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How Long Does It Take to Move to the UK from Romania: Realistic Timelines (2026)
From deciding to move to arriving legally in the UK typically takes 8 to 20 weeks. But most of that time isn't the visa — it's what happens before and after it.
The time from deciding to move to the UK from Romania to arriving legally typically takes between 8 and 20 weeks, depending on visa type, how quickly a job offer is secured, and current Home Office processing times. That range is wide — and deliberately so, because the honest answer varies more than most guides admit.
The question most Romanians planning a UK move ask at some point is: "How long will this actually take?" The truthful answer is that the visa itself — once you have everything ready — is not the slow part. It is usually the fastest thing in the whole process. What takes time is finding the right employer, gathering the right documents, and everything that has to happen before you can even submit an application.
This guide breaks down each stage with realistic timelines. It covers the Skilled Worker visa route, which is the most common path for Romanian professionals, with notes on how the timeline shifts for the Health and Care Worker route. For everything about the visa application itself, see the Skilled Worker visa guide and the complete pre-move guide.
The Timeline at a Glance
| Stage | Typical duration | Variable? |
|---|---|---|
| Finding a sponsor employer | Weeks to months | Highly variable — the biggest unknown |
| CoS issued by employer | 1–2 weeks | After employer confirms the role |
| Document preparation | 1–3 weeks | Faster if done in parallel earlier |
| Visa application submission | 1–2 days | Online — straightforward |
| Biometric appointment | 1–2 weeks wait | Depends on VFS centre availability in Romania |
| Visa decision (standard) | 3 weeks | From biometric submission — currently being met |
| Visa decision (priority) | 5 working days | £500 additional fee |
| Visa decision (super-priority) | Next working day | £1,000 additional fee |
| Travel to UK | 1–2 days | Flight booking |
| eVisa setup / BRP collection | Within 10 days of arrival | eVisa requires UKVI account setup |
Stage by Stage
Finding a UK sponsor employer
Duration: weeks to monthsThis is the stage with no fixed timeline — and the one that most guides underplay. A Skilled Worker visa requires a Certificate of Sponsorship from a licensed UK employer before you can apply. That means securing a job offer first, with an employer who is already on the Home Office register of licensed sponsors, or willing to apply for a sponsor licence (which takes around 8 weeks itself).
For healthcare roles — doctors, nurses, pharmacists — this stage can happen faster because NHS employers and private healthcare providers actively recruit Romanian professionals and are familiar with the sponsorship process. For other professional roles, it typically involves standard job searching, interviews, and negotiation. Romanian professionals with in-demand skills in technology, engineering, and finance often move quickly. Those in more competitive or entry-level roles may search for several months.
Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS)
Duration: 1–2 weeks after employer confirmsOnce an employer agrees to sponsor you, they assign a Certificate of Sponsorship through the Home Office Sponsor Management System. This is a digital record — not a physical document — with a reference number you use in your visa application. The CoS must be assigned before your application can be submitted. Most employers issue the CoS within a few days to two weeks of confirming the role; larger NHS employers tend to have established processes and can be quicker.
The CoS reference number is time-sensitive — your visa application must be submitted within three months of the CoS assignment date.
Document preparation
Duration: 1–3 weeks (faster if started earlier)The Skilled Worker visa application requires: a valid passport, the CoS reference number, proof of English language proficiency (unless exempt — Romanian nationals educated in English may be able to use their degree as evidence), and proof of maintenance funds (£1,270 in savings, or employer certification on the CoS). If any supporting documents are in Romanian, certified translation into English is required.
Romanian nationals do not currently need a TB test certificate for the Skilled Worker visa. Some professions require an overseas criminal record certificate — worth checking early. Documents that need to be apostilled (birth certificates, degree certificates for some applications) add time and cost if not prepared in advance. Starting to gather and apostille key documents during the job search phase, rather than waiting for the CoS, is the most effective way to keep the overall timeline short.
Visa application submission and biometric appointment
Duration: 1–3 weeksThe visa application itself is submitted online through the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) portal. The form takes a few hours to complete carefully. Once submitted, you book a biometric appointment at a VFS Global visa application centre in Romania — Bucharest has the main centre, with additional locations periodically available. Appointment availability varies; during busy periods, waiting two weeks for a slot is not unusual. Booking the biometric appointment immediately after submission minimises this wait.
