Working in the UK – Short Term

You can apply for a Temporary Worker - Government Authorised Exchange visa (T5) if you:

• want to come to the UK for a short time for work experience or to do training, an Overseas Government Language Programme, research or a fellowship through an approved government authorised exchange scheme
• have a sponsor
• have a certificate of sponsorship reference number from your UK sponsor
• have enough money to support yourself in the UK - you’ll usually need to have at least £1,270 available (unless you’re exempt)

Certificate of sponsorship
You need to have a certificate of sponsorship from a licensed sponsor before you can apply to come to the UK to work.

Your work, training or research in the UK must relate to the work of your sponsor organisation.

Your sponsor can be any of the following:

• an organisation running an approved exchange scheme
• a higher education institution (if you are a sponsored researcher, visiting academic or examiner)
• a government department or agency

How long you can stay
You can stay in the UK for up to 12 or 24 months (depending on the scheme you’re applying for) or the time given on your certificate of sponsorship plus 14 days, whichever is shorter.
You can enter the UK up to 14 days before the start date of your job.

What you can and cannot do

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 shortage occupation list for up to 20 hours per week as well as your main job
• apply to change (‘switch’) to a Global Talent visa if you’re in the government authorised exchange scheme for sponsored researchers
• bring your partner and children with you as your ‘dependants’, if they’re eligible

You cannot:

• take a permanent job
• get public funds

You can enter the UK without applying for a visa in advance if you:

• have a valid Temporary Worker - Creative and Sporting visa (T5) certificate of sponsorship
• are coming to work in the UK for 3 months or less
• do not normally need a visa to enter the UK as a visitor

Sports person
You need to make a significant contribution to your sport at the highest level in the UK to be eligible for this visa.

You’ll also need all of the following:

• a certificate of sponsorship reference number
• enough money to support yourself in the UK - you’ll usually need to have at least £1,270 available (unless you’re exempt)

Creative worker
You need all of the following to be eligible for the creative category:

• make a unique contribution to the UK labour market, for example you’re internationally renowned or are required for continuity
• certificate of sponsorship reference number
• be paid the minimum salary as set by Equity, PACT or BECTU (except for models, musicians or circuses)
• enough money to support yourself in the UK - you’ll usually need to have at least £1,270 available (unless you’re exempt)

Certificate of sponsorship
You need a licensed sponsor to give you a certificate of sponsorship before you can apply to work in the UK.

A certificate of sponsorship is a reference number which holds information about the job and your personal details. It’s not an actual certificate or paper document.

Your sponsor will give you your certificate of sponsorship reference number.
They must also give you some other information to help you to apply, for example how much you’ll be paid.

What you can and cannot do

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 in the same sector and at the same level as your main job for up to 20 hours per week
• do a job on the Skilled Worker shortage occupation list for up to 20 hours per week
• work as a sportsperson for your national team while it is playing in a British University and College Sport (BUCS) competition
• work as a sports broadcaster
• bring your partner and children with you as your ‘dependants’, if they’re eligible

You cannot:

• get public funds
• start your own business

You can apply for a Temporary Worker - International Agreement Worker visa (T5) if you’ll be contracted to do work covered by international law or treaty while in the UK. For example, if you’ll be:

• working for a foreign government
• working as a private servant in a diplomatic household
• providing a service under contract as a contractual service supplier or independent professional

You must have

• a certificate of sponsorship reference number
• enough money to support yourself in the UK - you’ll usually need to have at least £1,270 available (unless you’re exempt)

Work covered by international law
Your work in the UK must be any of the following:

• covered by the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS)
• covered by similar agreements between the UK and other countries
• for an overseas government or international organisation
• as a private servant in a diplomatic household or in the household of an employee of an international organisation

Certificate of sponsorship
A certificate of sponsorship is a unique reference number that holds information about you and your job. It’s not an actual certificate or paper document.

Your sponsor will give you the certificate of sponsorship.

Your sponsor will also give you the information they used on your certificate about your job, your working hours for example.

Your sponsor must be recognised by the UK government to issue certificates of sponsorship.

How long you can stay
If you’re working for a foreign government or as a private servant in a diplomatic household you can stay for 2 years, or the time given on your certificate of sponsorship plus up to 28 days, whichever is shorter.

Providing a service under contract
You can stay for 6 months in any 12 month period, or the time given on your certificate of sponsorship plus 14 days, whichever is shorter if you are providing a service under contract:

• in a relevant sector as set out in the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS)
• in another services trade agreement under which the United Kingdom has similar commitments

You can stay longer if your work is covered by one of the following agreements:

• UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement - 12 months or the time given on your certificate of sponsorship plus up to 14 days, whichever is shorter
• Temporary agreement between the Swiss Confederation (Switzerland) and the UK on services mobility - 12 months in any 24 month period or the time given on your certificate of sponsorship plus up to 14 days, whichever is shorter

What you can and cannot do

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 shortage occupation list or one in the same sector as your main job for up to 20 hours per week (unless you are a private servant, a contractual service supplier or an independent professional)
• 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

You can apply for a Temporary Worker - Religious Worker visa (T5) if:

• you want to do religious work in a non-pastoral role or religious order
• you must have a certificate of sponsorship reference number from your UK sponsor
• you must have enough money to support yourself in the UK - you’ll usually need to have at least £1,270 available (unless you’re exempt)

Certificate of sponsorship
A certificate of sponsorship is a unique reference number that holds information about the job you’ll do and your personal details. It’s not an actual certificate or paper document.

