Employment Visas

Formerly referred to as ‘Tier 2 Worker Visa’, this Scheme has now been rebranded as the ‘Skilled Worker Visa’ and is aimed at skilled workers from outside the UK who have been offered a full-time job with a registered UK employer. The application consists of three stages: Joining the Register of Sponsors, allocating and assigning the Certificate of Sponsorship and submitting the visa application. While this may sound like a lot to digest, we will make the process as stress-free as possible.

How we can help you

We have used Medivisas for our employment visas for several years. We have found them quite helpful, helping us get the right person for the job over on the correct work visas, even when cases seemed difficult. Chris is very patient and knowledgeable and would recommend him to anyone who asked.”

Whether you are an employer or an employee, we are here to help you through the various stages of this process.

We can help you from start to finish or at any stage along the way in this process. We will examine the skill level of the job you have been offered, establish that it meets the requirements, and compile the evidence. We are also here to help employers better understand the licensing process.

Our corporate clients, both small and large, were initially surprised that they were, in fact, able to hire non-UK nationals and are grateful as it has allowed them to attract the most skilled employees that they need to fill those roles that they had previously struggled to fill, thus making their companies thrive both in the short and long term.

Requirements

Stage 1 - Joining the Register of Sponsors

  • In order for an employer to be able to employ non-UK nationals, they will first need to apply for a Sponsorship License and add their company name to the UK government’s official ‘Register of Sponsors’.
  • The employer will need to make an application and submit various supporting documentation to show that it has a legitimate UK trading presence amongst other things.
  • On average this can take up to 4 weeks and a Processing Fee is payable (£ 536 for a ‘small’ company and £ 1,476 for a ‘large’ company).  Once granted, the Sponsor License is valid for a total of 4 years.

Stage 2 – Allocating and Assigning the Certificate of Sponsorship

  • Once your employer has been granted a sponsorship license, they will need to apply for and assign a Certificate of Sponsorship (COS).
  • A COS is a ‘virtual document’ an employer issues to a prospective employee so they can apply for permission to enter the UK if they are overseas (known as ‘entry clearance’), or permission to stay in the UK if they are already here (known as ‘Leave to remain’).
  • The COS contains all the necessary information regarding the job and details about the employer.  The cost of applying for a COS is currently £ 199 and can take up to 2 weeks to be issued.

Stage 3 – Submitting the Application

Once a Certificate of Sponsorship has been granted and assigned, the prospective employee can then apply for permission to live and work in the UK. 
The employee’s application is assessed on the following criteria:

  • Valid Sponsorship
  • Available maintenance (funds)
  • English language skills (if applicable)

Depending on where (and when) you are making your application, processing times can and do vary.

‘Out of country’ applications
  • You will need to make and ‘Entry Clearance’ application at their nearest UK Visa Application Centre
  • On average you should expect a processing time of approximately 3 weeks.
In Country applications
  • If you are legally resident in the UK, you will need to apply directly to the UK Visas & Immigration
  • processing times can be anything from 1 – 6 months. A 48-hour Priority Service is available for an additional fee

If your application is successful you will be granted either Entry Clearance or Leave to Remain and this will normally will be issued as a Biometric Residence Card or ‘BRP’.

MediVisas can help you with any or all of the above stages. Send us an email and see how we can help you.

Processing times

At the time of application, we will gauge how long the processing time should be; that said, global events and the complexity of a case may result in a longer processing time. Unfortunately, we cannot offer a guaranteed timescale, but only an estimation.  

Thanks for all your help

“Thanks for all your help, it’s been very worthwhile using you guys to get this sorted, the process was very simple and I’m really pleased with your service”

Adam D., Austrailia

The right person for the job

Gabriel, Transcend Packaging, Wales