At the biometric appointment you provide fingerprints, a photograph, and submit any documents the VAC requests. You can upload most supporting documents online; the VAC appointment itself is typically brief.
Visa decision
Standard: 3 weeks | Priority: 5 working days | Super-priority: next working dayThe Home Office service standard for Skilled Worker visa applications from outside the UK is three weeks from the date of biometric submission. This standard is currently being met in practice. For applicants with a fixed start date, priority service (£500 additional fee, decisions within 5 working days) or super-priority service (£1,000 additional fee, decision by the next working day) are available at most Romanian application centres, subject to slot availability.
Most applications receive a straightforward decision within the service standard. Complex applications — where the Home Office requests additional evidence — can take longer, and the priority fee may not be refunded in those cases. A well-prepared, complete application is the single most effective way to avoid delays.
From January 2026, successful applicants receive an eVisa — a digital record of immigration status in a UKVI online account — rather than a physical Biometric Residence Permit sticker in their passport. A short-validity entry vignette may be issued for travel purposes if needed.
Travel and arrival
Duration: 1–2 daysYou can apply up to three months before your intended start date. The visa grants permission to enter the UK from a specified date, so travel must be timed accordingly. Flights from Romanian cities (Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Timișoara) to major UK airports are frequent and inexpensive relative to the overall cost of the move.
Within 10 days of arrival, you need to set up or access your UKVI online account to manage your eVisa. If an employer was involved in your application, they will also confirm your arrival through their Sponsor Management System responsibilities.
What to Do in Parallel
The biggest efficiency gain available to any Romanian planning this move is running stages in parallel rather than sequentially. Most people wait until they have a job offer before doing anything else. The people who move fastest have already done much of the groundwork.
While searching for a UK employer, it is worth doing the following at the same time:
- Apostille key documents — birth certificate, marriage certificate (if applicable), degree certificate. The apostille process through the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs or a notary takes days to weeks and must happen while you are still in Romania
- English language test — if your educational background requires it, taking IELTS Academic or OET takes time to book, sit, and receive results. Most results arrive within 1–2 weeks; some professions require specific minimum scores
- Qualifications recognition — for regulated professions (doctors, nurses, architects, solicitors), the recognition process with GMC, NMC, ARB, or SRA is often the longest step in the entire pre-move journey. Starting it before you have a job offer in hand is not only possible — it is advisable. See our qualifications recognition guide for profession-by-profession timelines
- Research accommodation — rental markets in London, Glasgow, Edinburgh, and other target cities are competitive. Having an area shortlisted and an understanding of realistic costs means you can move faster once you have a start date
- Open a UK bank account — some challenger banks (Monzo, Revolut, Starling) allow account opening before arriving in the UK. A UK account from day one makes payroll, rental deposits, and everyday spending significantly easier
The Health and Care Worker Route: A Different Rhythm
For Romanian healthcare professionals — particularly nurses — the timeline has a different shape from the general Skilled Worker route.
The NMC registration process for nurses typically takes 6 to 12 months from initial application to receiving an NMC PIN. This runs in parallel with finding an employer, not after. Many Romanian nurses complete the computer-based theory test (CBT) from Romania, then come to the UK with a sponsoring NHS employer to sit the practical OSCE in person. The visa is typically applied for after passing the CBT and receiving an employer offer — the Health and Care Worker visa application itself still takes approximately 3 weeks under standard processing.
The practical effect is that Romanian nurses who start the NMC process early — even before having a specific job offer — can significantly compress the overall timeline. Those who wait until they have an employer to start NMC registration often find themselves waiting 6 months or more before they can practise legally after arrival.
The CBT can be taken in Romania through Pearson VUE without a UK employer. Passing it before engaging with NHS recruiters puts you in a much stronger position and reduces the total time from decision to practising in the UK by months. The cost is approximately £83. See our qualifications recognition guide for the full NMC process.
