Disclaimer: The information in this blog is accurate as of its publication date. Any updates after that date are not reflected here.
Tier 5 Temporary Worker Visa categories provide a way for those who meet the eligibility criteria to come to the UK to live and work. For instance, if you are an actor who has been offered a part in a British TV show, you may be able to gain entry-clearance under a Tier 5 (Temporary Worker – Sporting and Creative) Visa. Alternatively, for workers who have a job offer that is covered by international law, such as embassy and diplomatic household workers, they can gain entry-clearance to the UK under the Tier 5 (Temporary Worker – International Agreement) Visa.
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Before looking at the various categories, here is a brief explanation of the eligibility requirements of Tier 5 (Temporary Worker) Visa.
Table of Contents
Am I Eligible for a Tier 5 (Temporary Worker) Visa?
Each category of the Tier 5 Temporary Work Visa has unique eligibility requirements which will be set out below.
The general eligibility criteria for a Tier 5 Temporary Work Visa includes:
- having a valid Certificate of Sponsorship from a Tier 5 Sponsor Licence.
- having £945 in savings to support yourself. This sum must have been in your bank account for 90-days before you apply. If you are sponsored by an employer with an A-rating who states on your Certificate of Sponsorship that they can certify your maintenance, you will not need to show you have £945 in savings.
The documents required for each category will also vary depending on the category you apply it. However, anyone entering the country on a Tier 5 Visa Route will need to provide:
- a valid passport or travel document
- bank statements showing you have the required maintenance funds
- the results of a tuberculosis test (if applicable)
What Are the Different Categories of Tier 5 (Temporary Worker) Visa?
There are six separate categories of Tier 5 (Temporary Worker) Visas. These are:
- Tier 5 Temporary Worker – Creative and Sporting
- Tier 5 Temporary Worker – Charity Workers
- Tier 5 Temporary Worker – Religious Workers
- Tier 5 Temporary Worker – Government Authorised Exchange
- Tier 5 Temporary Worker – International Agreement
- Tier 5 Youth Mobility Scheme
Tier 5 (Temporary Worker – Creative and Sporting) Visa
This category is for applicants in the creative and sporting sector who are entering the United Kingdom for short-term contracts/engagements in the United Kingdom.
Sports people who apply under this category must be internationally established at the highest level of their game and/or your employment in the UK will make a significant contribution to the sport (e.g. coaching a Premier League football team).
Your sponsor will need to have an endorsement for you from the appropriate governing body for your sport. The endorsement will confirm that:
- you are internationally established at the highest level; and/or
- your employment will make a significant contribution to the development of your sport at the highest level in the UK; and
- your post could not be filled by a suitable settled worker
For creative professionals and their support staff, the Tier 5 Sponsor Licence holder must abide by the Immigration Rules and provide evidence that the position you are fulfilling could not be done by a person ‘settled’ in the UK. If you are required to do several performances in the UK, you will only need one Certificate of Sponsorship as long as the gap between performances is no more than 14 days.
Tier 5 (Temporary Worker – Charity Workers) Visa
This category is for those wanting to undertake unpaid voluntary fieldwork which contributes directly to the achievement or advancement of the sponsor’s charitable purpose in the UK. You will have to prove you are not receiving any wages for your work, except reasonable expenses (outlined in section 44 of the National Minimum Wage Act).
Tier 5 (Temporary Worker – Religious Workers) Visa
If you are entering the UK under this category, your duties may include preaching, pastoral work and non-pastoral work. Your sponsor must provide evidence that your position will not deny a job opportunity to a ‘settled’ person in the UK. They must also show they will support you financially, or you are economically self-sufficient. In addition, proof will be required that “the role you will be doing involves living mainly within and being a member of a religious order, which is a lineage of communities or of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion, for example, an order of nuns or monks”.
Tier 5 (Temporary Worker – GovernmentAuthorised Exchange) Visa
This visa category is for workers who are entering the UK on government approved schemes designed to share expertise and best practice through work placements.
There are four sub-categories in Tier 5 (Temporary Worker – Government Authorised Exchange) Visa:
- Work experience programme
- Research programme
- Overseas government language programme
- Training programme
Tier 5 (Temporary Worker – International Agreement) Visa
Provides leave to enter for people who are coming to the United Kingdom under contract to provide a service covered under international law, including:
- private servants in diplomatic households;
- employees of overseas governments and international organisations;
- the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS); and
- other agreements between the United Kingdom or European Union and another country (or other countries).
Tier 5 (Temporary Worker – Youth Mobility) Visa
This visa replaces the Working Holiday Visa (and is more restrictive) and is available for applicants from specific countries aged between 18-30 years.
Tier 5 Youth Mobility Visa – What You Need to Know?
Final Words
If you wish to apply for a Tier 5 (Temporary Worker) Visa, call out team today for expert legal advice.
A Y & J Solicitors are specialists in immigration law based in central London. If you would like to have more information, please contact us at contact@ayjsolicitors.com or call +44 20 7404 7933.
Disclaimer: No material/information provided on this website should be construed as legal advice. Readers should seek an appropriate professional advice for their immigration matters.