Your sponsor will give you the certificate of sponsorship.

Your sponsor must also give you the information they used on your certificate about your job, for example your working hours.

Your sponsor must be recognised by the UK government to issue certificates of sponsorship.

How long you can stay
You’ll be given a visa to live and work in the UK for up to 24 months, or up to 28 days more than the time on your certificate of sponsorship. You may be sponsored for a shorter period.

You can enter the UK up to 14 days before the start date of your job.

What you can and cannot do

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 in the same sector at the same level as your main job for up to 20 hours per week outside the hours of your main job
• do a job on the Skilled Worker shortage occupation list for up to 20 hours per week outside the hours of your main job
• bring your partner and children with you as your ‘dependants’, if they’re eligible

You cannot

• get public funds.

You can apply for a Seasonal Worker visa (T5) if you want to come to the UK for up to 6 months to do farm work. You’ll need to have:

• a certificate of sponsorship reference number from your UK sponsor
• enough money to support yourself in the UK - you’ll usually need to have at least £1,270 available (unless you’re exempt)

Certificate of sponsorship
A certificate of sponsorship is a reference number which holds information about the job and your personal details. It’s not an actual certificate or paper document.

Your sponsor will give you your certificate of sponsorship reference number.

You’ll need to add your certificate of sponsorship reference number to your visa application form - you can only use it once.

How long you can stay
You can stay in the UK for up to 6 months.

You can enter the UK as soon as your visa is valid (up to 14 days before the start date of your job).

What you can and cannot do

You can:

• work in the job described in your certificate of sponsorship
• study (for some courses you’ll need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme certificate)

You cannot:

• take a permanent job
• work in a second job or a job that isn’t described in your certificate of sponsorship
• get public funds
• bring family members with you

You can apply for a Youth Mobility Scheme visa (T5) if you:

• want to live and work in the UK for up to 2 years
• are aged 18 to 30
• have £2,530 in savings
• have certain types of British Nationality or are from certain countries or territories

You can apply if you are from:

• Australia
• Canada
• Hong Kong
• Japan
• Monaco
• New Zealand
• Republic of Korea
• San Marino
• Taiwan

You can also apply if you’re 18 to 30 and a:

• British overseas citizenBritish overseas territories citizen
• British national (overseas)

You cannot apply if you have:

• children under the age of 18 who live with you
• children you’re financially responsible for
• already been in the UK under the scheme

How long you can stay
You’ll be given a visa to live and work in the UK for up to 24 months.

You can enter the UK at any time while your visa is valid, and leave and come back at any time during your stay.

If you turn 31 while you’re in the UK, you can stay for as long as your visa is valid.

What you can and cannot do

You can:

• study - for some courses you’ll need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme certificate
• work in most jobs
• be self-employed and set up a company - as long as your premises are rented, your equipment is not worth more than £5,000 and you do not have any employees

You cannot:

• work as a professional sportsperson (for example as a coach)
• extend your stay
• get public funds
• bring in family members on your application - they must apply separately

You can apply for a visa to visit the UK with your employer if you:

• are a domestic worker in a private household
• have worked for your employer for at least one year
• meet the other eligibility requirements

Eligibility
You must prove that you:

• are 19 or older
• have worked for your employer for at least 1 year
• work in the same household as your employer or one they use regularly
• plan to travel to the UK with your employer, their partner or children
• intend to work as a full-time domestic worker in a UK household your employer will live in
• plan to leave the UK at the end of 6 months or at the same time as your employer, whichever is sooner
• are able to support yourself in the UK without the need for public funds

Your employer
Your employer must be either a:

• British citizen who usually lives outside the UK and who does not intend to remain in the UK for more than 6 months
• foreign citizen who is coming to the UK on a visit and who does not intend to remain for more than 6 months

Your employer must also pay you at least the national minimum wage.

Domestic workers include:

• cleaners
• chauffeurs
• cooks
• those providing personal care for the employer and their family
• nannies

How long you can stay
You can use this visa to visit the UK with your employer for up to 6 months.

You must return home at the end of the 6 months or when your employer returns home, whichever is sooner.

What you can and cannot do

You can:

• stay in the UK if your employer takes a short trip to another country during the visit
• travel abroad and return to the UK to complete your stay
• change employers to another job as a domestic worker in a private household - only if you do not stay longer than the 6 months

You cannot:

• change your job for the employer you came to the UK with
• live in the UK for long periods of time through frequent visits
• bring in family members (‘dependants’) - they must apply separately
• get public funds