Three Realistic Scenarios
The fast mover — 8 to 10 weeks total. A Romanian software engineer with in-demand skills, an apostilled degree, and an English-language degree (exempt from IELTS) who receives a job offer from a licensed sponsor within two weeks of starting the search. CoS issued promptly. Documents ready within a week. Biometric appointment booked immediately. Standard processing. This person is in the UK in 8 to 10 weeks from first contact with an employer.
The typical mover — 14 to 18 weeks total. A Romanian accountant who takes six to eight weeks to secure a job offer, needs to apostille documents after receiving the CoS, and uses standard processing. Biometric appointment availability adds a week. This is the most common profile — everything works, but everything takes a little longer than the optimistic version.
The regulated professional — 6 to 12 months or more. A Romanian nurse who begins NMC registration, sits the CBT, secures an NHS employer, comes to the UK, sits the OSCE, and then receives full NMC registration. The visa itself is fast; the regulatory process is not. Starting NMC registration 6 months before wanting to move is the practical minimum.
The Part Nobody Tells You
The official timelines are real and they are generally being met. What the guides do not always capture is the psychological timeline — the weeks of uncertainty while waiting for an employer response, the anxiety of submitting documents you have spent weeks gathering, the disorienting pause after the visa is approved and before the flight. That part of the process takes no fixed number of weeks, but it is real and it is worth naming.
The people who handle this process most calmly are consistently the ones who started preparing before they had anything confirmed. Not because preparation removes uncertainty, but because having your documents apostilled, your English test done, and your NMC registration underway means that when the job offer comes — and it does come, for prepared people in fields with real demand — the path from offer to arrival is genuinely short. Eight weeks is not unrealistic. Sometimes it is less.
The complete guide to moving to the UK from Romania walks through each of these steps in detail. The timeline for your move is largely in your hands.
Disclaimer: Processing times reflect Home Office service standards and current practice as of April 2026. Actual timelines vary and can change. Always verify current processing times and requirements at gov.uk before planning a move. Last reviewed April 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
From the decision to move to arriving legally in the UK on a Skilled Worker visa, the process typically takes 8 to 20 weeks. The range reflects how long it takes to secure a job offer, which is the single most variable stage. Once a Certificate of Sponsorship is issued, the visa application itself is generally decided within 3 weeks from outside the UK under standard processing.
The Home Office service standard for Skilled Worker visa applications from outside the UK is 3 weeks from the date of biometric enrolment. This standard is currently being met in practice. Priority service (additional fee of £500) aims to return a decision within 5 working days. Super-priority service (additional fee of £1,000) aims for a decision by the end of the next working day.
For most Romanians, finding a UK employer willing to sponsor a Skilled Worker visa is the longest and most uncertain stage. There is no fixed timeline — it can take weeks or months depending on the profession and market conditions. For regulated professions such as nursing, the qualifications recognition process is often longer than the visa itself. Once a job offer is secured and a Certificate of Sponsorship is issued, the remaining stages typically take 4 to 8 weeks in total.
The core documents are: a valid passport, the Certificate of Sponsorship reference number from your employer, proof of English language proficiency (unless exempt), and proof of maintenance funds (£1,270 in savings, or employer certification). Romanian nationals do not currently require a TB test certificate for the Skilled Worker visa. Some professions additionally require a criminal record certificate. Documents in Romanian may need certified translation. Apostilled documents (birth certificate, degree, marriage certificate if applicable) can be prepared in advance of receiving the CoS.
Yes. While searching for a UK employer, you can apostille key documents, take any required English language test, and — for regulated professions — begin the qualifications recognition process. Nurses can sit the NMC CBT exam in Romania before having an employer. Starting qualifications recognition early is especially important: GMC and NMC registration often take longer than the visa itself, and beginning months before you have a confirmed job offer is both possible and advisable.
From January 2026, most Skilled Worker visa holders receive an eVisa — a digital record of immigration status accessed through a UKVI online account — rather than a physical BRP. This should be set up before or immediately after arrival. If a BRP was issued under the earlier system, collection is typically within 10 days of arrival at the nominated address. Your employer will also need to verify your right to work through the UKVI Employer Checking Service or your eVisa share code.
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