Getting a UK or Canada visa from Uganda

Which route fits you

Canada: Express Entry. No job offer needed. You are scored on age, education, language and work history, and the highest scores are invited. Until 2 November 2026 a job offer adds no points. From 3 November 2026 an offer in a high-wage occupation adds 50 to 100 points, with no LMIA needed (what changes).

Canada: Provincial Nominee Programs. A nomination adds 600 points and effectively all but secures an invitation.

UK: Skilled Worker. A licensed employer sponsors you first, and you must be paid whichever is higher: the 41 700 £ (UK Home Office, en vigueur depuis le 22 juillet 2025) general threshold or your job's going rate.

UK: Health and Care Worker. Lower fees and no health surcharge for eligible health and care occupations. Overseas recruitment of care workers (codes 6135 and 6136) closed on 22 July 2025.

→ Work out your Canadian points: about two minutes, before you spend anything.

What is different for Uganda

A TB test is required for any UK stay of six months or more, and only one clinic can do it. The approved clinic is the IOM Migration Health Assessment Centre, Plot 47, Bukoto Crescent Road, Naguru (gov.uk TB testing in Uganda, updated 13 May 2026). The certificate expires six months from the chest x-ray, so do not book it too early.

You are not exempt from proving your English. The UK exempts nationals of 18 majority-English-speaking countries, and Uganda is not one of them (Appendix English Language). No African country is. You need an approved test, or an English-taught degree confirmed by an approved provider. Canada exempts nobody.

Your police certificate comes from Interpol in Kampala, and you can request it from abroad. Canada requires a Certificate of Good Conduct from the Directorate of Interpol & International Relations, Uganda Police, applied for in person with fingerprints (IRCC Uganda). From outside, IRCC says to "apply at your nearest High Commission of Uganda or through a representative, relative or friend" with certified fingerprints, or to mail the application to the Directorate. The Uganda Police Force gives the office as Plot 12 Mabua Road, Kololo, and quotes five to ten working days (Uganda Police Force).

The UK's overseas criminal-records guidance has no Uganda entry. The gov.uk "Countries Q to Z" list skips from Ukraine to United Arab Emirates; use the Interpol process above.

Canada's visa application centre is in Kampala and is running limited services. IRCC lists one Canada VAC in Uganda, in Kampala, which "will provide limited services until further notice" (IRCC: find a VAC).

The UK Ancestry visa is open to you in principle. Uganda joined the Commonwealth in 1962 (The Commonwealth), so the citizenship condition is met. What stops most people is the grandparent, who must have been "born in the UK or Islands" (Appendix UK Ancestry). A grandparent born in the Uganda Protectorate does not count.

Documents and steps specific to Uganda

1. Language test first. Both countries need one; there is no Ugandan exemption.
2. Credential assessment (Canada). No Uganda-specific rule is confirmed on official pages; follow the assessing body's instructions for your institution.
3. Certificate of Good Conduct. Interpol, Kololo, or via a relative or the nearest Ugandan High Commission from abroad. Canada needs one for every country lived in for six months in a row since age 18.
4. TB test (UK, six months or more). IOM Naguru, once the rest of your application is ready.
5. Biometrics. Canada: the Kampala VAC. UK: the VAC city is not confirmed on an official page we could load; check gov.uk when you book.
6. Proof of funds (Canada). Set by IRCC; must be money you control.

What it costs from Uganda

Fees are set in Canadian dollars and pounds; we do not convert to shillings.

The health surcharge is what most people miss: over three years it costs more than the visa itself, paid upfront.

Alternatives if the obvious route does not fit

• Health and Care Worker visa (UK): eligible health and social care occupations; lower fees and no health surcharge.
• Immigration Salary List (UK): listed occupations use the 33 400 £ (UK Home Office, en vigueur depuis le 22 juillet 2025) threshold and the lower going rate.
• New entrant or PhD thresholds (UK): a reduced general threshold for early-career applicants, Student or Graduate switchers, and relevant PhD holders.
• Global Talent visa (UK): no sponsor or job offer; endorsement in academia and research, digital technology, or arts and culture.
• Canada category-based draws (2026): health care and social services, trades, French-language proficiency and new categories including transport; invited at lower scores than the general pool.
• Canada Provincial Nominee Programs: a nomination adds 600 CRS points.
• Canada Home Care Worker pilots: intake paused since 19 December 2025.
• In-country switching (UK): if already in the UK on another visa, a licensed sponsor can often move you into Skilled Worker.