Is ETA a UK work visa?
No. ETA is an electronic permission for visitors, not employment. Work needs Skilled Worker or another route.
Pass-Atlas
Vereinigtes Königreich travel, immigration and PR
Post-Brexit Britain uses ETA for visa-free visitors, a points-based work route for jobs, and ILR for settlement. A six-month visit cannot be switched to work.
ReisenEinwanderung
Openness rank
#131
Entry openness
86
Visumfrei
1
Briefing updated
2026-09
Länderprofil
Hauptstadt
London
Bevölkerung
68.3 million
Fläche
244,820 km²
Währung
British pound GBP
Sprache
English
Zeitzone
UTC+00:00
Im Ausland geboren
11.8 million · 2024
Migrantenanteil
17.1%
Ethnische Gruppen · 2011
- White87.2%
- other3.7%
- Black/African/Caribbean/black British3%
- Asian/Asian British: Indian2.3%
- mixed2%
- Asian/Asian British: Pakistani1.9%
Im Ausland Geborene: UN-Migrantenbestand über die Weltbank (meist 2024). Ethnische Gruppen folgen den veröffentlichten Kategorien des Landes. Die meisten Staaten erheben keine Hautfarbe. Nur Richtwerte.
Visa und EinwanderungswegeVisa-freie ListeUnterlagen und PassfotosVisa siteImmigration site
Für wen dieser Ratgeber ist
For visits and study, Skilled Worker sponsorship, Global Talent, and families counting five years to ILR.
Einreise und Aufenthalt
Many previously visa-free passports now need ETA before travel. Chinese passports usually need a Standard Visitor visa. Visits are typically six months, with no work and no in-country switch to a work visa.
Arbeiten und Wohnen
The main work route is Skilled Worker (sponsor, skill and salary floors), plus Global Talent, Graduate and Health and Care. Students may move to Graduate, policy permitting. Dependants can join subject to funds.
Niederlassung und Staatsangehörigkeit
Most work routes reach ILR at five years with continuous residence, salary and English. Citizenship is often about 12 months after ILR (different for some spouses). Long absences reset the clock.
Time to PR：Usually 5 years; some 3; long residence 10
Einreise beliebter Pässe
FAQ
Can a visitor switch to a work visa in the UK?
Usually no. Visitors leave; a licensed sponsor applies, then you re-enter in the new category.
Does a Chinese passport need a visa?
On this site’s matrix the result is “Visum erforderlich”. confirm length of stay with the destination. The port and mission are authoritative.
Does a US passport need a visa?
On this site’s matrix the result is “eTA”. typical stay on the matrix is 180 days. The port and mission are authoritative.
Verwandte Ratgeber
Irland
KanadaHandbooks summarise public sources so you can cross-check the visa matrix and policy playbooks. They are not legal advice. Quotas, stay lengths and visa-free lists move — confirm with the destination government and its missions before you travel or file.