25 March 2024

UKVI/Home Office Rules and Policy Updates:

Home Office announcements on changes to immigration system
 
Home Office has published revised Immigration Rules, which will implement significant changes to the Skilled Worker Route (SWR) visa category from 4 April 2024.

The Staff Compliance Team (SCT) has conducted a review of the potential implications for staff currently sponsored on both standard and Shortage Occupation List (SOL) SWR visas and roles likely to be affected by the revised salary thresholds.

We are awaiting detailed sponsor guidance from the Home Office and will update our webpages (UKVI visa, ATAS processing and RTW Check updates and Immigration), guidance, and templates as necessary once this information is published. We very much appreciate your patience and cooperation as we navigate the new rules.

Please note that there are no changes to Global Talent Visas (GTVs), and we will continue to encourage use of and review eligibility for GTVs, which is Imperial's preferred visa route for Academic and Research roles.

Please see further information on the Gov.uk factsheet here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/fact-sheet-on-net-migration-measures-further-detail 

Skilled Worker Route (SWR) – summary of key changes from 4 April 2024

As a reminder, to be eligible for the Skilled Worker Route (SWR) salaries must meet the General Salary Threshold (GST), and the occupation specific Going Rate Threshold (GRT), determined by the relevant Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code for the role, whichever is higher.

From 4 April 2024, the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system and the salary thresholds will change.

Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system

  • Jobs will be classified using the newer SOC 2020 codes in place of the SOC 2010 codes currently used.
  • The most frequently used SOC codes for Academic and Research staff will remain the same. However, as some codes will change, the SCT will check the SOC codes for both new and extension applications to ensure Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) are assigned under the correct, newly defined SOC codes for the role.

Salary thresholds

New SWR visa applicants applying for a visa using a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) assigned after 4 April will have to meet the following new higher salary thresholds:

  • The General Salary Threshold will increase from £26,200 (based on 25th percentile UK earnings) to £38,700 (50th percentile or median UK earnings) per year.
  • The occupation specific Going Rate Thresholds will also increase from the current 25th percentile level to the 50th percentile or median level.
  • These increases will mainly affect new hires.
  • A review of roles likely to be affected by the revised salary thresholds indicates that there will be a limited impact on staff on Imperial’s Academic, Research, Teaching and Professional, Technical & Operational (at Level 3a and above) salary scales.
  • However, the new salary thresholds will affect some staff on the lower points of the Research Assistant (pt 14 only) and Teaching Assistant (pts 14-18) grades, outside London/remote worker salary scales, etc. The main impact will be on staff on Professional, Technical & Operational salary scales at Level 2b and below and part-time staff.
  • Some of these issues will likely be addressed by making greater use of the salary threshold discounts (tradeable points) relating to new entrants to the labour market, holders of relevant PhD qualifications, etc, and the proposed pay award increases to Imperial’s salary scales.
  • Contract change requests to increase/decrease working hours and salaries of SWR visa holders will require SCT review and approval before the requested changes can be made (as now).

Existing SWR visa holders who wish to extend their stay, change employment, or settle (before 4 April 2030) will continue to have to meet the lower 25th percentile level salary thresholds (as now) however these thresholds will increase in line with the latest UK earnings data:

  • The General Salary Threshold will increase from £26,200 to £29,000 per year.
  • The occupation specific Going Rate Thresholds will also increase in line with the latest UK earnings data.
  • A review of Imperial staff who currently hold SWR visas shows that there will be no impact on our ability to continue sponsoring them based on their current employment arrangements.

SWR visa holders sponsored in Health and Care Worker roles or occupations where going rates are set using national pay scales will also continue to be subject to the lower 25th percentile level £29,000 General Salary Threshold and relevant national pay scale.

All other existing SWR salary threshold discounts (tradeable points) relating to holders of relevant PhD qualifications, new entrants to the labour market, and national pay scale occupations, are being retained but salary thresholds will increase based on the latest UK earnings data.

The Shortage Occupation List (SOL) will be removed and replaced by a new Immigration Salary List (ISL). The new ISL contains 23 occupations which will benefit from a 20% discount to the General Salary Threshold however the 20% discount previously applied to occupation specific Going Rate Thresholds will be removed.

  • The only occupation of relevance to Imperial is the Laboratory Technician role which will be ISL eligible for individuals with 3 years+ experience.
  • A review of Imperial staff who currently hold SOL SWR visas shows that all will be eligible for standard SWR visas and that there will be no impact on our ability to continue sponsoring them based on their current employment arrangements.

The supplementary employment provisions for SWR visa holders will be widened from 4 April 2024 to allow them to undertake up to 20 hours work per week (as now) in any eligible SWR occupation, rather than requiring the work to be in the same occupation and at the same level as their main job, or in a shortage occupation. They must continue to work in their main sponsored role for supplementary activities to be permitted.

In order to implement these changes, the UKVI’s Sponsor Management System (SMS) will be unavailable from Tuesday 2 April 19:00 – Thursday 4 April 09:00, during which time it will not be possible to apply for Defined Certificates of Sponsorship (DCoS) or assign Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS). As this follows Easter College Closure (Thursday 28 March – Tuesday 2 April), our processing time will be significantly curtailed. The SCT is urgently reviewing existing SWR visa expiries, outstanding DCoS applications and CoS yet to be assigned, that may be affected during this period and will prioritise processing of these cases prior to close of business on Wednesday 27 March wherever feasible. Please would departments assist by prioritising any associated requests from the SCT.

No immediate changes to the Graduate Route have been announced and students continue to be eligible as at present.
The College will be engaging with the review and make the case for the importance of a UK post-study work offer. Please get in touch with the International Student Support team if you have any questions about the Graduate Route.

Changes to Visiting Research rules from 31 January 2024

The key changes in respect of the Immigration Rules for Visitors that are being introduced are as follows:

  • Scientists, researchers, and academics will have expanded opportunities to conduct research in the UK during their visit. Previously limited to independent research, scientists and researchers, as well as academics, will now be permitted to engage in research activities beyond their individual purposes for visits of up to 6 months.
  • These changes do not apply to academics applying for a 12-month visit visa or those seeking to extend their permission from within the UK to over 6 months.
  • Visitors will now be permitted to work remotely (for a non-UK employer) while in the UK, but with a crucial caveat – remote working must not be the primary purpose of their visit.

Permitted Paid Engagements:

  • Conference speakers will now be able to be remunerated for their participation, as this is being included in the list of Permitted Paid Engagements (PPE).
  • The provisions of the Permitted Paid Engagement Visitor route are being merged into the Standard Visitor route.
  • This means that all visitors, without the need for the PPE visa, will be able to undertake Permitted Paid Engagements.
  • Individuals intending to participate in a PPE must have arranged their activities before travelling to the UK and complete them within 30 days of UK arrival.

Youth Mobility Scheme

The key changes introduced are as follows:

  • Addition of Uruguay to the list of countries participating in the Scheme.
  • The age range for nationals of the Republic of Korea is also being expanded from 18-30 to 18-35
  • Simplified Application Process for Japanese and South Korean Citizens

Immigration fee increases:

From 6 February 2024 Immigration Health Surcharge increased:

The new fees apply to leave to enter/remain applications submitted from this date.

  • The normal rate for the immigration health surcharge increased from £624 to £1,035 per year, per person/applicant.
  • The discounted health surcharge rate for students, children and youth mobility visa holders increased from £470 to £776 per year.

You can see the current level of UKVI fees here.

Imperial College & UKVI processing times

Please see the timescale estimates guidance for where a new hire needs to apply for and obtain a visa to work in the UK here:

Right to work checks

Please be aware that where a right to work check must be delayed (e.g. where visa is not yet granted), the work start date is not permitted before the check is completed. The start date would also need to be delayed until the individual is present in the UK and able to satisfactorily evidence their right to work.

For new arrivals to the UK, (where applicable) we recommend collecting the Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) card as soon as possible after arriving in the UK, and contacting our team as soon as the Online RTW check share code can be accessed, as this can be completed fully online and via a Microsoft Teams video-call, rather than in-person.

