Immigration

Summary of UK immigration information relevant to university staff

Contents

• Introduction
• Common Travel Area
• Skilled Worker Visa
  • New Entrants 
  • Going rates
  • UCL occupations
  • Eligibility for PhD point 
• Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS)
• Global Talent Visa
• Graduate Visa
• High Potential Individual (HPI) Visa
• Health and Care Visa
• UK Standard Visitor (visa) 
• Working Restrictions for International Stidents on Student Visas
• Government Authorised Exchange Visa (Temporary Work)
• Hong Kong British National (Overseas) Visa
• EU Settlement Scheme
• Frontier Worker Permit for EEA Nationals
• ATAS
• The Employer Checking Service      

Introduction

1. If you are not British or Irish you may require a visa to work and live in the UK. There are different types of visas depending on your circumstances. If you are unsure if you need a visa and if so, which one would be applicable to you, you can use the Government’s checking service. Applicants being sponsored by UCL must intend and be able to undertake the role applied for and must not undertake any other employment, other than work permitted by their visa conditions.  

Common Travel Area

2. The Common Travel Area (CTA) includes the UK, Channel Islands, isle of Man and Ireland. These citizens have the right to work and move freely in and out of the UK without permission. However, the Right to Work arrangements will still apply. 

Skilled Worker Visa

3. The Skilled Worker Route (SWR) is the most common route for EU and non-EU nationals who wish to take up a job offer in the UK.

4. Please review the Skilled Worker Visa: eligible occupations and codes before a role is advertised, to identify whether UCL may be able to sponsor an applicant to perform the role. Many jobs that were previously eligible for sponsorship, but were below the graduate level, have been removed from the general eligible list. A new list containing occupation codes considered to be at RQF levels 3-5 has been published:

Skilled Worker Visa Temporary Shortage list

5. Please also read the section on the Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) if any research to be undertaken by the individual requires an ATAS certificate.

6. Points are assigned for specific eligible occupations, a PhD qualification, meeting the salary threshold and jobs on the Immigration Salary List with visas being awarded to those who gain sufficient points.

7. On 1 July 2025, the UK Government issued a statement of changes to the Skilled Worker visa route. These changes came into effect from 22 July 2025. These changes do NOT affect the Government Authorised Exchange (GAE) route. The changes involve an increase in salary thresholds for sponsoring Skilled Worker visas.
 
The new salary thresholds for sponsoring Skilled Worker visas:
•    The minimum general salary threshold will increase from £38,700 to £41,700.
•    The minimum salary threshold for new entrants will rise from £30,960 to £33,400.
•    SOC code salary updates include:
o    SOC 2119 Researchers: From £41,200 to £41,500
o    SOC 2311 Higher Education Teaching professionals: From £47,700 to £52,600
 
At UCL, this broadly aligns with spine point 28, the top of the automatic incremental range for Research Assistants (SOC 2119).
Note: From 22 July 2025, to sponsor a Skilled Worker visa, the salary must meet the new minimum of £41,700 or the updated going rate for the role – whichever is higher.

8. There are different salary rules for some workers in certain health or education (not Higher Education) jobs, for ‘new entrants’ at the start of their careers, those taking up shortage occupations on the Immigration Salary List (ISL) and those able to obtain 'tradeable points'.  70 points are required to qualify for permission to work. Jobs usually need to pay the standard salary threshold, or the going rate (whichever is higher), to be eligible for a Skilled Worker Visa, but can cometimes pay less. Further detailed information can be found in the Skilled Worker case worker guidance including transitional options.

Additional Skilled Worker changes:

• Increase to the required skill level for Skilled Worker visas from RQF Level 3 (approximately A-Level) to RQF Level 6 (approximately graduate level). Only graduate positions are now eligible for sponsorship, unless the role is included within the interim shortage occupation list. 
• A reduced number of Certificate of Sponsorship codes available to sponsor migrants under, due to the increased RQF 6 skill level required.
• Introduction of a new Temporary Shortage list, to be used alongside the Immigration Salary list. 

New Entrants 

9. The salary rate for New Entrants will be 30% lower than the rate for experienced workers in any occupation, however, the minimum of £33,400 must always be met. You can use the flowchart below to help you determine whether the person to whom a post will be offered qualifies as a New Entrant.

