Work Visa

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Work Visa

There are several types of work visas which will allow the visa holder to work and live in the UK for the period for which the work visa is granted.

Work visas can be divided as follows:

Work visas that require a job offer.
Work visas that do NOT require a job offer.
Working in the UK for your overseas employer
Temporary work visas.
Other work visas and permits

Work visas that require a job offer

There are 2 visa types in this category:

Skilled Worker Visa

Health and Care Worker Visa

(i) Skilled Worker Visa

The Skilled Worker Visa is an employer-led system for skilled migrants with a job offer. Before an applicant is eligible to apply for a work visa under this category, he/she will require a sponsor. The sponsor will normally be a business or educational institution in the UK that wishes to employ a foreign skilled worker. In order to become a sponsor, the employer will need to apply and register with the Home Office to be a licensed sponsor. The sponsor will need to meet the requirements for this specific visa category. Once licensed, the sponsor will be able to issue Certificates of Sponsorship to those individuals who he/she think will qualify. The Home Office will then decide if the individual applicant meets the points threshold or not. The number of certificates that an employer will be able to issue will be specified in the terms of the license.

An individual who wishes to obtain a Skilled Worker Visa must:

do a job that appears on the list of eligible occupations.
work for the employer that has been approved by the Home Office.
have a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) that contains information about the employer for who the visa holder will be employed buy and the role that he/she has been offered in the UK.
be paid a minimum salary- how much the visa holder should be paid depends on the type of employment and the date of the CoS.
prove that the visa holder has a knowledge of English of the standard of least level B1 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) scale. In order to demonstrate the required knowledge of English, the applicant must provide one of the following forms of evidence: passing one of the approved English language tests with the required grade issued in the two years prior to the date the application was received, or evidence that the applicant holds a Bachelor degree that was taught in English, and is of an equivalent to a UK Bachelors degree; or that he/she is a national of a majority English speaking country such as the USA or Canada.

This visa has a maximum duration of five years and can be extended or updated when it expires or if the visa applicant changes jobs or changes the employer. After five years, the visa holder may be able to apply to settle permanently in the UK (also known as Indefinite Leave to Remain”).

This visa doesn’t allow the visa holder to apply for most benefits or the State pension. In addition, you can’t change jobs of employers unless you apply to update your visa.

Dependents of a Skilled Worker Visa

Dependents are able to join an applicant who is granted this visa. Dependents are defined as a husband, wife, civil partner, same sex partner and children under 18. Every dependent is required to file a separate visa application as a dependent.

(ii) Health and Care Worker Visa

If you are a medical professional who is employed in health or adult social care you may be eligible for this visa. The advantage of this visa is that you do not need to pay the annual immigration health surcharge.

To qualify for this visa, the applicant must:

be a qualified doctor, nurse, health professional or adult social care professional.
work in an eligible health or social care job.
work for a UK employer that has been approved by the Home Office.
have a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) from the visa holder’s employer that details the position being offered in the UK.
be paid a minimum salary; the amount to be paid depends on the type of work the visa holder will be performing.
prove that the visa holder has knowledge of English.

This visa has a maximum duration of five years and can be extended or updated when it expires or if the visa applicant changes jobs or changes the employer. The number of extensions of this visa is unlimited. After five years, the visa holder may be able to apply to settle permanently in the UK ( also known as Indefinite Leave to Remain”).

This visa doesn’t allow the visa holder to apply for most benefits or the State pension. In addition, you can’t change jobs of employers unless you apply to update your visa.

Dependents of a Health and Care Worker Visa

One can only apply for this visa up to three months before the date of employment begins (this date is specified on the CoS).

(b) Work visas that do NOT require a job offer

There are 7 different types of work visas that do NOT require a job offer:

British National (Overseas) Visa.
Graduate Visa.
Youth Mobility Scheme visa
India Young Professionals Scheme Visa
Global Talent Visa
UK Ancestry Visa
High Potential Individual (HPI) Visa

(i) British National (Overseas) visa

You can apply for this visa if you are:

a British National (Overseas)
the child of a British National (Overseas) born on or after 1 July 1997.
Your permanent home in Hong Kong ( if applying outside the UK ) or the Channel Islands, Isle of Man or Hong Kong ( if you are applying from within the UK).

This visa has a duration of 2 years and 6 months or 5 years. This visa can be repeatedly extended and after 5 years you can apply to live in the UK (Indefinite Leave to Remain).

