Rowan

About this site

The UK immigration rules, in plain English

739 guides to what the published rules require, which documents they name, what the government charges, and how long decisions take. Written to be read by people whose first language is not English.

Guides checked from 21 March 2026Free to readNo account neededEvery guide links to GOV.UK

Contents

Four sections · 739 guides

Section 01

Family and partners

Partners, spouses, fiancé(e)s, children and other family members. The money requirement, the evidence the rules name, and the two settlement routes.

  1. 01.01What the partner route requires
  2. 01.02The money requirement, explained
  3. 01.03Evidence of a relationship
  4. 01.04Partners who are not married

Section 02

Work and sponsorship

The Skilled Worker route, salary thresholds and going rates — and, for businesses, what holding a sponsor licence involves.

  1. 02.01What the Skilled Worker route requires
  2. 02.02The published salary threshold
  3. 02.03Going rates by job
  4. 02.04Sponsor licences, for employers

Section 03

Study and arriving

Student and Graduate routes, visits, youth mobility, and the travel permission (Electronic Travel Authorisation) some visitors now need.

  1. 03.01What the Student route requires
  2. 03.02The Graduate route after study
  3. 03.03Visiting the UK
  4. 03.04Travel permission (ETA)

Section 04

Settling and citizenship

Settlement (the rules call it indefinite leave to remain), becoming British, days spent outside the UK, and the Life in the UK test.

  1. 04.01What settlement requires
  2. 04.02What British citizenship requires
  3. 04.03Days outside the UK: the 180-day rule
  4. 04.04The Life in the UK test

Also includedLife in the UK, day to day (75)Coming from your country (69)

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The questions people arrive with

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Calculate

Partner visa income and savings

Work the published savings formula for each income category the rules allow, and see the threshold beside your own figures.

Open the calculator

Compare

Skilled Worker salary thresholds

Put a salary against the general threshold and the going rate for the occupation code, including the discounts the rules allow.

Open the calculator

Look up

Job and salary lookup

Search a job title for its occupation code, the published going rate for that code, and which published lists it appears on.

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Answer questions

Route information quiz

Answer a few questions about your circumstances and see which published routes relate to those facts. Information, not a recommendation.

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Every tool shows published figures next to the ones you enter. None of them assesses an application or predicts a decision.

The system, in numbers

15%
About 15% of skilled work visa decisions were a refusal in the year ending June 2026.1
Up to 12 weeks
An out-of-country partner (spouse) visa takes up to 12 weeks to decide.2
3m+
Around 3 million UK visas are granted every year.3
Fig. 1 Published figures for the UK immigration system. Each is a general statistic about the system, not a statement about any particular application.
  1. 1Home Office — Immigration system statistics, year ending June 2026
  2. 2GOV.UK — Visa processing times: applications outside the UK
  3. 3Home Office — Immigration system statistics, year ending June 2026

What this is, and what it is not

What it is

  • Published rules, rewritten in plain English, with the GOV.UK source linked on every page.
  • Free to read. No account, no email address, nothing to buy to understand the rules.
  • Written to be readable if English is not your first language: no legal jargon, no unexplained abbreviations.
  • Honest about money and time — what the government charges, and how long decisions actually take.

What it is not

  • Not an immigration adviser. Rowan never assesses your case or tells you which route to take.
  • Not a form-filling service. Nothing is submitted to the Home Office on your behalf.
  • Not a scoring tool. Rowan does not rate your chances or predict a decision.
  • Not a replacement for a regulated adviser when a situation is genuinely complicated.

Rowan does not cover these

Some situations need a regulated adviser

A previous refusal, or a decision you want to challenge; a criminal record, or an open case; time spent in the UK without permission; a deportation or removal decision; an asylum or human-rights claim. Reading about the rules is not enough when any of these are part of the picture, and Rowan will say so rather than guess.

Find an authorised adviser on GOV.UK — free and low-cost help is listed there too.

Common questions

How up to date is this?

Every guide shows the date it was last checked against GOV.UK. When a guide is more than six months past that date, a notice appears at the top of it saying so. GOV.UK is the official source and always comes first — where a figure matters to your application, check it there too.

How is this different from reading GOV.UK?

GOV.UK is the authoritative source, and where the two disagree GOV.UK is right. It is written to cover every possible situation, though, so Rowan sets out the same published rules one route at a time, in plain English, with a link to the GOV.UK page each point came from.

Which visa types do you cover?

The guides cover every main route: partner and family, Skilled Worker and sponsorship, Student and Graduate, visits, settlement (indefinite leave to remain), and British citizenship, along with practical guides to life in the UK after you arrive.

Does Rowan give immigration advice?

No. Rowan provides general immigration information, not immigration advice as defined in s.82 Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. We are not registered with the Immigration Advice Authority and do not give advice about anyone's own case. For advice on your situation, consult an authorised adviser or an immigration solicitor.

Do I need an account?

No. There are no accounts and nothing to sign up for. Every guide is free to read, and Rowan does not ask for your personal details in order to read them.