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 knowledge of English if you’re a private servant applying from outside the UK

• 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

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

You’ll need to 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.

If you’re a private servant applying from outside the UK, you usually need to prove your knowledge of the English language when you apply.

Unless you are exempt, you must prove you can read, write, speak and understand English to at least level B1 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) scale. 

You can prove your knowledge of English by:

• passing a Secure English Language Test (SELT) from an approved provider

• having a GCSE, A level, Scottish National Qualification level 4 or 5, Scottish Higher or Advanced Higher in English, gained through study at a UK school that you began when you were under 18

• having a degree-level academic qualification that was taught in English - if you studied abroad, you’ll need to apply through Ecctis (formerly UK NARIC) for confirmation that your qualification is equivalent to a UK bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or PhD

Your work in the UK must be:

• for an overseas government or ‘recognised international organisation’

• as a private servant in a diplomatic household or the household of someone who works for a ‘recognised international organisation’

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.

How long you can stay in the UK depends on the type of work you do.

If you’re an overseas government worker or international organisation worker, you can stay for up to 2 years or the time given on your certificate of sponsorship plus up to 14 days, whichever is shorter.

If you’re a private servant in a diplomatic household, you can stay for up to 5 years. You can apply for up to 2 years at a time or the time given on your certificate of sponsorship plus up to 14 days, whichever is shorter.

When you can enter and leave

You can enter the UK on the date your visa starts.

You may be asked to leave the UK within 60 days if your job finishes early. It’s unlikely you’ll have to leave if your visa has less than 60 days remaining.

You can:

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

• work for your sponsor in the job described in your certificate of sponsorship

• do a second job on the Skilled Worker immigration salary list or one in the same sector as your main job for up to 20 hours per week (unless you are a private servant)

• study, as long as it does not interfere with the job you’re sponsored for

• travel abroad and return to the UK

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

You cannot:

• get public funds

• start working before you get your visa

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.