A US passport can facilitate short visits, subject to the current ETA rules, but does not confer a general right to work, establish a business or live in the UK.
The direct answer
US citizens can instruct UK immigration lawyers directly from the United States.
Quastels advises US citizens and US based organisations on visas, settlement, British citizenship, sponsor licensing and complex UK immigration matters. Advice is provided remotely across the United States and led by Jayesh Jethwa, Partner and Head of Corporate & Private Immigration. US citizenship does not itself create a right to live or work in the UK, so the route, evidence and timing should be settled before relocation or commercial commitments are made.
- UK legal services are provided by Quastels LLP, regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
- The service covers UK immigration and British nationality law, not US law.
- US tax, estate, corporate and immigration advisers can remain within the wider client team.
The cross-border instruction
The UK application is only 1 part of the move.
A move from the United States can involve employment, company formation, investment, family status, schooling, travel, tax residence and long term nationality objectives. Immigration advice should establish which of those plans the UK route permits and which commitments should wait.
A senior executive may be able to enter through sponsored work, but the sponsoring entity, role, salary and settlement objective still need to align. A founder may compare Innovator Founder, Global Talent and a genuine Skilled Worker structure. A family may need to establish British status before making a visa application at all. The route should follow the complete position rather than the most familiar visa name.
UK immigration advice does not replace US legal or tax advice. It should, however, provide the UK facts and timetable those advisers need: the intended arrival date, work rights, residence period, family sequencing, company structure and whether settlement or British citizenship is part of the plan.
How Quastels assists
01UK spouse, partner, fiancé and family visas
02British citizenship, nationality and right of abode analysis
03Children, dependants and family settlement planning
04Innovator Founder endorsement and settlement strategy
05Global Talent applications for technology, research, arts and culture
06Skilled Worker sponsorship for senior executives and specialist hires
07UK company formation and sponsor licence strategy for founders
08US company expansion, sponsor licensing and Global Business Mobility
09Visitor, permitted business activity and UK ETA questions
10Indefinite leave to remain and British naturalisation
11Previous refusals, complex histories and urgent immigration decisions
12Coordination with US attorneys, tax advisers and private client teams
US specific decisions
Four assumptions to test before action.
Visitor access is not a relocation route.
A US national may be eligible to travel with an ETA for a permitted visit, but the visitor framework restricts work and cannot be treated as permission to move first and regularise later.
British status may need to be established before a visa is considered.
A UK born parent or grandparent does not produce the same nationality result in every generation. Dates, birthplaces, marital status and the way citizenship passed must be reconstructed from the civil record.
A US business does not sponsor UK work by implication.
The relevant UK entity, licence, route, role and assignment structure must be identified. A group relationship or senior title does not remove the need to satisfy the applicable sponsorship requirements.
Immigration and tax residence answer different questions.
Permission to live in the UK does not determine US or UK tax treatment. The immigration timetable should be shared with qualified tax advisers, but tax assumptions should not be used as substitutes for immigration eligibility.
Connected UK advice
Use the specialist route that reflects the real instruction.
US nationality analysis
British citizenship through a parent or grandparent
Automatic status, historic discrimination, child registration and evidence across generations.
US family analysisWhose income counts for a spouse visa?
US earnings, a returning sponsor, savings, retirement accounts, currency and specified evidence.
FamilyUK spouse and partner visas
Relationship, finance, accommodation, evidence and family sequencing.
NationalityBritish citizenship
Status opinions, descent, registration, naturalisation and disclosure.
TalentGlobal Talent
Field, standard, endorsement, evidence and settlement.
FoundersUK company and sponsorship
Business substance, licence, genuine role and worker application.
US companiesExpansion and corporate change
Sponsor licensing, group structure, workforce movement and transaction risk.
Complex casesRefusal and remedy strategy
Decision, evidence, deadline and the response that protects the objective.
Questions from US clients
Practical questions before the UK plan is fixed.
01Do US citizens need a visa to move to the UK?+
US citizenship does not provide a general right to live or work in the UK. The correct permission depends on the proposed activity, family position, employment, business or professional profile and intended duration. Visitor entry and an ETA are not substitutes for a residence or work route.
02Can an American work in the UK without sponsorship?+
Some UK routes do not require employer sponsorship, including certain family, Global Talent and Innovator Founder cases. Others require a licensed sponsor and eligible role. The available route must be established before work begins; visitor status does not ordinarily permit taking UK employment.
03Can a US citizen apply for a UK spouse visa?+
Potentially. The application must satisfy the relationship, sponsor status, financial, accommodation, English language and suitability requirements that apply to the particular case. A US marriage certificate proves the marriage but does not, by itself, establish the complete visa requirements.
04Can an American qualify for British citizenship through a parent or grandparent?+
Possibly, but British nationality law depends on dates, places of birth, the status of parents, how citizenship was acquired and the legislation in force at each relevant event. The family tree and civil records should be analysed before assuming citizenship by descent or a registration entitlement.
05Can a US founder move to the UK through their own company?+
There is no visa category called self sponsorship. A founder may consider Innovator Founder, Global Talent or a genuine Skilled Worker structure involving an eligible UK company, sponsor licence, genuine role and compliant sponsorship. The business and immigration requirements must each be satisfied on their own terms.
06How can a US company transfer an executive to the UK?+
The answer depends on whether the UK operation is established, the group relationship, the individual's employment history and role, and whether the objective is temporary expansion or a route capable of leading to settlement. UK Expansion Worker, Senior or Specialist Worker and Skilled Worker can produce materially different consequences.
07Can Quastels advise clients throughout the United States?+
Yes. UK immigration advice can be delivered directly from London to clients and professional advisers across the United States by secure video, telephone and email. Legal services are provided by Quastels LLP under the regulation of the Solicitors Regulation Authority of England and Wales.
08Do you advise on US immigration or US tax law?+
No. The instruction concerns UK immigration and British nationality law. Where a relocation, transaction or family decision also requires US immigration, tax, estate, employment or corporate advice, Quastels can work with the client's existing US advisers or an appropriately qualified specialist.
Primary sources
Current UK rules and official guidance.
Reviewed 25 August 2026. The correct provisions depend on the complete facts and the rules in force when the relevant application or journey is made.
GOV.UK: check whether a UK visa is required↗GOV.UK: electronic travel authorisation eligibility, updated 9 April 2026↗GOV.UK: family visas↗GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa↗GOV.UK: Innovator Founder visa↗GOV.UK: Global Talent visa↗GOV.UK: UK Expansion Worker visa↗GOV.UK: sponsor licensing for employers↗GOV.UK: British citizenship↗