Flowchart

New Entrant Flowchart

New Entrant Flowchart

All postdoctoral and lecturer roles may qualify as a New Entrant provided the ‘4-year override’ rule does not apply.  

Going rates 

10. Where the individual is an ‘experienced worker’, they must meet the 'going rate' or £41,700, whichever is higher (unless they can trade points). Some jobs will have a higher salary threshold. The ‘going rate’ is based on a 37.5 hour working week.  This can be pro-rated to reflect UCL’s 36.5 hour working week (going rate salary divided by 37.5 and multiplied by 36.5).  The salary offered can also be pro-rated but the general salary threshold cannot. This means that for part-time staff the salary offered will need to meet the higher of the pro-rated going rate or the general salary threshold. 

UCL occupations

11. Some worked examples based on UCL salaries for the academic year 2024/25 are available below to guide those wishing to calculate the points scored by typical roles. These examples are for reference purposes only and the score achieved for each post will depend often upon the individual circumstances of the person appointed to any given role.

Examples

Worked Examples for UCL Occupations

Worked Examples for UCL Occupations

Eligibility for PhD points

12. UCL needs to justify the relevance of a PhD to an advertised role. The individual applicant must hold a PhD rather than the role itself being at PhD level. For a full list of occupations potentially eligible for tradeable PhD points see information on jobs that qualify for a PhD discount. 

Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS)

13. There are transitional arrangments in place for existing Skilled Worker visa holders, who were granted permission as a Skilled Worker under the rules in place before 22nd July 2025:

• Skilled Worker visa holders with permission granted under the rules before the 4th April 2024 will need to meet a new minimum salary threshold of £31,300, increased from £29,000.
• Skilled Worker Visa holders with a PhD relevant to their role will need to satisfy a higher salary requirement of £37,500 per annum, increased from £34,830.
• Salary thresholds for SOC 2119 have increased from £32,000 to £33,700 and SOC 2311 from £38,100 to £40,600. The salary reductions for holding a relevant PhD of 10%, holding a relevant PhD in a STEM subject of 20%, and new entrant of 30%, will remain in place. 

14. Under the current immigration  rules, individuals can carry out supplementary employment of up to 20 hours a week without updating their Skilled Worker visa, as long as they are still doing the job they are being sponsored for and provided the work is in an eligible SOC occupation code. There is no longer a requirement for this to be under the same SOC. There are also transitional arrangements in place allowing exisiting Skilled Worker visa holders to continue to extend their visas, bring dependants, change employment and take supplementary employment in occupations below RQF level 6. 

15. Further changes have been introduced to supplementary work, splitting job codes into different skill levels (RQF 3-5 and RQF 6). Any additional work outside of the scope of the assigned Certificate of Sponsorship must meet the following criteria:

• It must either appear on the Appendix Immigration Salary list; OR
• Exisiting Skilled Worker visa holders (who have continuously held their since before 22nd July 2025) may continue to take on supplementary roles in any sponsorable Skilled Worker job code at RQF levels 3-6.
• Skilled Worker visa holders (issues on or after 22nd July 2025) may only take on supplementary roles if it is the same job code as their main sponsored role or if it is a RQF Level 6 job code (at the higher skilled level of the eligible occupation list). 

Global Talent Visa 

16. Those endorsed by a relevant body who have achieved the required level of points are able to enter the UK without a job offer. There is a GTV fast-track endorsement for individuals who have accepted a job as a Professor, Associate Professor, or equivalent position such as Senior Group Leader at UCL, provided certain recruitment requirements are met. Please also read the section on the Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) if any research to be undertaken by the individual requires an ATAS certificate.

Please download the UCL Global Talent Visa guidance pack for more information.

Guidance pack

Global Talent Visa Eligibility Criteria 

Global Talent Visa Eligibility Criteria 

17. Government guidance on the GTV is also available. The four routes available under the GTV are summarised below:

18. There are further endorsement routes through the Global Talent Visa:

• Arts and Culture endorsement
• Architecture endorsement
• Fashion Design Industry endorsement
• Film and Television endorsement
• Digital Technology endorsement

More information about these routes are available on the Government website for the Global Talent Visa. 