Where the Staff Compliance Team is copied into conditional employment contracts to undertake a right to work check for individuals who already hold a suitable UK visa status, the team is currently able to meet our processing aim of our team contacting the new-hire prospective employee to complete these right to work checks within 5 working days of the date the conditional contract is issued. Whether the check can be fully completed will depend on the new-hire prospective employee providing the necessary information and evidence promptly.

The Staff Compliance Team will send a ‘contract RTW conditions met’ email to the new employee cc’ing departmental contact / line manager and HR Hub team, once the check is fully completed and individual is cleared to start work. If any other pre-employment checks are needed before work can start – the Recruitment/Staff Hub team will confirm where right to work check is not the final pre-employment check/condition.

Providing advice to HR Hub teams and hiring departments

Where the Staff Compliance Team is requested by Recruitment Hub or HR Staff Hub to review the held UK visa documents / eligibility for UK work-route visa, in most cases the team is able to meet our processing aim of providing an initial response/advice* within 5 working days of the request from the Hub team, cc’ing the key departmental contact in our response. However, please be aware that where the team’s urgent workload is high or the case is complex that it may take up to 10 working days for an initial response.

Due to the 4 April Immigration rule changes our assessment time may be impacted from 25 March through April in some cases (in particular where Skilled work sponsorship is likely to be required).

*The initial response may ask for further information/evidence from the prospective employee and/or hiring department to make a full assessment of eligibility for our preferred employment visa routes.

Application processing times and updates (UKVI / ATAS)

Skilled worker route defined certificate of sponsorship applications

In October 2023 - March 2024 we have seen ‘defined’ COS for overseas Skilled worker route applications taking longer than usual (up to 2 weeks). Please review below information with this in mind.

Global talent visa endorsement (stage 1) applications:

  • For accelerated endorsement routes – most endorsement applications are being decided within 2 weeks
  • For standard peer review endorsement route – most endorsement applications are being decided within 5-9 weeks

In country visa applications:

UKVI are currently working to their usual standard of 8 weeks for visa application decision from the point that an in-time application is submitted, all fees and surcharges paid, and applicants biometrics provided.

There may be priority (£500 additional for 1 week decision), or super priority (£1000 additional for 1-2 working day decision) options available, where required. These fees must be paid at time of visa application submission and cannot be added separately later.

  • For extension/switching applications – individuals are unable to leave the UK and common travel area until their new visa is granted and checked, and applicants/departments may decide to pay for priority processing.
  • For changes of employment from another sponsor, please consider the processing times when setting start dates. Candidates may wish to extend their current role/notice period to avoid the situation where they are unable to start employment with Imperial and have left their former employer/sponsor and are not eligible for UK public funds/benefits in the interim. Applicants/departments may decide to pay for priority processing.
  • Please be aware that applications for Indefinite leave to remain (settlement) have a 6-month standard processing service standard rather than the 8 weeks above. Applicants may decide to pay for priority processing.

Out-of-country visa applications:

UKVI (Home Office) guidance on how quickly you will receive a decision on your UK visa application if you are applying from outside the UK can be viewed via this link. Most overseas applications are expected to be a 3-week standard decision from point application fees are paid and biometric information provided.

Overseas priority application options are subject to availability, and dependent on the country of application.

  • For standard visitor visa applications, there continues to be a reduction in the availability of the priority visa service. This is in relation to visiting academic /researcher associations which are processed via this link (not T5 GAE sponsored researchers which are requested and processed via Staff Compliance Team)

Academic & Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) for employees/visiting academics:

In addition, we are experiencing the following delays in relation to both in-country and out-of-country applications:

  • ATAS application processing for employees / sponsored researchers / visitors – FCDO advise that from 6 weeks is the standard processing time, and we see most applications processed within 6-12 weeks.

We do still see delays regularly and some cases have taken from 3 to 6 months. Unfortunately, there is no way of expediting ATAS applications where they are delayed. Where the ATAS application for an employee / sponsored researcher / visiting researcher or academic has taken over 10 weeks please email D.Bowden@imperial.ac.uk and we will flag this delay to FCDO as feedback on their processing times and to check application is still progressing. We are unfortunately unable to get the ATAS result expedited.

For delayed ATAS applications for current or prospective Imperial College London students please continue to liaise with the relevant College student admissions / international student support team. HR Staff Compliance is unable to assist with student or admissions ATAS queries.

Previous updates

November 2022

In country applications:

Please note UKVI (Home Office) have recently increased their standard processing time for in-country Skilled Worker Route extensions, switches, and changes of employment from 8 weeks to 16 weeks.

There may be priority (£500 additional for 1 week decision), or super priority (£800 additional for 1-2 working day decision) options available, and we would expect that these decisions are faster than 16 weeks, but please be mindful that these timelines may also be subject to delay.

For extension/switching applications for Skilled Worker Route this may mean that individuals are unable to leave the UK and common travel area for some time until their new visa is granted and checked, and applicants/departments may decide to pay for priority processing.


For changes of employment from another sponsor, please consider these delays when setting start dates. Candidates may wish to extend their current role/notice period to avoid the situation where they are unable to start employment with Imperial and have left their former employer/sponsor and are not eligible for UK public funds/benefits in the interim. Applicants/departments may decide to pay for priority processing.

Out-of-country applications:

UKVI (Home Office) guidance on how quickly you will receive a decision on your UK visa application if you are applying from outside the UK can be viewed via this link. 

Availability of overseas priority application options is currently limited, and applications may be delayed.

General issues:

In addition, we are currently experiencing the following delays in relation to both in-country and out-of-country applications:

ATAS application processing - continues to be slow/unpredictable (no improvement since the summer student application spike) and some cases have taken 6 months. Unfortunately, there is no way of expediting ATAS applications.
 
Visa applications – delays across the board for most immigration routes.

The Staff Immigration and Compliance Team will provide the relevant information to existing staff extending sponsorship/visa (where it will impact on travel ability), and respond to RTW Reviews for new hires on this basis. If you are planning any recruitment which may be impacted by this update, please factor this information into your timelines.

31 January 2024

UKVI/Home Office Rules and Policy Updates:

Home Office announcements on changes to immigration system (Spring 2024 Tbc)
 
The Home Secretary announced key changes to the immigration system in early December 2023, aimed at reducing legal migration to the UK: 
 
1. Reforming the Shortage Occupation List (SOL), ending the 20% salary discount for jobs on the SOL and creating a new immigration salary list with fewer shortage occupations.
2. Raising the Skilled Worker Route general minimum salary threshold from £26,200 to £38,700. 
3. Reviewing the Graduate Route. The government has asked the Migration Advisory Committee to review the route. This means the Committee will seek evidence and make recommendations, no timetable for this has yet been announced. 

Please see further information on the Gov.uk factsheet here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/fact-sheet-on-net-migration-measures-further-detail 

It is expected that these changes will be introduced in Spring 2024 and the College will share further information when it is available.  In the meantime, the Staff Compliance Team will review the potential implications for staff currently sponsored on both SOL and standard SWR visas and roles likely to be affected by the revised salary threshold. There are no changes to the Global Talent Visas (GTVs) and we will continue to encourage use of and review eligibility for GTVs, which is the College’s preferred visa route for Academic and Research roles.  
 
No changes to the Graduate Route have been announced and students continue to be eligible as at present. The College will be engaging with the review and make the case for the importance of a UK post-study work offer. Please get in touch with the International Student Support team if you have any questions about the Graduate Route.

Once more clarity is provided, and effective dates of any changes confirmed by UKVI, we will be updating our web guidance and communicating changes with relevant teams/departments across the College. 

Changes to Visiting Research rules (from 31 January 2024)

The key changes in respect of the Immigration Rules for Visitors that are being introduced are as follows:

  • Scientists, researchers, and academics will have expanded opportunities to conduct research in the UK during their visit. Previously limited to independent research, scientists and researchers, as well as academics, will now be permitted to engage in research activities beyond their individual purposes for visits of up to 6 months.
  • These changes do not apply to academics applying for a 12-month visit visa or those seeking to extend their permission from within the UK to over 6 months.
  • Visitors will now be permitted to work remotely (for a non-UK employer) while in the UK, but with a crucial caveat – remote working must not be the primary purpose of their visit.

