What is permit-free employment? Permit-free employment means some types of work that you do not need a work permit for, such as:
minister of religion, missionary or member of a religious order
sole representative of an overseas company in the UK
representatives of overseas newspapers, news agencies and broadcasting organisations
airport-based operational ground staff of overseas-owned airlines
postgraduate doctors and dentists (for training purposes) including those attending Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board (PLAB) tests
teachers and language assistants coming to the UK under approved exchange schemes
seasonal agricultural workers
writers, composers and artists
overseas government employees
science and engineering graduates, and
dependants of any of these workers.
What requirements do I have to meet? The requirements are different for each of these types of employment. The main requirements are as follows.
Minister of religion: you must have been working for at least one year in the last five years as a minister of religion or, where ordination is the only way in your religious faith to enter the ministry, you must have been ordained as a minister of religion for at least one year's full-time or two years' part-time training for the ministry.
If English is not your first language, or you have not been educated in an English-speaking country, you must provide an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) certificate, not more than two years old, to show you have achieved at least level 4 in spoken English. You can find a list of worldwide test centres on the IETLS website.
Missionary: you must have been trained or worked as a missionary and been sent to the UK by an overseas organisation.
Member of a religious order: you must be coming to the UK to live in a community funded by the religious order of which you are a member. If you intend to teach, you can only do so at an establishment funded by your religious order.
You must also:
intend to work full-time as a minister of religion, missionary or for the religious order of which you are a member
not intend to take employment except within the terms described in this section, and
be able to support yourself and any dependants, and live without needing help from public funds.
When you apply for your visa you should also produce the following evidence.
A letter from your employer in the UK giving details of your expected duties and the salary you will be paid.
A contract of employment, if you have one.
Evidence of any qualifications you have for the work you will be doing and details of your past experience.
If you want to enter the UK as a minister of religion, an International English Language Testing System certificate (level 4 or above).
Sole representative of an overseas firm in the UK You must:
have been employed outside the UK as a representative of a firm that has its headquarters and carries out most of its business outside the UK, and which has no branch, subsidiary or other representative in the UK
be applying for entry to the UK as a senior employee with full authority to take decisions on behalf of the overseas firm so that you can represent it in the UK by setting up and operating a registered branch or wholly-owned subsidiary of that overseas firm
intend to be employed full-time as a representative of that overseas firm
not be a majority shareholder in that overseas firm
not intend to take employment except as described in this section, and
be able to support yourself and any dependants, and live without needing help from public funds.
Representatives of overseas newspapers, news agencies and broadcasting organisations You must:
have been employed by your organisation outside the UK and your posting to the UK must be a long-term assignment as their representative
intend to work full-time as a representative of that overseas newspaper, news agency or broadcasting organisation
not intend to take employment except as described in this section, and
be able to support yourself and any dependants, and live without needing help from public funds.
This category includes correspondents who work for overseas magazines and periodicals mainly concerned with news reporting, as well as reporters working for overseas broadcasting organisations. Administrative or support staff (such as secretaries) need a work permit. Correspondents visiting the UK for short-term assignments (for six months or less) will be considered as business visitors, if they qualify. Airport-based operational ground staff of overseas-owned airlines You must:
have been transferred to the UK by an overseas-owned airline, which operates services to and from the UK, to work at an international airport as a station manager, security manager or technical manager
intend to work full-time for the airline
not intend to take employment except as described in this section, and
be able to support yourself and any dependants, and live without needing help from public funds
Postgraduate trainee doctors and dentists You must either:
be a graduate from a medical school with a confirmed place on a recognised Foundation Programme for training in the UK, or
have full, limited or temporary registration with the General Medical Council or General Dental Council and intend to do specialist training in a hospital or he Community Health Services, or in general practice, or a combination of all three
In addition, you must:
have a letter from the Postgraduate Dean responsible for your training to confirm that you will be training in th UK
if you are taking a Foundation Programme, have spent a total of no more than 12 months at pre-registration house-officer level
if you studied at a UK medical school and were sponsored by a government or international scholarship agency, have the sponsor's consent to enter postgraduate training in the UK
intend to leave the UK after your training period if you have not been given permission to stay on in another employment or self-employment category, and
be able to support yourself and any dependants , and live without needing help from public funds.
If you are a fully qualified doctor or dentist and you want to take up employment or higher specialist training, you will need a work permit. If you intend to set up in general practice, you will need to meet the requirements for entry to the UK as a self-employed person. For more information see the Setting up in business (INF 10) guidance.
How long can I stay in the UK for postgraduate training?
Doctors and dentists At first we will give you permission to stay in the UK for up to 26 months. If you have already completed one year of a Foundation Programme, we will give you permission to stay for 14 months to complete it. We can extend your permission to stay as a postgraduate doctor or dentist for up to three years in total. Teachers and language assistants coming to the UK under approved exchange schemes You must:
be coming to an educational establishment in the UK under an exchange scheme approved by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), the Scottish or Welsh Office of Education or the Department of Education, Northern Ireland, or administered by the British Council's Education and Training Group or the League for the Exchange of Commonwealth Teachers
intend to leave the UK at the end of your exchange period
not intend to take employment except as described in this section, and
be able to support yourself and any dependants, and live without needing any help from public funds.
