varies
Start-up Visa	For those starting a business in the UK.	2 years
Health and Care Worker Visa	For healthcare professionals working in the UK.	5 years (renewable)
Youth Mobility Scheme Visa	For young South Africans aged 18-30 to work/travel.	2 years
Graduate Visa	For international students staying after graduation.	2 years
Minister of Religion Visa	For religious workers and missionaries.	3 years (renewable)
Temporary Worker Visa (T5)	For short-term work in charity, sports, or arts.	6-24 months
Business Visitor Visa	For business-related short stays.	Up to 6 months
Dependent Visa	For dependents of UK visa holders.	Matches the main visa holder
Standard Visitor Visa	For tourism, family visits, or short-term business.	Up to 6 months

Getting a UK visa in South Africa, whether it’s a work visa, visitor visa, study visa, or even business visa, costs a lot of money.

Things to pay for include visa application fees, flight tickets, proof of funds, and sometimes even additional charges for healthcare or accommodation.

This is the reason why many don’t migrate, but what if I tell you that there are ways you can move to the UK from South Africa without paying for anything, not even your flight ticket?

I know it sounds hard to believe, but it is true, there are many visa sponsorship programs (for People in South Africa) that are currently going on in the UK.

Through these programs, you can move to the UK from South Africa. You may not know but many South Africans are migrating to the UK through these visa sponsorship programs because, with it, you don’t pay for anything.

The programs cover the costs of your visa application, travel expenses, and even accommodation.

Some of the sponsorship programs are controlled by UK employers, educational institutions, government-licensed organizations, and even government-backed initiatives.

The target is to promote a beneficial relationship between the two countries and also to attract skilled workers, students, and professionals.

On-going visa sponsorship programs that can help you move to the UK from South Africa for free

As I already stated, there are many of these visa sponsorship programs out there, the question is, which one are you eligible for?

Check some of the programs below.

• Health and care worker visa sponsorship

I don’t know if you have heard but the UK is currently facing a huge shortage of healthcare workers and people who are willing to work in the health space.

This has forced hospitals, care homes, and healthcare agencies to look for immigrants that they will sponsor to come and fill the shortage.

So, if you are a qualified professional like a nurse, caregiver, or medical practitioner or you can take care of the elderly, you are needed in the UK.

Your visa application fees, flight tickets, and accommodation will be covered.

• Skilled worker visa sponsorship

A recent report from mirror.co.uk shows that many UK companies in areas like engineering, IT, construction, and finance are hiring workers from other countries to fill the labour shortage in the country which was reported months back.

And guess what” South Africa is top of the list of countries that are eligible for this program.

What I’m saying is “If you want to migrate to the UK from South Africa and you have the right skills and experience”, this one is the right program for you and now is the right time to migrate.

It will come with full visa sponsorship that will be licensed by the UK government, which means you won’t pay for anything.

• Unskilled worker visa sponsorship

This one is for people without any skill but they still want to work when they arrive in the UK.

Let’s assume you don’t have a skill but you still want to move to the UK from South Africa, you will be offered the opportunity.

The only thing is that when you arrive, you will be trained by experts there before you start working.

• Student visa with full sponsorship

If you want to study in the UK but you cannot afford to pay for all the costs, there are programs for you.

Individually, some UK schools have full sponsorship programs for students who can’t fund their academics but some programs are from the UK government and they come with full sponsorship as well.

There are programs like:

• Chevening – https://www.chevening.org
• Commonwealth Sponsorship – https://cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk
• GREAT Sponsorship (South Africa) – https://study-uk.britishcouncil.org
• Scotland’s Saltire Sponsorship – https://www.scotland.org/study/saltire-scholarships
• UKRI International Doctoral Sponsorship – https://www.ukri.org

You can go for any of these programs or search for more available options if you are not open to the ones here.

• UK charity and religious worker visa sponsorship

Another program that comes with full visa sponsorship that can help you move to the UK from South Africa is the “charity and religious worker visa sponsorship program”.

Some UK charities and religious organizations (backed by the UK Government) sponsor visas for volunteers and workers.

If you migrate to the UK through this program, you will be under the organization that brought you, they will take care of you and handle your needs.

In addition, they take care of all the costs, including your visa and even your housing.

• Graduate visa and internship sponsorship

This one is for recent graduates in South Africa who want to further their studies in the UK.

If you recently graduated from a university in South Africa and want to go for graduate programs, you can apply for graduate trainee programs or internships in the UK.

Many UK companies sponsor international graduates and even help them transition into full-time employment.

How can you successfully join the people who are relocating from South Africa to UK?

Only you can make your relocation to the UK possible, and frankly, you just need to do a little work.

The steps below explain it better.

Step 1: Pick a program that you qualify for

The little work you have to do is to check the programs we have here and know the ones that you qualify for or search for a program you are interested in.

For example, if I want to move to the UK for studies, I will search for visa sponsorship programs that sponsor students.

If you do not qualify for a program, there is no need to go for that program, it won’t work for you.

Step 2: Get all the requirements for that particular program

Every program here has specific requirements. We shared links to each program where you can get the requirements for the program you have picked.