Permitted Paid Engagements:

  • Conference speakers will now be able to be remunerated for their participation, as this is being included in the list of Permitted Paid Engagements (PPE).
  • The provisions of the Permitted Paid Engagement Visitor route are being merged into the Standard Visitor route.
  • This means that all visitors, without the need for the PPE visa, will be able to undertake Permitted Paid Engagements.
  • Individuals intending to participate in a PPE must have arranged their activities before travelling to the UK, and complete them within 30 days of UK arrival.

Youth Mobility Scheme

The key changes being introduced from 31 January 2024 are as follows:

  • Addition of Uruguay to the list of countries participating in the Scheme.
  • The age range for nationals of the Republic of Korea is also being expanded from 18-30 to 18-35
  • Simplified Application Process for Japanese and South Korean Citizens

Immigration fee increases:

Certificate of sponsorship costs:

The new fees are effective for certificates that are assigned from 04 October 2023

  • T5 GAE (sponsored research) increase from £21 to £25 per COS
  • Skilled worker route sponsorship increase from £199 to £239 per COS

At time of update, there has been no change to the employer’s immigration skills charge – the hiring department continues to pay £364 per year of sponsorship at the point of assigning COS for applicable roles, in addition to the above Skilled worker route COS fee.

Visa application fee costs - for applications submitted from 4th October 2023:

There are 15% increases in most work route visa and visitor route visa fees, and CoS, ILR, and citizenship fees are increasing by at least 20%. Please see the November update for the full breakdown of the increased costs.  In addition, although no change to priority application additional cost (£500) the super-priority cost will increase from £800 to £1000 per application for the faster 1-3 working day decision.

From 6th February 2024 Immigration Health Surcharge increases

On 30th January 2024, it has been announced that the expected increase to Health surcharge effective date has been finalised from 6th February. The new fees will apply to leave to enter/remain applications submitted from this date.

  • The normal rate for the immigration health surcharge will increase from £624 to £1,035 per year, per person/applicant.
  • The discounted health surcharge rate for students, children and youth mobility visa holders will be increased from £470 to £776 per year.

Please be aware that due to the minimal notice provided by UK Gov of the confirmed effective date in change in costs, the Staff Compliance Team is limited in whether we can assign skilled work route Certificates of Sponsorship (COS) for visa applications before this effective date to allow applications to be made with the current fees.

The Staff Compliance team will make all efforts to provide the COS where we already have everything in place required to issue this (including being within last 3 months of current SWR visa, ATAS certificate where required), and where there is sufficient resource.

However, if you are a Global Talent Visa holder and considering applying for a GTV extension in next few months, please be aware that you are able to apply for a GTV extension at any time, and can apply for GTV stage 2 extension independently, aside from requiring a letter confirming of your employment status from HRstaffhub@imperial.ac.uk

You can see the current level of UKVI fees here.

Imperial College & UKVI processing times

Please see the timescale estimates guidance for where a new hire needs to apply for and obtain a visa to work in the UK here:

Right to work checks

Please be aware that where a right to work check must be delayed, the work start date is not permitted before the check is completed. The start date would also need to be delayed until the individual is present in the UK and able to satisfactorily evidence their right to work.

For new arrivals to the UK, we recommend collecting the Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) card as soon as possible after arriving in the UK, and contacting our team as soon as the Online RTW check share code can be accessed, as this can be completed fully online and via a Microsoft Teams video-call, rather than in-person.

Where the Staff Compliance Team is copied into conditional employment contracts to undertake a right to work check for individuals who already hold a suitable UK visa status, the team is currently able to meet our processing aim of our team contacting the new-hire prospective employee to complete these right to work checks within 5 working days of the date the conditional contract is issued. Whether the check can be fully completed will depend on the new-hire prospective employee providing the necessary information and evidence promptly.

The Staff Compliance Team will send a ‘contract RTW conditions met’ email to the new employee cc’ing departmental contact / line manager and HR Hub team, once the check is fully completed and individual is cleared to start work. If any other pre-employment checks are needed before work can start – the Recruitment/Staff Hub team will confirm where right to work check is not the final pre-employment check/condition.

Providing advice to HR Hub teams and hiring departments

Where the Staff Compliance Team is requested by Recruitment Hub or HR Staff Hub to review the held UK visa documents / eligibility for UK work-route visa, in most cases the team is able to meet our processing aim of providing an initial response/advice* within 5 working days of the request from the Hub team, cc’ing the key departmental contact in our response.

However, please be aware that where the team’s urgent workload is high or the case is complex  that it may take up to 10 working days for an initial response.

*The initial response may ask for further information/evidence from the prospective employee and/or hiring department to make a full assessment of eligibility for our preferred employment visa routes.

Application processing times and updates (UKVI / ATAS)

Skilled worker route defined certificate of sponsorship applications

In October 2023 - January 2024 we have seen ‘defined’ COS for overseas Skilled worker route applications taking longer than usual (up to 2 weeks). Please review below information with this in mind.

Global talent visa endorsement (stage 1) applications:

  • For accelerated endorsement routes – most endorsement applications are being decided within 2 weeks
  • For standard peer review endorsement route – most endorsement applications are being decided within 5-9 weeks

In country visa applications:

UKVI are currently working to their usual standard of 8 weeks for visa application decision from the point that an in-time application is submitted, all fees and surcharges paid, and applicants biometrics provided.

There may be priority (£500 additional for 1 week decision), or super priority (£1000 additional for 1-2 working day decision) options available, where required. These fees must be paid at time of visa application submission and cannot be added separately later.

  • For extension/switching applications – individuals are unable to leave the UK and common travel area until their new visa is granted and checked, and applicants/departments may decide to pay for priority processing.
  • For changes of employment from another sponsor, please consider the processing times when setting start dates. Candidates may wish to extend their current role/notice period to avoid the situation where they are unable to start employment with Imperial and have left their former employer/sponsor and are not eligible for UK public funds/benefits in the interim. Applicants/departments may decide to pay for priority processing.
  • Please be aware that applications for Indefinite leave to remain (settlement) have a 6-month standard processing service standard rather than the 8 weeks above. Applicants may decide to pay for priority processing.

Out-of-country visa applications:

UKVI (Home Office) guidance on how quickly you will receive a decision on your UK visa application if you are applying from outside the UK can be viewed via this link. Most overseas applications are expected to be a 3 week standard decision from point application fees are paid and biometric information provided.

Overseas priority application options are subject to availability, and dependent on the country of application.

  • For standard visitor visa applications, there continues to be a reduction in the availability of the priority visa service. This is in relation to visiting academic /researcher associations which are processed via this link (not T5 GAE sponsored researchers which are requested and processed via Staff Compliance Team)

Academic & Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) for employees/visiting academics:

In addition, we are experiencing the following delays in relation to both in-country and out-of-country applications:

  • ATAS application processing for employees / sponsored researchers / visitors – FCDO advise that from 6 weeks is the standard processing time, and we see most applications processed within 6-12 weeks.

We do still see delays regularly and some cases have taken from 3 to 6 months. Unfortunately, there is no way of expediting ATAS applications where they are delayed. Where the ATAS application for an employee / sponsored researcher / visiting researcher or academic has taken over 8 weeks please email D.Bowden@imperial.ac.uk and we will flag this delay to FCDO as feedback on their processing times and to check application is still progressing. We are unfortunately unable to get the ATAS result expedited.

For delayed ATAS applications for current or prospective Imperial College London students please continue to liaise with the relevant College student admissions / international student support team. HR Staff Compliance is unable to assist with student or admissions ATAS queries.

7 December 2023

7 December 2023

Please see the Human Resources Christmas 2023 processing time/deadlines information here:

Please see the new timescale estimates guidance for where a new hire needs to apply for and obtain a visa to work in the UK here:

Home Office announcement on changes to immigration system 
 
The Home Secretary announced key changes to the immigration system last week, aimed at  reducing legal migration to the UK: 
 
1. Reforming the Shortage Occupation List (SOL), ending the 20% salary discount for jobs on the SOL and creating a new immigration salary list with fewer shortage occupations.
2. Raising the Skilled Worker Route general minimum salary threshold from £26,200 to £38,700. 
3. Reviewing the Graduate Route. The government has asked the Migration Advisory Committee to review the route. This means the Committee will seek evidence and make recommendations, no timetable for this has yet been announced. 