The sponsoring organisation (who arranges the exchange) will normally issue teachers with a numbered 'certificate of appointment'. This contains their personal details, and details of where and for how long they will be working. You should show your certificate of appointment to the Entry Clearance Officer when you make your application. Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS) The total number of seasonal workers recruited each year is restricted. To qualify for entry to the UK as a seasonal worker at an agricultural camp, you must:
be a student in full-time education abroad and aged 18 or over
have a valid Home Office work card issued by the operator of an approved scheme
intend to leave the UK at the end of your stay as a seasonal worker
not intend to take employment except as described in this section, and
be able to support yourself and live without needing help from public funds.
There is no limit to the number of times you can take part in the scheme, as long as you still meet the necessary requirements, and it is at least three months since your last stay in the UK. We will not allow you to switch into seasonal agricultural work after you come to the UK. Writers, composers and artists You must:
have built a reputation outside the UK and be mainly involved in producing original work, which has been published (not just in newspapers and magazines), performed or exhibited for its literary, musical or artistic merit
intend to work only as a self-employed writer, composer or artist
have supported yourself and your dependants for the last year from your own income without working, except as a writer, composer or artist, and
be able to support yourself and your dependants from your own income without working (except as a writer, composer or artist), and without needing any help from public funds.
By 'writers' we mean:
authors
essayists
playwrights
poets, and
journalists who have built reputations as literary figures, for example journalists who have had their journalistic work published in books.
If you are not one of these workers, you will need a work permit. By ‘composers’ we mean composers of music. If you want to perform someone else's work or perform as part of a band, you will need a work permit. By artists we mean:
painters
sculptors
photographers of international reputation, and
cartoonists and illustrators whose work has been published or exhibited for its artistic merit.
If you want to exhibit or sell your work in the UK, you qualify under this section, even if you do not want to stay in the UK. If you are one of the following, you do not qualify unless you are mainly involved in producing original work that has been published or exhibited on its own merits.
A craftsman
An architect
A designer
Overseas government employees You must:
provide a letter confirming you are an overseas government employee
intend to work full-time for the government or organisation concerned
not intend to take employment except as described in this section, and
be able to support yourself and any dependants, and live without needing help from public funds.
An overseas government employee is someone employed by an overseas government or by the United Nations organisation or other international organisation of which the UK is a member. Staff posted to a business in the UK owned by an overseas government (such as a state-owned shipping company) do not qualify under this section and they must get a work permit. Science and engineering graduates You must:
have graduated from a UK university or other educational institution in the last 12 months with a bachelor's degree (second-class honours or above), masters degree or PhD in an approved subject
intend to work during your 12-month stay
be able to support yourself and any dependants, and live without needing any help from public funds
intend to leave the UK at the end of your stay if you have not been given permission to stay on in another employment or self-employment category, and
have written permission from your official sponsor to return to the UK for employment if your studies were sponsored by an overseas government or international scholarship agency.
Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland scheme This is an initiative from the Scottish Executive to encourage people to consider living and working in Scotland. To qualify you must:
have graduated from a Scottish university or other Scottish educational institution in the last 12 months with an HND, a bachelor’s degree (BA or BSc), a master’s degree (MA) or a PhD
have lived in Scotland for an appropriate period of time while studying
intend to look for work in Scotland
be able to support yourself and any dependants, and live without needing any help from public funds
intend to leave the UK at the end of your stay if you have not been given permission to stay on in another employment or self-employment category, and
have written permission from your official sponsor to return to the UK for employment if your studies were sponsored by an overseas government or international scholarship agency
Can my dependants join me in the UK? If you come to the UK under any of these categories, except as a seasonal agricultural worker, your husband, wife, civil partner or eligible partner (not unmarried partners) and children under 18 can join you as your dependants if:
they have a visa for this purpose, and
you can support them and live without needing help from public funds.
If you are already in the UK you should give your dependants copies of the pages of your passport containing your entry stamp and personal details. They will need to show these to the Entry Clearance Officer when they make their application. Do I need a visa? Yes. You need to get a visa before you travel to the UK, unless you are a non-visa national and are coming to the UK as:
a doctor to take the Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board (PLAB) test
a seasonal agricultural worker, or
an overseas government employee.
All non-European Union and non-European Ecomonnic Area (EEA) and Swiss nationals who want to stay for longer than six months need an entry clearance. You can get more information about this from this website or from your nearest British mission overseas. If you do not need an entry clearance, you will have to satisfy the Immigration Officer that you qualify for entry when you arrive in the UK. If you do so, the Immigration Officer will give you permission to stay in the UK for six months. To extend your stay, you will need to apply for a residence permit at IND. Theire contact details are under 'More advice and information' at the end of this guidance. IND will charge a non-refundable fee for any extension application.
How do I apply for a visa? You can apply in a number of ways, for example by post, by courier, in person and online. The visa section will tell you about the ways in which you can apply. What will I need to make my application? You will need to mak eyour application online or fill in the following visa application form:
A recent passport-sized (45mm x 35mm) colour photograph of yourself. This should be:
taken against a light coloured background
clear and of good quality, and not framed or backed
printed on normal photographic paper, and
full face and without sunglasses, hat or other head covering unless you wear this for cultural or religious reasons.
The visa fee. This cannot be refunded, and you must normally pay it in the local currency of the country where you are applying.
Any supporting documents relevant to the category under which you are applying for a visa for the UK.
What supporting documents should I include? You should include all the documents you can for the type of application you are making (as set out in this guidance), to show that you qualify for entry to the UK.