Graduate Visa 

19. This has been launched in the summer of 2021. International students who graduate in the UK can apply to stay here once they have graduated. Undergraduates and Masters students can use this route for a maximum of two years without a firm job offer and PhD graduates for up to three years. More information about this route can be found on the webpages of the UCL Student Immigration Advisory Team. Read the section on the Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) where any research to be undertaken by the individual requires an ATAS certificate. 

High Potential Individual (HPI) Visa

20. This route, which is not sponsored opened 30 May 2022.  It is for recent graduates from top universities to come to the UK for up to two years (three years for PhD graduates), following successful completion of an eligible course of study equivalent to a UK bachelor’s degree-level or above, subject to eligibility e.g. financial requirements. The study must have been with an institution listed on the Global Universities List.  The list will be compiled annually and comprises eligible non-UK institutions that are included in the list of top 50 universities in at least two of the following ranking systems:

• Times Higher Education World University Rankings
• Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings
• The Academic Ranking of World Universities

21. Graduates can apply within five years of graduation. Overseas nationals in the UK under this route will be able to work in any role. The HPI route is not a route to settlement, but a dependent partner or dependent children can apply on this route. Please also read the section on the Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) if any research to be undertaken by the individual requires an ATAS certificate.     

Health and Care Visa

22. The Health and Care Visa is one of the fast track entry routes for individuals working in eligible health occupations with a job offer from the NHS, social care sector, or employers and organisations which provide services to the NHS, to move to the UK with their families.

23. As well as reduced fees and dedicated support for the application process, those who are eligible are exempt from the Immigration Health Surcharge. 

24. Roles qualifying for this visa include: Biological Scientists and Biochemists, Physical Scientists and Medical Practitioners. A full list of qualifying roles and their SOC codes is contained on the Government site. For roles that qualify under the Health and Care visa route, the general salary threshold is usually £29,000 and the relevant going rate for the role, unless a reduced threshold and/or discounted going rate can be applied, such as for a relevant PhD, relevant STEM PhD, or a shortage occupation.  Please read the section on the Academic Technology 23. Approval Scheme (ATAS) if any research to be undertaken by the individual requires an ATAS certificate. 

UK Standard Visitor (Visa) 

25. In accordance with the government visitor rules, scientists, researchers or academics from overseas may apply for a standard visitor visa to: 
•    take part in formal exchange arrangements with UK counterparts
•    carry out research, either as part of their job or independently

A senior doctor or dentist can also:
•    take part in research
•    teach (as long as it’s not a permanent teaching post)
•    undertake clinical practice (as long as it’s not a permanent position)

26. UCL must not pay those with a standard visitor visa to work at UCL (except for a paid engagement as below). The Academic member of staff they will collaborate with may need to provide a letter confirming the arrangements for the visitor's research, exchange or clinical practice.  Please also read the section on the Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) if any research to be undertaken by the individual requires an ATAS certificate.  

Further information about eligibility and how to apply can be found on the government webpage.

Paid engagements

27. Someone may also visit under this visa if invited to perform a paid engagement or event – for example, a lecture or as as an academic assessor but must be able to show they are an expert in their profession. 

Employment of Individuals on a Student Visa

28. It is UCL’s responsibility to ensure that if we employ anyone living in the UK with a Student Visa (previously Tier 4) they must not work for more than the maximum number of hours permitted by their visa. The below Student Visa Timesheet may be used to assist you in complying with the rules with regards to employing anyone with a Student Visa:

Student Visa Timesheet

Student Visa Timesheet

UCL’s Student Immigration Advisory Team provides a range of useful advice for international students about working in the UK. Please also read the section on the Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) if any research to be undertaken by the individual requires an ATAS certificate.

 29. International Students are not able to bring dependents to the UK, unless the dependents are on a postgraduate course currently designated as a research programme. This will only apply to students starting courses from 1 January 2024.      

Government Authorised Exchange Visa (Temporary Work)

30. The Temporary Worker - Government Authorised Exchange Visa is for those wanting to come to the UK for a short time to undertake paid work experience or training, an Overseas Government Language Programme, research or fellowship through an approved government authorised exchange scheme. Those wanting to apply will need a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) from UCL and must meet any other relevant eligibility requirements. Please also read the section on the Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) if any research to be undertaken by the individual requires an ATAS certificate. 

