Verify the Immigration Rules allow your exact from → to combination.
Safe Path Immigration
Inside UK · Switch visa category
You are already in the UK on one route and need a different category — student to work, work to family, or another lawful switch.
We confirm you can switch from inside the UK, what evidence Home Office expects, and when you must leave instead.
Overview
Your situation first, then the form
Switching categories from inside the UK is route-specific. Some combinations are allowed; others require leaving. We check the Immigration Rules for your exact from → to path before you pay fees or book biometrics.
- Eligibility to switch in-country
- Document list for the new route
- Gap-in-permission risk check
Who this is for
If this sounds like you, start here
- Students ready to move onto work or Graduate routes
- Workers changing to a family or partner category
- Graduate route clients planning the next work permission
- Anyone told they “must leave” without an in-country check
Risks we watch
Where these files usually fail
- Applying for a switch that is not allowed in-country
- Gap between permissions after studies or work ends
- Incomplete financial or relationship evidence for the new route
- Travel while a switch is pending without clear advice
How we work the file
Practical checks before you pay Home Office fees
List evidence for the new route only — no wasted documents.
Plan biometrics so you do not overstay between permissions.
Flag routes that require an overseas application instead of a switch.
Coordinate dependant switches where the main route changes.
Documents
What to gather for this service
- Current visa / BRP / eVisa and expiry
- CAS, CoS, or relationship evidence for the new route
- Bank statements meeting the new category rules
- English language evidence if required
- Passport and travel history summary
What you walk away with
Clear outcomes
- Certainty on whether you can stay and switch
- A document list matched to the new route
- A filing plan that protects against overstaying
Service timeline
How this matter usually progresses
Route check
Confirm whether your switch is allowed from inside the UK.
Evidence list
Only the papers the new category needs — named and dated.
Form prep
Consistent facts across main applicant and any dependants.
Submit & biometrics
Filing plan, appointment booking support, and decision follow-up.
Safe Path process
Four steps from worry to a filed application
Tell us your current permission
Visa type, expiry, sponsor or family route, and what changed — job, relationship, or plan to settle.
We diagnose the real risk
Timing, absences, finances, English, and whether you must leave the UK or can apply from inside.
Clear document list
Only the papers that matter for this application — named, dated, and checked before upload.
File, biometrics, follow-through
We prepare the form, book the next steps, and stay with you until the decision lands.
Service FAQs
Straight answers for switch visa category
Can every student switch to Skilled Worker from inside the UK?
Not always. Course completion, timing, and job rules matter. We confirm your combination before you resign or accept a start date.
What if I am refused?
We explain options honestly — administrative review, fresh application, or leaving to apply from overseas — based on the refusal reasons.
All Inside UK services
Every dedicated service on this desk
Company / sponsor changeYour job moved, your sponsor closed, or a new employer wants to hire you — and your current permission is tied to the old company.Company registrationYou need a UK limited company set up properly — name, directors, registered office, and Companies House filing — without mistakes that slow banking or sponsorship later.Switch visa categoryYou are already in the UK on one route and need a different category — student to work, work to family, or another lawful switch.Extend your leave (FLR)Your visa is ending and you still need time in the UK — same route, clean extension, no last-minute panic.Settlement / ILRYou have lived here for years and want Indefinite Leave to Remain — but absences, breaks, or the wrong date can sink the file.British citizenshipYou have settlement (or another qualifying status) and want a British passport — naturalisation feels opaque and easy to mistime.Bring or keep dependantsYour partner or children need to join you, extend with you, or stay after a change in your main visa.
Ready when you are
Book a short case review for switch visa category
Bring your current visa details, expiry date, and what changed. We will tell you the lawful next move before you spend Home Office fees.