Check the program requirements and make sure you have everything listed there.

Step 3: Submit an application 

Nobody will grant you approval if you don’t apply. When you check everything about a particular program and you qualify, that is if you meet the requirements for the program you have chosen, then you should apply for it.

Apply and when approved (of course, the approval rate is high because the two countries have a good relationship), you will then move to the UK at no cost – all expenses paid.

Full visa sponsorship programs that can help you move to UK from South Africa

If you are ready to check these programs out, here they are:

• UK skilled worker visa program 

This program allows a UK employer to sponsor you to move to the UK from South Africa.

More Information: ​Skill worker visa program.

• Health and care worker visa program 

If you are a healthcare personnel, this one is for you, whether you are a nurse, doctor, midwife, pharmacist, or anything in the health space.

More Information:  Health and care worker visa program.

• Global talent visa program

If you are recognized as a potential leader or leader in any field like science, engineering, humanities, and digital technology, this is for you.​

Here, you don’t need any job offer but must be endorsed by a recognized UK body as a leader or emerging leader.​

More information: Global Talent Visa

• Innovator visa

This is for anyone who wants to set up and run an innovative business in the UK.​​

More information: Innovator Visa

• Minister of religion visa (T2)

This one is good for you if you want to be part of a faith community in the UK.​​

More information: Minister of Religion Visa

• International sportsperson visa

This one is for elite sportspeople or qualified coaches who are recognized at the highest level.​​

More information: International Sportsperson Visa

• Temporary worker – Charity worker visa (T5)

In this one, you will do unpaid voluntary work for a charity in the UK and from there you can stay permanently.​​

More information: Charity Worker Visa

• Temporary worker – Creative and sporting visa (T5)

For this, you must be someone who has been offered work in the UK as a creative worker or sportsperson.​​

More information: Creative and Sporting Visa.

• Temporary worker – Religious worker visa (T5)

This one is for those who want to support the activities of a UK religious institution.​​

More Information: Religious Worker Visa.

10. Youth mobility scheme visa

With this program, young people from participating countries can come to live and work in the UK for up to two years.​

Currently, South Africa is not a participating country, however, South African citizens with British nationality are eligible.​

More information: Youth Mobility Scheme Visa.

• UK ancestry visa

This one is only for Commonwealth citizens who can prove that one of their grandparents was born in the UK.

Through this program, you can live and work in the UK for up to five years.​ More Information: UK Ancestry Visa

• Representative of an overseas business visa

You can go for this if you are a business person who is setting up a UK branch or subsidiary.​​

More information: Representative of an Overseas Business Visa

• High potential individual visa

Just like the name, it’s for high potential persons. You can find more information here: High Potential Individual Visa

• Scale-up worker visa

To move to the UK through this program, you need a job offer from a UK scale-up company.​​ Check here for more information: Scale-up Worker Visa.

• Seasonal worker visa (T5)

This is for you if you want to work in the UK temporarily doing seasonal jobs, especially in agriculture (e.g., fruit picking).

​More Information: Seasonal Worker Visa.

• Global business mobility – Senior or Specialist worker visa

This program is only for employees of multinational companies who are being transferred to a UK branch.

Read more information here: Senior or Specialist Worker Visa.

• Global business mobility – Expansion worker visa

This program is for companies that don’t have a UK presence but want to send a senior employee to set up a UK branch.

More information: Expansion Worker Visa.

There are many more other programs like the ones we just listed here, you just need to search and you will find the one that suits you.

Immigration to UK from South Africa requirements

In addition to choosing a suitable program, you need the following to complete your immigration to the UK from South Africa.

• A valid passport

Of course, you know you must have a passport. A valid one. It should have blank spaces for your visa.

• A certificate of sponsorship (CoS)

You will need a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS), but don’t worry, your sponsor (depending on your chosen program) will give you this certificate.

• Proof of qualifications

This one is for those who want to work when they get to the UK. It shows that you are qualified to do the job you want to do.

• Police clearance certificate

This will prove to the UK authorities that you don’t have a criminal record or anything that they should be worried about.

• Tuberculosis (TB) test results

If you intend to stay in the UK for more than six months, you will take a tuberculosis test from a clinic approved by the UK Home Office.

• Completed visa application form

You will fill out the UK visa application form and submit it before the UK authorities grant you a visa to enter the country.

• Attend a biometric appointment

This part is simple, just go to a UK visa application centre in South Africa to submit your fingerprints and a photo (biometrics).

Can South Africans get British citizenship?

Yes, but it depends on your visa and how long you have lived in the UK. For example, if you are on a skilled worker visa or Ancestry visa, you can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) after 5 years.

Then after 1 year of ILR, you can apply for British citizenship. Then if you are on a spouse visa, you can apply for citizenship after 5 years of residency.

If you want to join other South Africans immigrating to the UK during this period, then, check any of the UK visa sponsorship programs we listed above and pick the ones you qualify for.

When you find the one you qualify for, explore the requirements and start your application.

If you need help, you can work with a UK immigration agent here in South Africa. We have a list of some of them and you can see them by clicking here.