31. The Temporary Worker GAE Scheme enables students, researchers, scientists, research engineers or other skilled research technology specialists, to come to the UK on a temporary basis, where they are hosted at a UK Higher Education Institution (HEI). The HEI can assign a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) for a maximum duration of 2 years to undertake the following activities:

• A formal research project or collaboration
• A period of work-based training/work experience/internship/placement
• Skill development/knowledge transfer
• A series of lectures, which doesn't amount to a formal teaching post
• External examinations.

The decision on whether to issue a CoS depends on the relevant criteria being met, including the likelihood of them being able to attain the required points to qualify under the Points Based System.

32. The Temporary Worker GAE route cannot be used to fill job vacancies. The host departments will need to provide a full explanation of why the engagement is supernumerary. Supernumerary means that the role is in addition to the regular or standard number of staff required, and does not fill a permanent position or ongoing vacancy within the workforce, even on a temporary basis. The Government Authorised Exchange Sponsored Researcher - Supporting Evidence Form must be completed when requesting a Certificate of Sponsorship under the Temporary Worker - Government Authorised Exchange Visa.

The Temporary Worker sponsored under the GAE scheme may be funded by UCL, their overseas employer, or an independent UK or non-UK funding body. The Temporary Worker cannot be self-funded and must be in receipt of funding in line with, or above, the National Minimum Wage.

The Temporary Worker does not have to be employed overseas to be eligible for sponsorship under this scheme, and if appropriate, it is permitted for the host to issue an employment contract to the Temporary Worker, provided the activity does not amount to a genuine vacancy.

Hong Kong British National (Overseas) Visa

33. This is a bespoke immigration route to enable British National (Overseas) (BN(O) citizens ordinarily resident in Hong Kong, and their immediate family members, to move to the UK to work, live and study.

34. This route opened in January 2021. Applications can be made to this route from inside or outside the UK. More information about this route can be found on the webpages of the UCL Student Immigration Advisory Team.   

EU Settlement Scheme

35. The deadline for most people to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme has now expired.  For information on late applications and reasonable grounds for a delayed application see the Government advice. Applications may continue to be made if that deadline did not apply, or the applicant has ‘reasonable grounds’ for not applying by the deadline. From September 2023 the Home office will be automatically extending leave for two years for anyone who has pre-settled status in the UK but has not yet obtained settled status. A new Right to Work check will need to made once the individual is notified their pre-settled status has been extended by the Home Office.

36. The Home Office also intends to automatically switch those on pre-settled status to settled status once they are eligible without individuals having to make a settled status application.  This will ensure that those with pre-settled status do not lose their immigration status if they do not apply or qualify for settled status before their pre-settled status expires.

Frontier Worker Permit for EEA Nationals

37. Since December 2020, those not normally resident in the UK intending to visit UCL in the capacity of guest lecturers or external examiners for example have been eligible  to apply for a Frontier Workers permit. This permit has been created for EEA nationals living outside the UK but commuting to work here. To be eligible, such individuals must have visited the UK to work before the 31 December 2020 but should live outside the UK for more than 180 days in any 12 month period. Permits can be issued for up to 5 years and may be re-issued, provided the permit holder continues to work in the UK in the manner described above.  

ATAS

38. To research certain subjects at postgraduate level or above, academic visitors may need to get an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate before coming to UCL premises.  The UCL Principal Investigator for the research project should draft the description for the collaborator to include in their application for the ATAS certificate. 

39. Individuals who apply for entry to the UK under the Skilled Worker or Government Authorised Exchange Route, will need to apply for, and be granted, their ATAS certificate before applying for a UK visa or permission to stay. They do not need to have a final employment contract before applying for an ATAS certificate. Where someone enters the UK under the Global Talent Visa, Graduate Visa, Health and Care Visa, High Potential Individual (HPI), Student Visa or the UK Visitor Visa, they will need to obtain an ATAS certificate before beginning any relevant research activity in the UK. UCL must check the ATAS certificate before allowing the research to start, and if a certificate is not provided the individual will not be permitted on-site.   

The Employer Checking Service

40. The Employer Checking Service (ECS) is used to request verification from the Home Office that an individual has the right to work in the UK when they have an outstanding application or appeal and cannot present valid right to work documents before they start work as a casual or employee.