When you apply you’ll need to provide:

• your certificate of sponsorship reference number - your employer will give you this

• a valid passport or other document that shows your identity and nationality

• evidence that you have enough personal savings to support yourself in the UK, for example bank statements (unless your certificate of sponsorship shows your employer can support you)

• proof of your relationship with your partner or children if they’re applying with you

• your tuberculosis test results if you’re from a country where you have to take the test

• a valid ATAS certificate if your employer tells you that you need one because your job involves researching a sensitive subject at PhD level or higher

• a letter from a government or international scholarship agency giving you consent to remain in, or re-enter the UK

You need a blank page in your passport for your visa.

You must also provide a certified translation of any documents that are not in English or Welsh.

You must have at least £1,270 in your bank account to show you can support yourself in the UK.

You will need to have had the money available for at least 28 days in a row. Day 28 must be within 31 days of applying for this visa.

You’ll usually need to show proof of this when you apply, unless your sponsor can cover your costs during your first month in the UK, up to £1,270.

If your sponsor can support you instead

Your certificate of sponsorship must confirm this.

Once you’ve applied, proved your identity and provided your documents, you’ll usually get a decision on your visa within:

• 3 weeks, if you’re outside the UK

• 8 weeks, if you’re inside the UK

You may be able to pay to get a faster decision.

The amount of time you can stay depends on the length of your visa and the start and end dates of your job.

Depending on the scheme you apply for, you’ll get a visa for a maximum of 12 months or 24 months.

You can enter the UK up to 14 days before the date your job starts, as long as you do not arrive before the start date on your visa.

You can stay in the UK for up to 14 days after the date your job ends, as long as you do not stay past the end date on your visa.

You can:

• study (for some courses you’ll need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme certificate)

• work in the job described in your certificate of sponsorship

• do a second job for up to 20 hours per week

• do a job on the Skilled Worker immigration salary list for up to 20 hours per week as well as your main job

• bring your partner and children with you as your ‘dependants’, if they’re eligible

You cannot:

• take a permanent job

• get public funds

Your partner and children can also apply to join you or stay in the UK as your ‘dependants’ if they’re eligible.

If your partner or child’s application is successful, their visa will usually end on the same date as yours. If a child’s parents have visas with different expiry dates, the child’s visa will end on the earlier date.

A dependant partner or child is any of the following:

• your husband, wife, civil partner or unmarried partner

• your child under 18 - including if they were born in the UK during your stay

• your child over 18 if they’re currently in the UK as your dependant

You’ll need to provide evidence of your relationship to your dependant when you apply.

Your partner

You must be able to prove one of the following:

• you’re in a civil partnership or marriage that’s recognised in the UK

• you’ve been living together in a relationship for at least 2 years when you apply

• you’ve been in a relationship for at least 2 years when you apply but you cannot live together, for example because you’re working or studying in different places, or it’s not accepted in your culture

If you’re not living together, you’ll need to prove that you have an ongoing commitment to each other, for example by providing evidence that you:

• communicate regularly with each other

• support each other financially

• care for any children you have together

• spend time together as a couple, for example on holiday or at events

Your child

They must:

• live with you, unless they’re living away from home in full-time education - for example, at boarding school or university

• not be married or in a civil partnership

You’ll need to provide evidence of their address, such as:

• a bank statement

• credit card bills

• driving licence

• NHS registration document

• an official letter from their university or college

Money they need to support themselves

Your partner and children must have a certain amount of money available to support themselves while they’re in the UK.

You - or your partner or child - will need:

• £285 for your partner

• £315 for one child

• £200 for each additional child

You - or your partner or child - will need to have had the money available for at least 28 days in a row. Day 28 must be within 31 days of you or them applying for this visa.

You’ll usually need to show proof of this when they apply, unless either:

• you have all been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months

• your employer can cover your family’s costs during your first month in the UK - this must be confirmed on your certificate of sponsorship

If your partner or child is applying at a different time to you, they’ll only need to prove they have enough money to support themselves if they have been in the UK for less than 1 year.