Relocating Employees to London: UKVCAS, eVisa and Housing for HR

Not for most first visas. If you already hold a sponsor licence, a London case is a CoS, a visa application, a UKVCAS slot for in-country applicants and the right to work check. A regulated adviser can handle all of it. Bring in an SRA-regulated solicitor when a refusal may go to judicial review at the Upper Tribunal at Field House, or when the licence itself is at risk.

Allow about 6 to 10 weeks between signed offer and eVisa, as of October 2026. For in-country cases the biggest London variable is the free UKVCAS appointment. UKVI processing only starts the working day after enrolment. Housing and school places then decide when the family can actually move.

After applying on GOV.UK, an in-country applicant books a UKVCAS service point run by TLScontact. London sites include Gee Street, Stratford Library, Enfield Town Library, Wandsworth and Croydon. Slots open 28 days ahead, free ones at 09:00 and paid ones at midnight. Some nationals skip the visit by using the UK Immigration: ID Check app.

No. London has no municipal population register like a padrón or an Anmeldung. The steps are practical. The landlord checks the right to rent before the tenancy. Your employee sets up council tax with the borough council for the new address. Registering with a GP is a separate step for health care.

Only when the date matters more than the money. The Premium Lounge costs £200 or more and other paid London tiers start around £50. None of them speeds up the Home Office decision. Pay for one when a free London slot would push enrolment, and the processing start, past the date your hire needs.

It depends on the borough and the property band. For 2026/27, Band D including the Greater London Authority precept ranges between about £1,028 in Wandsworth and about £2,609 in Kingston upon Thames. An employee who lives alone can claim a 25% single person discount from the borough.

Often not. In Greater London a whole home can be let short term for at most 90 nights a calendar year without planning permission. A host may have to end a long booking. For a longer search, book a serviced apartment operator with planning permission for short stays in London.

No, it is voluntary. The London Living Wage of £14.80 an hour for 2025/26 applies to employers accredited by the Living Wage Foundation. A sponsored London role must still meet the Home Office salary rules, which sit on the country page. Accredited employers also keep every London role at or above the London rate.