Please see further information on the Gov.uk factsheet here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/fact-sheet-on-net-migration-measures-further-detail 


It is expected that these changes will be introduced in Spring 2024 and the College will share further information when it is available.  In the meantime, the Staff Compliance Team will review the potential implications for staff currently sponsored on both SOL and standard SWR visas and roles likely to be affected by the revised salary threshold. There are no changes to the Global Talent Visas (GTVs) and we will continue to encourage use of and review eligibility for GTVs, which is the College’s preferred visa route for Academic and Research roles.  
 
No changes to the Graduate Route have been announced and students continue to be eligible as at present. The College will be engaging with the review and make the case for the importance of a UK post-study work offer. Please get in touch with the International Student Support team if you have any questions about the Graduate Route. 

Right to work checks

Please be aware that where a right to work check must be delayed, the start date is not permitted before the check is completed. The work start date would also need to be delayed until the individual is present in the UK and able to satisfactorily evidence their right to work.

For new arrivals to the UK, we recommend collecting the Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) card as soon as possible after arriving in the UK, and contacting our team as soon as the Online RTW check share code can be accessed, as this can be completed fully online and via a Microsoft Teams video-call, rather than in-person.

Where the Staff Compliance Team is copied into conditional employment contracts to undertake a right to work check for individuals who already hold a suitable UK visa status, the team is currently able to meet our processing aim of our team contacting the new-hire prospective employee to complete these right to work checks within 5 working days of the date the conditional contract is issued. Whether the check can be fully completed will depend on the new-hire prospective employee providing the necessary information/evidence promptly.

The Staff Compliance Team will send a ‘contract RTW conditions met’ email to the new employee cc’ing departmental contact / line manager and HR Hub team, once the check is fully completed and individual is cleared to start work. If any other pre-employment checks are needed before work can start – the Recruitment/Staff Hub team will confirm where right to work check is not the final pre-employment check/condition.

Providing advice to HR Hub teams and hiring departments

Where the Staff Compliance Team is requested by Recruitment Hub or HR Staff Hub to review the held UK visa documents / eligibility for UK work-route visa, in most cases the team is able to meet our processing aim of providing an initial response/advice* within 5 working days of the request from the Hub team, cc’ing the key departmental contact in our response.

However, please be aware that since summer 2023 our team’s workload has remained significantly high during a period the team has also had an unfilled team vacancy, and this has impacted on our turnaround times. It may take up to 10 working days for an initial response.

*The initial response may ask for further information/evidence from the prospective employee and/or hiring department to make a full assessment of eligibility for our preferred employment visa routes.

Application processing times and updates (UKVI / ATAS)

Once more clarity is provided, and effective dates of any changes confirmed by UKVI, we will be updating our web guidance and communicating changes with relevant teams/departments across the College.

Skilled worker route defined certificate of sponsorship applications

In October-December we have seen ‘defined’ COS for overseas Skilled worker route applications taking longer than usual (up to 2 weeks). Please review below information with this in mind.

Global talent visa endorsement (stage 1) applications:

  • For accelerated endorsement routes – most endorsement applications are being decided within 2 weeks
  • For standard peer review endorsement route – most endorsement applications are being decided within 5-7 weeks

In country visa applications:

UKVI are currently working to their usual standard of 8 weeks for visa application decision from the point that an in-time application is submitted, all fees and surcharges paid, and applicants biometrics provided.

There may be priority (£500 additional for 1 week decision), or super priority (£1000 additional for 1-2 working day decision) options available, where required. These fees must be paid at time of visa application submission and cannot be added separately later.

  • For extension/switching applications – individuals are unable to leave the UK and common travel area until their new visa is granted and checked, and applicants/departments may decide to pay for priority processing.
  • For changes of employment from another sponsor, please consider the processing times when setting start dates. Candidates may wish to extend their current role/notice period to avoid the situation where they are unable to start employment with Imperial and have left their former employer/sponsor and are not eligible for UK public funds/benefits in the interim. Applicants/departments may decide to pay for priority processing.
  • Please be aware that applications for Indefinite leave to remain (settlement) have a 6-month standard processing service standard rather than the 8 weeks above. Applicants may decide to pay for priority processing.

Out-of-country visa applications:

UKVI (Home Office) guidance on how quickly you will receive a decision on your UK visa application if you are applying from outside the UK can be viewed via this link. Most overseas applications are expected to be a 3 week standard decision from point application fees are paid and biometric information provided.

Overseas priority application options are subject to availability, and dependent on the country of application.

  • For standard visitor visa applications, there continues to be a reduction in the availability of the priority visa service. This is in relation to visiting academic/researcher associations which are processed via this link (not T5 GAE sponsored researchers which are requested and processed via Staff Compliance Team)

For all visa applications over the holiday/Christmas period we may some delays to standard processing times, as we have done in previous years.

Academic & Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) for employees/visiting academics:

In addition, we are experiencing the following delays in relation to both in-country and out-of-country applications:

  • ATAS application processing for employees / sponsored researchers / visitors – FCDO advise that from 6 weeks is the standard processing time, and we see most applications processed within 6-10 weeks.

We do still see delays regularly and some cases have taken from 3 to 6 months. Unfortunately, there is no way of expediting ATAS applications where they are delayed. Where the ATAS application for an employee / sponsored researcher / visiting researcher or academic has taken over 8 weeks please email D.Bowden@imperial.ac.uk and we will flag this delay to FCDO as feedback on their processing times and to check application is still progressing. We are unfortunately unable to get the ATAS result expedited.

For delayed ATAS applications for students please continue to liaise with the relevant student admissions / international student support team. HR Staff Compliance is unable to assist with student or admissions ATAS queries.

Immigration fee increases confirmed:

From 04 October 2023

Certificate of sponsorship costs:

The new fees are effective for certificates that are assigned from 04 October 2023

  • T5 GAE (sponsored research) increase from £21 to £25 per COS
  • Skilled worker route sponsorship increase from £199 to £239 per COS

At time of update, there has been no change to the employer’s immigration skills charge – the hiring department continues to pay £364 per year of sponsorship at the point of assigning COS for applicable roles, in addition to the above Skilled worker route COS fee.

Visa application fee costs - for applications submitted from 04 October 2023:

There are 15% increases in most work route visa and visitor route visa fees, and CoS, ILR, and citizenship fees are increasing by at least 20%. Please see the November update for the full breakdown of the increased costs.  In addition, although no change to priority application additional cost (£500) the super-priority cost will increase from £800 to £1000 per application for the faster 1-3 working day decision.

From 16th January 2024 (to be confirmed) Health surcharge increases

  • The normal rate for the immigration health surcharge will increase from £624 to £1,035 per year, per person/applicant.
  • The discounted health surcharge rate for students, children and youth mobility visa holders will be increased from £470 to £776 per year.

We are awaiting final confirmation on the effective date of these IHS fee changes, that may be from 16/01/2024 or ‘the twenty-first day after the day on which it is made.’

You can see the current level of UKVI fees here.

20 November 2023

20 November 2023

Staff Compliance Team processing times:

Please see the Human Resources Christmas 2023 processing time/deadlines information here:

Please see the new timescale estimates guidance for where a new hire needs to apply for and obtain a visa to work in the UK here:

Right to work checks

Please be aware that where a right to work check must be delayed, the start date is not permitted before the check is completed. The work start date would also need to be delayed until the individual is present in the UK and able to satisfactorily evidence their right to work.

For new arrivals to the UK, we recommend collecting the Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) card as soon as possible after arriving in the UK, and contacting our team as soon as the Online RTW check share code can be accessed, as this can be completed fully online and via a Microsoft Teams video-call, rather than in-person.

