If someone has the same dilemma in 2017, the answer is: if you are very good at something, it's really easy to find a job in the UK, regardless of which country you're coming from (unless you're from North Korea ). If you can provide extreme value with your skills, then get in touch with many companies and show them what you can do, and they will do whatever it takes to employ you, and to resolve the paperwork. Highly skilled people are extremely sought for, and you'll earn quite good money if you're among the top 1% of the people in your trade. For example, my partner (for 3 years now) is from Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), and she's an extremely talented Java developer. She's literally been hunted down by UK recruitment agencies about 4 years ago, and she's earning £61K/year, which is a fair wage for a Java developer in London (leaving her with around £3,600 net/month, src: tax calculator). Make sure you've got the skills, and there are plenty of opportunities for anyone, from anywhere Hope it helps.