(ii) Graduate Visa

A Graduate Visa gives the applicant permission to stay in the UK for at least 2 years after successfully completing a course in the UKL.

To qualify for this visa, the applicant must:

currently be in the UK.
The applicant’s current visa is a Student visa
The applicant studied a UK bachelors degree, postgraduate degree or other eligible course for a minimum period of time with a student visa.
The education provider of the visa applicant has informed the Home Office that the visa applicant has successfully completed his/her course.

A Graduate Visa last for 2 years or for 3 years for PhD graduates or other doctoral qualifications.

A Graduate visa can’t be extended.

A Graduate visa allows the applicant to be employed, self-employed or volunteer.

(iii) Youth Mobility Scheme visa

This visa category now includes au pairs, gap year participants, working holiday scheme and the Japan Youth Exchange Scheme. The Youth Mobility Scheme operates on the principle of sponsored young people between 18 and 30 years old ( or 18 to 35 depending on your country of origin ) from participating countries who want to come and experience life in the UK for up to 24 months. Under this visa category, young people will be free to carry out most types of employment they desire during their stay in the UK including being self-employed or setting up a company ( as long as the premises are rented, the equipment isn’t worth more than 5000 pounds and there are no employees).

Each year the Border Agency will publish a list of countries that qualify for the Youth Mobility Scheme, together with the number of places, on the Scheme that are allocated to each country.

An applicant under the Youth Mobility Scheme Visa must have savings equal to 2,530 pounds .

This visa can only be extended if you are from certain countries such as Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

(iv) India Young Professionals Scheme Visa

An India Young Professionals Scheme Visa allows Indian citizens between 18 and 30 years old to live and work in the UK for up to 2 years.

(v) Global Talent Visa

The Global Talent Visa allows for a leader or potential leader in academia or research, arts and culture and digital technology to work in the UK if they are over 18 years old.

To apply for this visa, you need to have successfully applied for an endorsement to prove that you are a leader or potential leader. In the event that the visa applicant has won an eligible award, the applicant can apply for this visa without an endorsement.

This visa is valid for a duration of 5 years and it can thereafter be extended for a further 1-5 years repeatedly, without limitation. After 3-5 years in the UK on this visa, you may be able to apply to settle in the UK ( Indefinite Leave to Remain).

(vi) UK Ancestry Visa

An Ancestry visa allows the following people a visa to work and live in the UK for a period of up to 5 years:

a Commonwealth citizen.
a British overseas citizen.
A British overseas territories citizen
a British national ( overseas)
a citizen of Zimbabwe.

To qualify for this visa, the applicant needs to prove that one of his/her grandparents was born in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.

This visa allows you to work in salaried employment or as a self-employed person and/or allows you study.

(vii) High Potential Individual (HPI) Visa

This visa allows an applicant who has been awarded a qualification by an eligible university in the last five years to live and work in the UK for a period of at least 2 years ( three years if you have a PhD or other doctoral qualification).

A HPI Visa can’t be extended but the applicant may be able to switch to a different type of visa.

A HPI Visa allows the applicant’s spouse and children to apply as his/her dependents.

There are 7 types of work where an applicant can work for an overseas employer:

Senior or Specialist Worker Visa ( Global Business Mobility)
Overseas Domestic Worker Visa
Graduate Trainee Visa
Secondment Worker Visa ( Global Business Mobility)
Service Supplier Visa ( Global Business Mobility)
UK Expansion Worker Visa ( Global Business Mobility)
Representative of an Overseas Business Visa

Senior or Specialist Worker Visa ( Global Business Mobility)

This visa allows the applicant to enter and remain in the UK to do an eligible job at the applicant’s employers UK branch of the business.

To qualify for this visa, the applicant must:

be an existing employee of an organization that has been approved by the Home Office as a sponsor
have a Certificate of Sponsorship from the employer of the applicant with information about the work that the visa applicant will be executing in the UK.
perform a job that is on the list of eligible occupations.
be paid at least 48,500 pounds per year.

The maximum duration of this visa is 5 years.

This visa allows the spouse and children of the visa holder to apply and join the visa applicant in the UK.

Overseas Domestic Worker Visa

This visa allows a visa applicant who lives outside the UK and is a domestic worker in a private household who has worked for the employer for at least one year to visit the UK with his/her employer for the purposes of working for him/her for a period of up to 6 months.

Domestic workers include cleaners, chauffeurs, cooks, those providing personal care for the employer and their family as well as nannies.

This visa can’t be extended.

