If you are an EU citizen and want to work in the UK, the Tier 5 Religious Worker visa is the right choice for you.
This visa allows religious workers from other European countries who intend to come to the UK for a limited time only to work in a religious job.
This visa allows you to live, study, and work in the UK as long as you’re a religious worker.
You can apply for a Tier 5 (Temporary Worker – Religious Worker) visa if:
Speak to our assessment team now to confirm your eligibility and options for free on 0800 970 2727.
You must have a certificate of sponsorship from a licensed sponsor before you can apply to come to the UK to work.
The work you do in the UK must relate to your sponsor organisation’s work.
The earliest you can apply for a visa is 3 months before the date you’re due to start work. This date is on your certificate of sponsorship.
You should get a decision on your visa within 3 weeks.
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.
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 Tier 2 shortage occupation list for up to 20
hours per week outside the hours of your main job
●
bring family members with you
You can’t get public funds.
You must have both of the following:
●
a certificate of sponsorship reference number from your UK
sponsor
●
£945 in savings – to prove you can support yourself (you must
have had it in your bank account for 90 days before you apply)
You won’t need £945 in
savings if your fully approved (‘A-rated’) sponsor has stated on your certificate
of sponsorship that they’ll certify your maintenance and that you won’t claim
benefits during your stay.
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.
Your certificate of
sponsorship is valid for 3 months from the date it is assigned to you.
Your sponsor can give you a multiple
entry certificate of sponsorship so you can leave and return to the UK.
When you apply you’ll need to
provide:
●
a current passport or other valid travel identification
●
bank statements showing you’ve had at least £945 in savings
continuously for 90 days before you apply – this is to prove you can support
yourself and you must have had this in your bank account for 90 days before you
apply
●
your tuberculosis (TB) test results if you’re from a country
where you have to take the test
You need a page in your
passport that’s blank on both sides for your visa.
You won’t need £945 in
savings if your fully approved (‘A-rated’) sponsor has stated on your
certificate of sponsorship that they’ll certify your maintenance and that you
won’t claim benefits during your stay.
You’ll need to provide a
certified translation of any documents that aren’t in English or Welsh.
You may need to provide additional
documents depending on your circumstances.
You can apply to extend your Tier 5
(Temporary Worker – Religious Worker) visa.
You should apply before
your current visa expires.
You must continue to meet
the eligibility rules.
You must apply again if
you want to change your job within the same organisation or move to a new
organisation.
You can apply to take your
stay in the UK up to a maximum of 24 months, or the time on your certificate of
sponsorship plus 14 days – whichever is shorter.
A decision will be made:
●
within 8 weeks for online and postal applications
●
usually on the same day if you use the premium service
You’ll be contacted if
your application is complex and will take longer, for example because:
●
your supporting documents need to be verified
●
you need to attend an interview
●
of your personal circumstances (for example if you have a
criminal conviction)
Once you’ve applied you can stay in
the UK until you’ve been given a decision, as long as you applied before your
last visa expired.
You can apply to change (‘switch’)
from another visa to a Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) visa.
You should apply before
your current visa expires.
You must already be in the
UK as a:
●
student
●
student nurse
●
student re-sitting an examination
●
student writing up a thesis
●
Tier 4 (General) visa holder
●
postgraduate doctor or dentist
●
Tier 2 (General) migrant working as a post-doctoral
researcher
You must meet all of the
Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) visa’s eligibility requirements.
You can’t switch to this
visa if you’ve already had a visa under one of the following categories:
●
Tier 1 (Post Study Worker)
●
Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland Scheme
●
International Graduates Scheme
●
Science and Engineering Graduate Scheme
You can stay in the UK for
one year on a Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) visa.
A decision will be made on
your application within 8 weeks.
You’ll be contacted if
your application is complex and will take longer, eg:
●
if your supporting documents need to be verified
●
if you need to attend an interview
●
because of your personal circumstances (for example if you
have a criminal conviction)
Once you’ve applied you can stay in
the UK until you’ve been given a decision, as long as you applied before your
last visa expired.
Your family members (‘dependants’)
must apply to join or remain with you in the UK if they’re from outside the
European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland.
A dependant is any of the
following:
●
your partner
●
your child aged under 18 years old
●
your child aged 18 or older if they’re already in the UK as
dependants
They’ll have to pay the
healthcare surcharge as part of their application. Check how much they’ll have
to pay before they apply.
They must complete their
visa application by 5 July if they’ve already paid the immigration health
surcharge or they might have to pay it twice. They’ll get a refund for their
first payment.
You must show that your
dependants can be supported while they’re in the UK.
Each dependant must have
£630 available to them whether they apply with you or separately. This is in
addition to the £945 you must have to support yourself.
You must have proof you
have the money, and that it’s been in your bank account or your dependant’s
bank account for at least 90 days before you or they apply.
Example:
You must have £2,205 if
you want to bring your partner and 1 child with you to the UK (£945 to support
yourself + £630 for your partner + £630 for your child).
If you have children while
you’re in the UK, you can apply for permission for them to stay.
You must do this if you
want to travel in and out of the UK with them.
When you apply, send a full UK birth
certificate for each child showing the names of both parents.