Where the Staff Compliance Team is copied into conditional employment contracts to undertake a right to work check for individuals who already hold a suitable UK visa status, the team is currently able to meet our processing aim of our team contacting the new-hire prospective employee to complete these right to work checks within 5 working days of the date the conditional contract is issued. Whether the check can be fully completed will depend on the new-hire prospective employee providing the necessary information/evidence promptly.

The Staff Compliance Team will send a ‘contract RTW conditions met’ email to the new employee cc’ing departmental contact / line manager and HR Hub team, once the check is fully completed and individual is cleared to start work. If any other pre-employment checks are needed before work can start – the Recruitment/Staff Hub team will confirm where right to work check is not the final pre-employment check/condition.

Providing advice to HR Hub teams and hiring departments

Where the Staff Compliance Team is requested by Recruitment Hub or HR Staff Hub to review the held UK visa documents / eligibility for UK work-route visa, in the majority of cases the team is able to meet our processing aim of providing an initial response/advice* within 5 working days of the request from the Hub team, cc’ing the key departmental contact in our response.

However, please be aware that since summer 2023 our teams workload has remained significantly high during a period the team has also had an unfilled team vacancy, and this has impacted on our turnaround times. It may take up to 10 working days for an initial response.

*The initial response may ask for further information/evidence from the prospective employee and/or hiring department to make a full assessment of eligibility for our preferred employment visa routes.

Application processing times (UKVI / ATAS)

Skilled worker route defined certificate of sponsorship applications

In October-November we have seen ‘defined’ COS for overseas Skilled worker route applications taking longer than usual. please review below information with this in mind.

Global talent visa endorsement (stage 1) applications:

  • For accelerated endorsement routes – most endorsement applications are being decided within 2 weeks
  • For standard peer review endorsement route – most endorsement applications are being decided within 5-7 weeks

In country visa applications:

UKVI are currently working to their usual standard of 8 weeks for visa application decision from the point that an in-time application is submitted, all fees and surcharges paid, and applicants biometrics provided.

There may be priority (£500 additional for 1 week decision), or super priority (£1000 additional for 1-2 working day decision) options available, where required. These fees must be paid at time of visa application submission and cannot be added separately later.

  • For extension/switching applications - individuals are unable to leave the UK and common travel area until their new visa is granted and checked, and applicants/departments may decide to pay for priority processing.
  • For changes of employment from another sponsor, please consider the processing times when setting start dates. Candidates may wish to extend their current role/notice period to avoid the situation where they are unable to start employment with Imperial and have left their former employer/sponsor and are not eligible for UK public funds/benefits in the interim. Applicants/departments may decide to pay for priority processing.
  • Please be aware that applications for Indefinite leave to remain (settlement) have a 6-month standard processing service standard rather than the 8 weeks above. Applicants may decide to pay for priority processing.

Out-of-country visa applications:

UKVI (Home Office) guidance on how quickly you will receive a decision on your UK visa application if you are applying from outside the UK can be viewed via this link. Most overseas applications are expected to be a 3 week standard decision from point application fees are paid and biometric information provided.

Overseas priority application options are subject to availability, and dependent on the country of application.

  • For standard visitor visa applications, there continues to be a reduction in the availability of the priority visa service. This is in relation to visiting academic/researcher associations which are processed via this link (not T5 GAE sponsored researchers which are requested and processed via Staff Compliance Team)

Academic & Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) for employees/visiting academics:

In addition, we are experiencing the following delays in relation to both in-country and out-of-country applications:

  • ATAS application processing for employees / sponsored researchers / visitors – FCDO advise that from 6 weeks is the standard processing time, and we see most applications processed within 6-10 weeks.

We do still see delays regularly and some cases have taken from 3 to 6 months. Unfortunately, there is no way of expediting ATAS applications where they are delayed. Where the ATAS application for an employee / sponsored researcher / visiting researcher or academic has taken over 8 weeks please email D.Bowden@imperial.ac.uk and we will flag this delay to FCDO as feedback on their processing times and to check application is still progressing. We are unfortunately unable to get the ATAS result expedited.

For delayed ATAS applications for students please continue to liaise with the relevant student admissions / international student support team. HR Staff Compliance is unable to assist with student or admissions ATAS queries.

Immigration fee increases confirmed:

From 04 October 2023

Certificate of sponsorship costs:

The new fees are effective for certificates that are assigned from 04 October 2023

  • T5 GAE (sponsored research) increase from £21 to £25 per COS
  • Skilled worker route sponsorship increase from £199 to £239 per COS

At time of update, there has been no change to the employer’s immigration skills charge – the hiring department continues to pay £364 per year of sponsorship at the point of assigning COS for applicable roles, in addition to the above Skilled worker route COS fee.

Visa application fee costs - for applications submitted from 04 October 2023:

There are 15% increases in most work route visa and visitor route visa fees, and CoS, ILR, and citizenship fees are increasing by at least 20%. Below are the main changes that impact on our costs.

Skilled worker route

Application submitted from

Description of application type

Current cost

Cost from 04/10/2023

Increase %

In-Country

Skilled Worker, where a certificate of sponsorship has been issued for three years or less - main applicant and dependants

£719

£827

15%

Overseas

Skilled Worker, where a certificate of sponsorship has been issued for three years or less - main applicant and dependants

£625

£719

15%

In-Country

Skilled Worker, where a certificate of sponsorship has been issued for over three years   - main applicant and dependants

£1,423

£1,500

5%

Overseas

Skilled Worker, where a certificate of sponsorship has been issued for over three years - main applicant and dependants

£1,235

£1,420

15%

In-Country and Overseas

Skilled Worker, shortage occupation where a certificate of sponsorship has been issued for three years or less - main applicant and dependants

£479

£551

15%

In-Country and Overseas

Skilled Worker, shortage occupation where a certificate of sponsorship has been issued for over three years - main applicant and dependants

£943

£1,084

15%

T5 GAE (sponsored researchers) and Youth Mobility Scheme

In-Country and Overseas

Temporary Work –Government Authorised Exchange and Youth Mobility Scheme - main applicant and dependants 

£259

£298

15%

Global Talent Visa

In-Country and Overseas

(Stage 1) Endorsement application

£456

£524

15%

In-Country and Overseas

(Stage 2) Global Talent visa application - main applicant

£167

£192

15%

In-Country and Overseas

Global Talent – dependant (family members/partner) visa costs

£623

£716

15%

Graduate route

In-Country

Graduate Route – main applicant and dependants

£715

£822

15%

Indefinite leave to remain (settlement)

In-Country

Indefinite leave to remain - main applicant and dependants

£2,404

£2,885

20%

In addition, although no change to priority application additional cost (£500) the super-priority cost will increase from £800 to £1000 per application for the faster 1-3 working day decision.

From 16th January 2024 (to be confirmed)

  • The normal rate for the immigration health surcharge will increase from £624 to £1,035 per year, per person/applicant.
  • The discounted health surcharge rate for students, children and youth mobility visa holders will be increased from £470 to £776 per year.

We are awaiting final confirmation on the effective date of these IHS fee changes, that may be from 16/01/2024 or ‘the twenty-first day after the day on which it is made.’

You can see the current level of UKVI fees here.

Immigration rules change: Student visa holders switching to work routes

There were significant changes to the immigration rules which allow people to switch into work routes from a student visa as follows:

These changes took effect from 3pm on 17th July 2023 – and impact on any student to work visa switch (leave to remain) applications submitted from this date:

  • UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) have removed the ability for (Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught) students to switch into Skilled Worker or Global Talent Visa (or apply for a skilled worker /Global talent visa) up to 3 months prior to the end of their course they must now have fully completed studies.

  • Postgraduate Research (PhD) students can now switch into a skilled worker visa or GTV only after completing 24 months of their PhD (previously this was at 12 months).

21 September 2023

Immigration fee increases confirmed:

From 04 October 2023

Certificate of sponsorship costs:

The new fees will be effective for certificates that are assigned from 04 October 2023

  • T5 GAE (sponsored research) increase from £21 to £25 per COS
  • Skilled worker route sponsorship increase from £199 to £239 per COS

At time of update, there has been no change to the employer’s immigration skills charge – the hiring department continues to pay £364 per year of sponsorship at the point of assigning COS for applicable roles, in addition to the above Skilled worker route COS fee.