Graduate Trainee Visa ( Global Business Mobility)

A Graduate Trainee visa allows the applicant to come to or to remain in the UK to work for his/her employer in their UK branch.

The following requirements must be fulfilled for an applicant to be eligible for this visa:

be an existing employee of an organization that has been approved by the Home Office as a sponsor.
have worked for his /her sponsor outside the UK for at least 3 months immediately before applying for the visa.
have a Certificate of Sponsorship from his/her employer with information about the work that is to be executed in the UK.
perform a job that is on the List of Eligible Occupations published by the Home Office from time to time.
be paid at least 25,410 pounds per year.

The visa is issued for a maximum period of 12 months from the date that appears in the Certificate of Sponsorship. This visa can’t be extended.

This visa allows the applicant’s spouse and children to apply as his/her dependents.

Secondment Worker Visa ( Global Business Mobility)

This visa is available for an applicant in the event that his/her overseas employer is transferring him/her to the UK to execute an eligible job for a different organization. The applicant’s employer must have a high-value contract with the UK organization.

The following requirements must be fulfilled for an applicant to be eligible for this visa:

he/she must be an existing employee of an overseas organization that has a high-value contract with the UK sponsor of the visa that has been approved by the Home Office.
he/she must have been employed by the overseas employer for at least 12 months outside the UK.
have a Certificate of Sponsorship from the sponsor with details that work that the visa applicant will be performing in Israel.
to execute a position in the UK that is on the list of Eligible Occupations published by the Home Office from time to time.

The visa is issued for a maximum period of 12 months from the start of the job detailed in the Certificate of Sponsorship with a possible extension of up to an additional 12 months.

This visa allows the applicant’s spouse and children to apply as his/her dependents.

Service Supplier Visa ( Global Business Mobility)

This visa allows a visa applicant to provide services to a UK company either as an employee for an overseas company or a self-employed professional based overseas.

The following requirements must be fulfilled for an applicant to be eligible for this visa:

must be an employee of an overseas business, or a self-employed services provider based overseas.
be providing a service to a UK business pursuant to a contract that is covered by a valid international trade agreement.
be doing an eligible job or you have relevant qualifications and experience.
have a Certificate of Sponsorship from a UK sponsor which contains information about the work that the visa applicant will be executing in the UK.
have worked for his/her employer for at least 12 months outside the UK, or have at least 12 months professional experience if the visa applicant is a self-employed service provider.

The maximum duration of the visa is 6 or 12 months depending in the trade agreement under which the visa applicant is providing the services.

This visa allows the applicant’s spouse and children to apply as his/her dependents.

UK Expansion Worker Visa ( Global Business Mobility)

A UK Expansion Worker Visa allows the visa applicant to come to the UK to set up a branch of an overseas business that has not yet started trading in the UK.

The following requirements must be fulfilled for an applicant to be eligible for this visa:

need a valid certificate if sponsorship from his/her employer
have worked for his/her employer outside the UK.
perform a job that is listed on the List of Eligible Occupations that is published by the Home Office from time to time.
be paid the minimum eligible salary required to perform his/her job.

The maximum duration of the visa is 12 months depending in the trade agreement under which the visa applicant is providing the services.

This visa allows the applicant’s spouse and children to apply as his/her dependents.

Representative of an Overseas Business Visa

This visa allows employees if overseas newspapers, news agencies and broadcasting organizations posted on a long tern assignment to the UK to apply as a representative of an overseas business for this visa. This visa is valid for 3 years with an extension of a further 2 years. After an applicant has been in the UK for 5 years, the visa applicant can apply for permission to settle permanently in the UK ( Indefinite leave to Remain).

(d ) Temporary work visas.

There are 6 temporary work visas

Seasonal Worker Visa (Temporary Work)
Government Authorised Exchange Visa ( Temporary Work)
Creative Work Visa (Temporary Work)
Religious Worker visa (Temporary Work)
Charity Worker Visa ( Temporary Work)
International Agreement visa (Temporary Work)

Seasonal Worker Visa ( Temporary Work)

A visa applicant can apply for this visa if he/she wants to work in horticulture for up to 6 months ( picking fruit, vegetables or flowers) or to work with poultry from 18 October to 31 December in any year. The visa applicant needs to have a sponsor.

The visa is valid for up to 6 months is the applicant is working in horticulture and from 18 October to 31 December each year for poultry work.

Government Authorized Exchange Visa (Temporary Work)

This visa is for an applicant who wants to come to the UK for a short time for work experience or to do training, an Overseas Government Language Program, research or a fellowship through an approved government authorized exchange scheme.

