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UK CV Guide for Immigrants: How to Write a British CV

The UK CV format differs from resumes and CVs used in many other countries. No photo, no personal details like age or marital status, and a focus on achievements rather than duties. This guide helps immigrants adapt their CV to UK expectations and stand out to British employers.

Checked 24 March 202610 min readWritten by the Rowan Editorial Team
Section
Practical Life in the UK
Reading time
10 min
Last checked
24 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

  • The UK convention is two pages, no photo, and no age, date of birth, marital status or nationality.
  • The reason is the Equality Act 2010, which makes discrimination in recruitment on protected characteristics unlawful.
  • No employer can rely on a CV for your right to work. They must do a right to work check before you start.
  • A physical biometric residence permit can no longer be used for a right to work check. Employers ask for a share code instead.
  • The convention is achievements and results rather than a list of duties.

A UK CV is typically two pages, includes no photo or personal details (age, nationality), and focuses on achievements and results. Work experience is listed in reverse chronological order. This guide covers the standard format, what to include and exclude, how to handle overseas experience, and tips for making your CV appeal to UK employers.

UK CV Structure

A standard UK CV follows this structure:

  1. Contact details: Name, phone number, email, location (city, not full address). LinkedIn profile if relevant.
  2. Personal statement: 3-4 lines summarising your experience, skills, and what you bring to the role.
  3. Work experience: In reverse chronological order. For each role: job title, company name, dates, and bullet points highlighting achievements.
  4. Education: Qualifications in reverse chronological order. Include institution, dates, and qualification obtained.
  5. Skills: Relevant technical skills, languages, and competencies.
  6. Additional information: Optional section for volunteering, professional memberships, or interests.

What to Exclude

UK CVs deliberately exclude personal information that could lead to discrimination:

  • Photo
  • Date of birth or age
  • Marital status
  • Nationality or passport details
  • Gender
  • Religion
  • Full home address (city or region is sufficient)
  • "References available on request" (this is assumed)

This may be very different from CV conventions in your home country. Following UK norms shows cultural awareness and professionalism.

Handling Overseas Experience

Your international experience is valuable, but present it in a way UK employers can understand:

  • Use UK-equivalent job titles where possible
  • Briefly explain the company if it would be unknown to UK employers
  • Convert metrics to UK standards (pounds, percentages, UK-recognised qualifications)
  • Highlight transferable skills that apply across markets
  • If your degree is from overseas, you can note that it has been assessed by UK ENIC, the UK's national agency for comparing international qualifications, if you have a Statement of Comparability. See our guide to getting qualifications recognised

Work Rights Statement

Some people include a short line about their right to work near the top of the CV. It is optional. What is not optional is the employer's side: they must carry out a right to work check before you start work, and since biometric residence permit cards stopped being issued at the end of 2024 that check is normally done with a share code from your eVisa. Wording people use:

  • "Full UK work rights — no sponsorship required" (if you have ILR, citizenship, or a visa with unrestricted work rights)
  • "Eligible to work in the UK on a [visa type]" (if your visa permits work)

This is particularly useful for spouse visa holders and Graduate route holders who do not need sponsorship. For more on work rights, see our employment rights guide.

Writing Achievements, Not Duties

UK employers want to see what you achieved, not just what you were responsible for. Compare:

  • Weak: "Responsible for managing a team"
  • Strong: "Managed a team of 12, reducing project delivery time by 25%"
  • Weak: "Handled customer complaints"
  • Strong: "Resolved 95% of customer complaints within 24 hours, improving satisfaction scores by 15%"

Use numbers and specific results wherever possible. This makes your experience concrete and memorable.

Tailoring Your CV

Do not send the same CV for every job. For each application:

  • Read the job description carefully
  • Mirror the language and keywords used
  • Prioritise experience and skills that match the role
  • Adjust your personal statement for each application

For more on the UK job market, see our job interview culture guide and UK salary guide.

Next Steps

The UK conventions above — two pages, no photo, no personal details — are what a British reader expects. The one thing on this page that is law rather than convention is the right to work check, which the employer does before you start, normally with a share code. Check the GOV.UK Find a Job page and the GOV.UK careers page for more job-seeking resources.

Related guides:

Questions and answers

How long should a UK CV be?

Two pages is the usual convention, and one page is common for early-career roles. This is convention rather than law: no rule sets a CV length, and some employers state a preference in the job advert. Where they do, that preference is the one to follow.

Should I include a photo on my UK CV?

The UK convention is no photo. The reason is the Equality Act 2010, which makes it unlawful to discriminate in recruitment on protected characteristics including age, race, sex, religion or belief, disability, and marriage or civil partnership. Many UK employers keep photos and personal details out of the process so that nobody can suggest those characteristics played a part. This differs from countries where a photo is standard.

Do I need to include my visa status on my CV?

There is no requirement to put your immigration status on a CV, and no employer can rely on a CV for it: an employer must carry out a right to work check before you start work, using a share code or another accepted document. Some people include a short line such as “Eligible to work in the UK” so that the question does not sit unanswered, but that is a choice, not a rule.

Should I include my date of birth or nationality on a UK CV?

The convention is to leave them out. Age, race, sex, religion or belief, disability, marriage and civil partnership are protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, and UK recruitment practice generally keeps them out of the process. A CV that focuses on skills, experience and qualifications follows that convention.

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.

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