With immediate effect, the Staff Compliance Team will now be requesting VCC’s for the new higher fee amounts where we may be unable to process the COS before the fee increase date (whether due to rule on when we can assign COS, or the teams capacity to progress and assign COS before this date). This is to ensure the PO/VCC raised will be sufficient, and to avoid need to ask for replacement VCC. Where a VCC is provided for a higher amount, and the actual cost is lower the unspent sum should be returned to the relevant budget.

Visa application fee costs - for applications submitted from 04 October 2023:

There are 15% increases in most work route visa and visitor route visa fees, and CoS, ILR, and citizenship fees are increasing by at least 20%. Below are the main changes that impact on our costs.

Skilled worker route

Application submitted from

Description of application type

Current cost

Cost from 04/10/2023

Increase %

In-Country

Skilled Worker, where a certificate of sponsorship has been issued for three years or less - main applicant and dependants

£719

£827

15%

Overseas

Skilled Worker, where a certificate of sponsorship has been issued for three years or less - main applicant and dependants

£625

£719

15%

In-Country

Skilled Worker, where a certificate of sponsorship has been issued for over three years   - main applicant and dependants

£1,423

£1,500

5%

Overseas

Skilled Worker, where a certificate of sponsorship has been issued for over three years - main applicant and dependants

£1,235

£1,420

15%

In-Country and Overseas

Skilled Worker, shortage occupation where a certificate of sponsorship has been issued for three years or less - main applicant and dependants

£479

£551

15%

In-Country and Overseas

Skilled Worker, shortage occupation where a certificate of sponsorship has been issued for over three years - main applicant and dependants

£943

£1,084

15%

T5 GAE (sponsored researchers) and Youth Mobility Scheme

In-Country and Overseas

Temporary Work –Government Authorised Exchange and Youth Mobility Scheme - main applicant and dependants 

£259

£298

15%

Global Talent Visa

In-Country and Overseas

(Stage 1) Endorsement application

£456

£524

15%

In-Country and Overseas

(Stage 2) Global Talent visa application - main applicant

£167

£192

15%

In-Country and Overseas

Global Talent – dependant (family members/partner) visa costs

£623

£716

15%

Graduate route

In-Country

Graduate Route – main applicant and dependants

£715

£822

15%

Indefinite leave to remain (settlement)

In-Country

Indefinite leave to remain - main applicant and dependants

£2,404

£2,885

20%

In addition, although no change to priority application additional cost (£500) the super-priority cost will increase from £800 to £1000 per application for the faster 1-3 working day decision.

From a later Autumn effective date to be confirmed:

  • The normal rate for the immigration health surcharge will increase from £624 to £1,035 per year.
  • The discounted health surcharge rate for students, children and youth mobility visa holders will be increased from £470 to £776 per year.
  • On Wednesday 4th October due to train strikes, the team may be unable to offer in-person checks on this date.

You can see the current level of UKVI fees here.

Once we know the exact fees and effective date of any other fee increases this will be communicated on our webpages and with faculties/departments.

Immigration rules change: Student visa holders switching to work routes

There were significant changes to the immigration rules which allow people to switch into work routes from a student visa as follows:

These changes took effect from 3pm on 17th July 2023 – and impact on any student to work visa switch (leave to remain) applications submitted from this date:

  • UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) have removed the ability for (Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught) students to switch into Skilled Worker or Global Talent Visa (or apply for a skilled worker /Global talent visa) up to 3 months prior to the end of their course they must now have fully completed studies.

  • Postgraduate Research (PhD) students can now switch into a skilled worker visa or GTV only after completing 24 months of their PhD (previously this was at 12 months).
  • This rule change has been implemented by UKVI with immediate effect so may have consequences for people in the middle of job applications / being employed by the College. The Staff Compliance Team may be required to revise previous advice provided due to these rules changes and we will advise affected individuals/departments where identified.

Staff Compliance Team processing times:

Right to work checks

Please be aware that where a right to work check must be delayed, the start date is not permitted before the check is completed. The work start date would also need to be delayed until the individual is present in the UK and able to satisfactorily evidence their right to work.

Industrial action for rail/transport or Transport for London underground services has impacted on the teams availability for in-person right to work checks due to travel delays/cancellations. However, we continue to operate in-person check availability all Monday to Thursdays, unless stated on this page, and on some Fridays where required. At time of this update, there are no further confirmed strike or ASOS days that will impact on our availability for in person checks.

For new arrivals to the UK, we recommend collecting the Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) card as soon as possible after arriving in the UK, and contacting our team as soon as the Online RTW check share code can be accessed, as this can be completed fully online and via a Microsoft Teams video-call, rather than in-person.

Where the Staff Compliance Team is copied into conditional employment contracts to undertake a right to work check for individuals who already hold a suitable UK visa status, the team is currently able to meet our processing aim of our team contacting the new-hire prospective employee to complete these right to work checks within 5 working days of the date the contract is issued. Whether the check can be fully completed will depend on the new-hire prospective employee providing the necessary information/evidence promptly.

The Staff Compliance Team will send a ‘contract conditions met’ email to the new employee cc’ing departmental contact and line manager once the check is fully completed and individual is cleared to start work.

Providing advice to HR Hub teams and hiring departments

Where the Staff Compliance Team is requested by Recruitment Hub or HR Staff Hub to review the held UK visa documents / eligibility for UK work-route visa, the team is usually able to meet our processing aim of providing an initial response/advice* within 5 working days of the request from the Hub team, cc’ing the key departmental contact in our response.

However, please be aware that in August through to mid-October our workload is significantly higher at this time of year, and this may impact on our turnaround time. Where the proposed start date is not immediately urgent, this may take up to 10 working days for the initial response.

*The initial response may ask for further information/evidence from the prospective employee and/or hiring department to make a full assessment of eligibility for our preferred employment visa routes.

Application processing times (UKVI / ATAS)

We have recently seen increased instances of minor delayed visa decisions in August -September, so please review below information with this in mind.

Global talent visa endorsement (stage 1) applications:

  • For accelerated endorsement routes – most endorsement applications are being decided within 2 weeks
  • For standard peer review endorsement route – most endorsement applications are being decided within 5-7 weeks

In country visa applications:

UKVI are currently working to their usual standard of 8 weeks for visa application decision from the point that an in-time application is submitted, all fees and surcharges paid, and applicants biometrics provided.

There may be priority (£500 additional for 1 week decision), or super priority (£800 additional for 1-2 working day decision) options available, where required. These fees must be paid at time of visa application submission and cannot be added separately later.

  • For extension/switching applications - individuals are unable to leave the UK and common travel area until their new visa is granted and checked, and applicants/departments may decide to pay for priority processing.
  • For changes of employment from another sponsor, please consider the processing times when setting start dates. Candidates may wish to extend their current role/notice period to avoid the situation where they are unable to start employment with Imperial and have left their former employer/sponsor and are not eligible for UK public funds/benefits in the interim. Applicants/departments may decide to pay for priority processing.
  • Please be aware that applications for Indefinite leave to remain (settlement) have a 6-month standard processing service standard rather than the 8 weeks above. Applicants may decide to pay for priority processing.

Out-of-country visa applications:

UKVI (Home Office) guidance on how quickly you will receive a decision on your UK visa application if you are applying from outside the UK can be viewed via this link. Most overseas applications are expected to be a 3 week standard decision.

Overseas priority application options are subject to availability, and dependent on the country of application.

  • For standard visitor visa applications, there continues to be a reduction in the availability of the priority visa service. This is in relation to visiting academic/researcher associations which are processed via this link (not T5 GAE sponsored researchers which are requested and processed via Staff Compliance Team)

Academic & Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) for employees/visiting academics:

In addition, we are experiencing the following delays in relation to both in-country and out-of-country applications:

  • ATAS application processing for employees / sponsored researchers / visitors – FCDO advise that 6 weeks is the standard processing time, and we see most applications processed within 6-10 weeks.