The applicant must have a sponsor, namely an organization running an approved exchange program scheme, or a higher education institute ( if sponsoring a researcher, visiting academic, examiner or a government department or agency.

This visa is for a duration of 12 or 24 months.

This visa allows the applicant’s spouse and children to apply as his/her dependents.

Creative Work Visa (Temporary Work)

If you have been offered work in the UK as a creative worker then you may meet the requirements of this visa. A creative worker is someone who works in the creative industries such as an actor, dancer, musician or film crew member.

This visa requites a Certificate of Sponsorship from a licenced sponsor before an applicant can apply for the visa and the work that the applicant will do in the UK must relate to the work of the sponsor organization.

This visa is for a duration of 12 months.

This visa allows the applicant’s spouse and children to apply as his/her dependents.

( iv) Religious Worker Visa (Temporary Work)

This visa is suitable for an applicant who wants to carry out religious work in a non-pastoral role or religious order and has a Certificate of Sponsorship from a licensed sponsor whose work relates to the work that the applicant will be performing.

This visa is for a duration of 12 or 24 months.

This visa allows the applicant’s spouse and children to apply as his/her dependents.

(v) Charity Worker Visa (Temporary Work)

This visa is suitable for an applicant who wants to do unpaid voluntary work for a charity and he/she has a Certificate of Sponsorship from a licenced employer whose work relates to the voluntary work that the applicant will be performing.

This visa is for a duration of 12 months.

This visa allows the applicant’s spouse and children to apply as his/her dependents.

International Agreement visa (Temporary Work)

This visa is suitable for applicants who are contracted to do work covered by international law or treaty while in the UK. This includes working for an overseas government or “recognized international organization” or as a private servant n a diplomatic household.

The visa applicant needs a Certificate of Sponsorship from a licensed employer and the work to be performed by the applicant must relate to the work of the sponsored organization.

This visa is valid for 2 years if working as an overseas government worker or an international organization worker and up to 5 years if one is a private servant in a diplomatic household.

This visa allows the applicant’s spouse and children to apply as his/her dependents.

An visa holder may be asked to leave the UK within 60 days of his/her completion of the job.

(e) Other work visas and permits

There are 5 other types of work visas and permits:

International Sportsperson Visa
Minister of Religion Visa
Scale-Up Worker visa
Frontier Worker Permit
Get an Exempt Vignette

International Sportsperson Visa

This visa is suitable for an applicant who is an elite sportsman or qualified coach, is internationally established and his/her employment will develop that sport in the UK at the highest level. A Certificate of Sponsorship is required from the person/organization that will be sponsoring the visa applicant.

This visa is valid for 3 years and can be extended.

This visa allows the applicant’s spouse and children to apply as his/her dependents.

Minister of Religion Visa

This visa is relevant to an applicant wo0 is offered a job within a faith community, for example, a minister of religion, missionary, or member of a religious center, in the UK. A Certificate of Sponsorship is required from the organization that will be sponsoring the visa applicant.

This visa is valid for 3 years and can be extended.

This visa allows the applicant’s spouse and children to apply as his/her dependents.

Scale-Up Worker Visa

A Scale-Up Worker Visa allows an applicant to come to the UK to do an eligible job for a fast-growing UK business.

To qualify for this visa, the applicant must have:

a confirmed job offer to work for an approved scale-up business for at least 6 months.
a Certificate of Sponsorship from the UK employer which details the job that the applicant will perform in the UK.
have a job offer to perform a job that is listed on the List of Eligible Occupations published by the Home Office from time to time.
be paid a minimum salary.
Meet the English language requirements.

This visa is valid for 3 years and can be extended.

This visa allows the applicant’s spouse and children to apply as his/her dependents.

Frontier Work Permit

This visa is for an applicant of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Ireland or Liechtenstein that lives outside of the UK and began working in the UK by 31 December 2020.

Get an Exempt Vignette

This permit is required by diplomats, someone who is working for a diplomatic mission, an overseas government minister on official business, a member of the Commonwealth or Overseas Territories armed forces posted in the UK or training in the UK, a head of state or someone exempt from immigration control.

CONTACT US

Kangaroo Migration Services is a company that has for many years dealt with and continues to deal with immigration and the obtaining of all types of visas (short term and long term).

Please feel free to contact us to discuss with our representative the options available to you and/or to complete our questionnaire and send it to us.

Work Visa

Work Visa

Work visas can be divided as follows:

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