Moving to the UK from Iraq: Guide
A guide for Iraqi nationals moving to the UK, covering the visa routes, asylum and settlement with protection status, and the documents each asks for.
- Section
- Moving to the UK From...
- Reading time
- 6 min
- Last checked
- 2 March 2026
- Source
- The published Immigration Rules and GOV.UK guidance, linked throughout this guide.
- Rowan does not
- Look at your own case, tell you which route to choose, or say what the Home Office will decide. This guide shows the published rules and where to read them.
In short
- Iraq is a visa national country: a visit needs a Standard Visitor visa, not an electronic travel authorisation.
- A tuberculosis test is needed for a stay of more than 6 months. GOV.UK names approved clinics in Baghdad and Erbil.
- An approved English test is needed on most visa routes: B2 for a new Skilled Worker application.
- There is no visa that allows someone to travel to the UK in order to claim asylum.
- Settlement with refugee or humanitarian protection status has no fee, and can be applied for after 5 years in the UK.
Iraq is on the UK's visa national list, so an Iraqi passport holder needs a visa for any stay, including a visit. The family route, the Skilled Worker visa and the Student visa are the ways to apply from Iraq. Asylum is different: there is no visa for travelling to the UK to claim it, and a claim is made in the UK or at its border. This guide covers both sides.
Visa Routes for Iraqi Citizens
Iraq is on the UK's visa national list, so an Iraqi passport holder needs a visa for any stay, including a short visit. The £20 electronic travel authorisation is not open to visa nationals; a 6-month Standard Visitor visa costs £135.
- Family visa. If your spouse or partner is a British citizen or has settled status. See the spouse visa guide. The minimum income requirement is £29,000 a year for a new application. Refugee family reunion, which used to let a partner and children join someone granted refugee status, is closed: GOV.UK says applications are no longer being accepted and directs people to the family visa instead.
- Skilled Worker visa. Requires a job offer from a licensed sponsor at the minimum salary of £41,700 a year, or the going rate for the occupation code if that is higher. Since 22 July 2025 a new applicant's job must sit at degree level (RQF 6), unless the occupation code is on the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List.
- Student visa. £558. See the student visa guide.
- Asylum. A claim can only be made in the UK or at its border. There is no visa that allows someone to travel to the UK in order to claim asylum.
Document Requirements
- Valid Iraqi passport.
- Tuberculosis test certificate. Needed if you are coming for 6 months or more and have lived in Iraq, or another listed country, for 6 months or more within the last 6 months. GOV.UK names approved clinics in Baghdad and Erbil, each of which publishes its own fee.
- English language test. An approved secure English language test at the level the route requires: B2 for a new Skilled Worker application since 8 January 2026, A1 for a first partner visa. No English requirement applies to an asylum claim.
- Criminal record certificate. Not needed for most applications. GOV.UK asks for one from a Skilled Worker applying from outside the UK whose job is in education, healthcare, therapy or social services. Where one cannot be obtained, the Home Office asks for a letter explaining what you tried.
- Certified translation. Documents in Arabic or Kurdish must be accompanied by a certified English translation.
What It Costs
The Home Office publishes its fees in pounds. It does not publish an Iraqi dinar price, and the exchange rate it applies is the rate on the day you pay, so this guide gives no conversion.
- Skilled Worker visa, applying from outside the UK: £819 for 3 years or less, £1,618 for more than 3 years
- Student visa: £558
- Standard Visitor visa: £135 for 6 months
- Healthcare surcharge: £1,035 a year, or £776 a year for students, their dependants and anyone under 18
- Settlement: £3,226 for each person, but no fee at all with refugee or humanitarian protection status
See our UK visa fees guide.
Healthcare
Paying the healthcare surcharge does not make the National Health Service free. It buys care on the same basis as a UK resident, so you then pay what a resident pays. In England that is £9.90 for a prescription and dental charges of £27.90, £76.60 or £332.10 depending on the band of treatment. Prescriptions are free in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The Iraqi Community in the UK
Iraqi communities in the UK include Iraqi Kurds, Iraqi Arabs, Assyrians and others, concentrated in London, particularly west London, and in Birmingham, Manchester and Derby, with a strong Kurdish presence in north London. Mosques, churches and community centres serve them. The Home Office does not publish a count of Iraqi nationals resident in the UK, so this guide gives none.
After Arrival
- Set up or sign in to your UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account and check your online immigration status. There is no card to collect: biometric residence permits stopped being issued at the end of 2024
- Apply for a National Insurance number
- Register with a doctor (GP surgery)
- Open a UK bank account
- Understand the full cost of UK visa fees
- Contact local community organisations for support
Path to Settlement
After 5 years on a qualifying visa, apply for settlement (indefinite leave to remain), which costs £3,226 for each person. Someone with refugee or humanitarian protection status can also apply after 5 years in the UK, and GOV.UK says there is no fee for that application; a decision usually follows within 6 months, and the GOV.UK guide for that route sets out no Life in the UK test and no English requirement.
Twelve months after receiving settlement, apply for British citizenship, which costs £1,709 plus a £130 ceremony fee. The UK does not require you to give up another nationality.
Next Steps
For official information, visit the GOV.UK asylum page, the GOV.UK page on settlement with protection status and the GOV.UK Skilled Worker visa page.
Questions and answers
Do Iraqi citizens need a tuberculosis test for a UK visa?
You need one if you are coming to the UK for 6 months or more and you have lived in Iraq, or another listed country, for 6 months or more and were living there within the last 6 months. Iraq is on the Home Office list, and GOV.UK names approved clinics in Baghdad and Erbil. Each clinic publishes its own fee, so this guide gives no price. The certificate is valid for 6 months from the date of the x-ray.
Is Iraq a majority English-speaking country?
No. Iraq is not on the Home Office list of majority English-speaking countries, so an approved secure English language test is needed on the routes that carry an English requirement. A new Skilled Worker application has needed level B2 since 8 January 2026, and a first partner visa is A1. Asylum carries no English requirement.
What are the main routes for Iraqi nationals?
The family route, the Skilled Worker visa and the Student visa are the visa routes. Iraq is on the UK's visa national list, so even a visit needs a Standard Visitor visa. There is no visa that lets someone travel to the UK in order to claim asylum: a claim can only be made once a person is in the UK or at its border.
Do I need an Iraqi police certificate for a UK visa?
Only for some applications. GOV.UK asks for a criminal record certificate from a Skilled Worker applying from outside the UK whose job is in education, healthcare, therapy or social services. Where a certificate cannot be obtained, the Home Office asks for a letter explaining what you tried and why it was not possible. GOV.UK does not publish a blanket waiver for Iraq.
What does settlement cost for someone with refugee status?
Nothing. GOV.UK says there is no fee to apply for settlement if you have protection status, meaning permission to stay as a refugee or as a person with humanitarian protection. You can apply after 5 years in the UK, and a decision usually follows within 6 months. The GOV.UK guide for that route sets out no Life in the UK test and no English requirement.
This guide is general information about published immigration rules. It is not advice about an individual application under s.82 Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, and Rowan is not regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority. Immigration rules change several times a year. For advice on a particular situation, contact an adviser authorised by the Immigration Advice Authority or an immigration solicitor. Always check GOV.UK for the authoritative current rules.