We do still see delays regularly and some cases have taken from 3 to 6 months. Unfortunately, there is no way of expediting ATAS applications where they are delayed. Where the ATAS application for an employee/sponsored researcher/visiting researcher or academic has taken over 8 weeks please email D.Bowden@imperial.ac.uk and we will flag this delay to FCDO as feedback on their processing times and to check application is still progressing. We are unfortunately unable to get the ATAS result expedited.

For delayed ATAS applications for students please continue to liaise with the relevant student admissions / international student support team. HR Staff Compliance is unable to assist with student or admissions ATAS queries.

11 September 2023

Staff Compliance Team processing times:

Right to work checks

Please be aware that where a right to work check must be delayed, the start date is not permitted before the check is completed. The work start date would also need to be delayed until the individual is present in the UK and able to satisfactorily evidence their right to work.

Industrial action for rail/transport or Transport for London underground services has impacted on the teams availability for in-person right to work checks due to travel delays/cancellations. However, we continue to operate in-person check availability all Monday to Thursdays, unless stated on this page, and on some Fridays where required. At time of this update, there are no further confirmed strike or ASOS days that will impact on our availability for in person checks.

For new arrivals to the UK, we recommend collecting the Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) card as soon as possible after arriving in the UK, and contacting our team as soon as the Online RTW check share code can be accessed, as this can be completed fully online and via a Microsoft Teams video-call, rather than in-person.

Where the Staff Compliance Team is copied into conditional employment contracts to undertake a right to work check for individuals who already hold a suitable UK visa status, the team is currently able to meet our processing aim of our team contacting the new-hire prospective employee to complete these right to work checks within 5 working days of the date the contract is issued. Whether the check can be fully completed will depend on the new-hire prospective employee providing the necessary information/evidence promptly.

The Staff Compliance Team will send a ‘contract conditions met’ email to the new employee cc’ing departmental contact and line manager once the check is fully completed and individual is cleared to start work.

Providing advice to HR Hub teams and hiring departments

Where the Staff Compliance Team is requested by Recruitment Hub or HR Staff Hub to review the held UK visa documents / eligibility for UK work-route visa, the team is usually able to meet our processing aim of providing an initial response/advice* within 5 working days of the request from the Hub team, cc’ing the key departmental contact in our response.

However, please be aware that in August through early October our workload is significantly higher at this time of year, and this may impact on our turnaround time. Where the proposed start date is not immediately urgent, this may take up to 10 working days.

*The initial response may ask for further information/evidence from the prospective employee and/or hiring department to make a full assessment of eligibility for our preferred employment visa routes.

Application processing times (UKVI / ATAS)

We have recently seen increased instances of minor delayed visa decisions in August -September, so please review below information with this in mind.

Global talent visa endorsement (stage 1) applications:

  • For accelerated endorsement routes – most endorsement applications are being decided within 2 weeks
  • For standard peer review endorsement route – most endorsement applications are being decided within 5-7 weeks

In country visa applications:

UKVI are currently working to their usual standard of 8 weeks for visa application decision from the point that an in-time application is submitted, all fees and surcharges paid, and applicants biometrics provided.

There may be priority (£500 additional for 1 week decision), or super priority (£800 additional for 1-2 working day decision) options available, where required. These fees must be paid at time of visa application submission and cannot be added separately later.

  • For extension/switching applications - individuals are unable to leave the UK and common travel area until their new visa is granted and checked, and applicants/departments may decide to pay for priority processing.
  • For changes of employment from another sponsor, please consider the processing times when setting start dates. Candidates may wish to extend their current role/notice period to avoid the situation where they are unable to start employment with Imperial and have left their former employer/sponsor and are not eligible for UK public funds/benefits in the interim. Applicants/departments may decide to pay for priority processing.
  • Please be aware that applications for Indefinite leave to remain (settlement) have a 6-month standard processing service standard rather than the 8 weeks above. Applicants may decide to pay for priority processing.

Out-of-country visa applications:

UKVI (Home Office) guidance on how quickly you will receive a decision on your UK visa application if you are applying from outside the UK can be viewed via this link. Most overseas applications are expected to be a 3 week standard decision.

Overseas priority application options are subject to availability, and dependent on the country of application.

  • For standard visitor visa applications, there continues to be a reduction in the availability of the priority visa service. This is in relation to visiting academic/researcher associations which are processed via this link (not T5 GAE sponsored researchers which are requested and processed via Staff Compliance Team)

Academic & Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) for employees/visiting academics:

In addition, we are experiencing the following delays in relation to both in-country and out-of-country applications:

  • ATAS application processing for employees / sponsored researchers / visitors – FCDO advise that 6 weeks is the standard processing time, and we see most applications processed within 6-10 weeks.

We do still see delays regularly and some cases have taken from 3 to 6 months. Unfortunately, there is no way of expediting ATAS applications where they are delayed. Where the ATAS application for an employee/sponsored researcher/visiting researcher or academic has taken over 8 weeks please email D.Bowden@imperial.ac.uk and we will flag this delay to FCDO.

For delayed ATAS applications for students please continue to liaise with the relevant student admissions / international student support team. HR Staff Compliance is unable to assist with student or admissions ATAS queries.

Immigration rules changes

Student visa holders switching to work routes

There were significant changes to the immigration rules which allow people to switch into work routes from a student visa as follows:

These changes took effect from 3pm on 17th July 2023 – and impact on any student to work visa switch (leave to remain) applications submitted from this date:

  • UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) have removed the ability for (Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught) students to switch into Skilled Worker or Global Talent Visa (or apply for a skilled worker /Global talent visa) up to 3 months prior to the end of their course they must now have fully completed studies.

  • Postgraduate Research (PhD) students can now switch into a skilled worker visa or GTV only after completing 24 months of their PhD (previously this was at 12 months).
  • This rule change has been implemented by UKVI with immediate effect so may have consequences for people in the middle of job applications / being employed by the College. The Staff Compliance Team may be required to revise previous advice provided due to these rules changes and we will advise affected individuals/departments where identified.

Immigration fees increases expected:

  • The normal rate for the immigration health surcharge will increase from £624 to £1,035 per year.
  • The discounted rate for students, children and youth mobility visa holders will be increased from £470 to £776 per year.
  • We are expecting 15% increases in work route visa and visitor route visa fees, and CoS, ILR, and citizenship fees to increase by “at least 20%”.

You can see the current level of fees here.

No announcement has yet been made on timing of the proposed increases, but once we know the exact fees and effective date of these fee increases this will be communicated on our webpages and with faculties/departments.

31 August 2023

Staff Compliance Team processing times:

Right to work checks

Please be aware that where a right to work check must be delayed, the start date is not permitted before the check is completed. The work start date would also need to be delayed until the individual is present in the UK and able to satisfactorily evidence their right to work.

Scheduled industrial action for rail/transport or Transport for London underground services can impact on the teams availability for in-person right to work checks due to travel delays/cancellations. However, we continue to operate in-person check availability all Monday to Thursdays, unless stated on this page, and on some Fridays where required.

On Friday 1st September there are significant impacts to UK rail travel due to industrial action, which means that only limited members of the Staff Compliance Team can reach campus that day. This will impact on our in-person RTW check timeslot availability, which is likely to be between 11am-3.30pm.

For new arrivals to the UK, we recommend collecting the Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) card as soon as possible after arriving in the UK, and contacting our team as soon as the Online RTW check share code can be accessed, as this can be completed fully online and via a Microsoft Teams video-call.

On 30th and 31st August our team (and all employers/HEI’s have been experiencing intermittent technical problems with the UKVI Online RTW website – and have been unable to access or download Online RTW check results after being provided with the share code from employees/new hires. This issue may also be encountered by departments using the service to access the status of EU Settlement Scheme status holders or holders of Indefinite leave to remain.

Where technical issue is preventing a RTW check being undertaken, the College will unfortunately need to delay the work start date until a valid pre-employment check can be completed. If neither Online or in-person can be completed the Staff Compliance Team may need to use the Home Office employers checking service to obtain suitable evidence of right to work to start or continue employment.

Where the Staff Compliance Team is copied into conditional employment contracts to undertake a right to work check for individuals who already hold a suitable UK visa status, the team is currently able to meet our processing aim of our team contacting the new-hire prospective employee to complete these right to work checks within 5 working days of the date the contract is issued. Whether the check can be fully completed will depend on the new-hire prospective employee providing the necessary information/evidence promptly.

The Staff Compliance Team will send a ‘contract conditions met’ email to the new employee cc’ing departmental contact and line manager once the check is fully completed and individual is cleared to start work.

Providing advice to HR Hub teams and hiring departments

Where the Staff Compliance Team is requested by Recruitment Hub or HR Staff Hub to review the held UK visa documents / eligibility for UK work-route visa, the team is usually able to meet our processing aim of providing an initial response/advice* within 5 working days of the request from the Hub team, cc’ing the key departmental contact in our response.

However, please be aware that in August through early September our workload is significantly higher at this time of year, and this may impact on our turnaround time. Where the proposed start date is not immediately urgent, this may take up to 10 working days.

*The initial response may ask for further information/evidence from the prospective employee and/or hiring department to make a full assessment of eligibility for our preferred employment visa routes.

Immigration rules changes

Student visa holders switching to work routes

There were significant changes to the immigration rules which allow people to switch into work routes from a student visa as follows:

These changes took effect from 3pm on 17th July 2023 – and impacts on any student to work visa switch (leave to remain) applications submitted from this date:

  • UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) have removed the ability for (Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught) students to switch into Skilled Worker or Global Talent Visa (or apply for a skilled worker /Global talent visa) up to 3 months prior to the end of their course they must now have fully completed studies.

  • Postgraduate Research (PhD) students can now switch into a skilled worker visa or GTV only after completing 24 months of their PhD (previously this was at 12 months).
  • This rule change has been implemented by UKVI with immediate effect so may have consequences for people in the middle of job applications / being employed by the College. The Staff Compliance Team may be required to revise previous advice provided due to these rules changes and we will advise affected individuals/departments where identified.

Immigration fees increases expected:

  • The normal rate for the immigration health surcharge will increase from £624 to £1,035 per year.
  • The discounted rate for students, children and youth mobility visa holders will be increased from £470 to £776 per year.
  • We are expecting 15% increases in work route visa and visitor route visa fees, and CoS, ILR, and citizenship fees to increase by “at least 20%”.

You can see the current level of fees here.

No announcement has yet been made on timing of the proposed increases, but once we know the exact fees and effective date of these fee increases this will be communicated on our webpages and with faculties/departments.

Application processing

In country applications:

UKVI are currently working to their usual standard of 8 weeks for visa application decision from the point that an in-time application is submitted, all fees and surcharges paid, and applicants biometrics provided.

There may be priority (£500 additional for 1 week decision), or super priority (£800 additional for 1-2 working day decision) options available, where required. These fees must be paid at time of visa application submission and cannot be added separately later.

  • For extension/switching applications - individuals are unable to leave the UK and common travel area until their new visa is granted and checked, and applicants/departments may decide to pay for priority processing.
  • For changes of employment from another sponsor, please consider the processing times when setting start dates. Candidates may wish to extend their current role/notice period to avoid the situation where they are unable to start employment with Imperial and have left their former employer/sponsor and are not eligible for UK public funds/benefits in the interim. Applicants/departments may decide to pay for priority processing.
  • Please be aware that applications for Indefinite leave to remain (settlement) have a 6-month standard processing service standard rather than the 8 weeks above. Applicants may decide to pay for priority processing.

Out-of-country applications:

UKVI (Home Office) guidance on how quickly you will receive a decision on your UK visa application if you are applying from outside the UK can be viewed via this link. Most overseas applications are expected to be a 3 week standard decision.

Overseas priority application options are subject to availability, and dependent on the country of application.

  • For standard visitor visa applications, there continues to be a reduction in the availability of the priority visa service. This is in relation to visiting academic/researcher associations which are processed via this link (not T5 GAE sponsored researchers which are requested and processed via Staff Compliance Team)

General issues:

In addition, we are experiencing the following delays in relation to both in-country and out-of-country applications:

  • ATAS application processing for employees / sponsored researchers / visitors – FCDO advise that 6 weeks is the standard processing time, and we see most applications processed within 6-10 weeks.

However, we do still see delays regularly and some cases have taken from 3 to 6 months. Unfortunately, there is no way of expediting ATAS applications where they are delayed. Where the ATAS application for an employee/sponsored researcher/visiting researcher or academic has taken over 8 weeks please email D.Bowden@imperial.ac.uk and we will flag this delay to FCDO.

For delayed ATAS applications for students please continue to liaise with the relevant student admissions / international student support team. HR Staff Compliance is unable to assist with student or admissions ATAS queries.

August 2023

Immigration rules changes

Student visa holders switching to work routes

There were significant changes to the immigration rules which allow people to switch into work routes from a student visa as follows:

These changes took effect from 3pm on 17th July 2023 – and impacts on any student to work visa switch (leave to remain) applications submitted from this date:

  • UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) have removed the ability for (Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught) students to switch into Skilled Worker or Global Talent Visa (or apply for a skilled worker /Global talent visa) up to 3 months prior to the end of their course they must now have fully completed studies.

  • Postgraduate Research (PhD) students can now switch into a skilled worker visa or GTV only after completing 24 months of their PhD (previously this was at 12 months).
  • This rule change has been implemented by UKVI with immediate effect so may have consequences for people in the middle of job applications / being employed by the College. The Staff Compliance Team may be required to revise previous advice provided due to these rules changes and we will advise affected individuals/departments where identified.

Immigration fees increases expected:

  • The normal rate for the immigration health surcharge will increase from £624 to £1,035 per year.
  • The discounted rate for students, children and youth mobility visa holders will be increased from £470 to £776 per year.
  • We are expecting 15% increases in work route visa and visitor route visa fees, and CoS, ILR, and citizenship fees to increase by “at least 20%”.

You can see the current level of fees here.

No announcement has yet been made on timing of the proposed increases, but once we know the exact fees and effective date of these fee increases this will be communicated on our webpages and with faculties/departments.

Application processing

In country applications:

UKVI are currently working to their usual standard of 8 weeks for visa application decision from the point that an in-time application is submitted, all fees and surcharges paid, and applicants biometrics provided.

There may be priority (£500 additional for 1 week decision), or super priority (£800 additional for 1-2 working day decision) options available, where required. These fees must be paid at time of visa application submission and cannot be added separately later.

  • For extension/switching applications - individuals are unable to leave the UK and common travel area until their new visa is granted and checked, and applicants/departments may decide to pay for priority processing.
  • For changes of employment from another sponsor, please consider the processing times when setting start dates. Candidates may wish to extend their current role/notice period to avoid the situation where they are unable to start employment with Imperial and have left their former employer/sponsor and are not eligible for UK public funds/benefits in the interim. Applicants/departments may decide to pay for priority processing.
  • Please be aware that applications for Indefinite leave to remain (settlement) have a 6-month standard processing service standard rather than the 8 weeks above. Applicants may decide to pay for priority processing.

Out-of-country applications:

UKVI (Home Office) guidance on how quickly you will receive a decision on your UK visa application if you are applying from outside the UK can be viewed via this link. Most overseas applications are expected to be a 3 week standard decision.

Overseas priority application options are subject to availability, and dependent on the country of application.

  • For standard visitor visa applications, there continues to be a reduction in the availability of the priority visa service. This is in relation to visiting academic/researcher associations which are processed via this link (not T5 GAE sponsored researchers which are requested and processed via Staff Compliance Team)

General issues:

In addition, we are experiencing the following delays in relation to both in-country and out-of-country applications:

  • ATAS application processing for employees / sponsored researchers / visitors – FCDO advise that 6 weeks is the standard processing time, and we see most applications processed within 6-10 weeks.

However, we do still see delays regularly and some cases have taken from 3 to 6 months. Unfortunately, there is no way of expediting ATAS applications where they are delayed. Where the ATAS application for an employee/sponsored researcher/visitor has taken over 8 weeks please email D.Bowden@imperial.ac.uk and we will flag this delay to FCDO.

For delayed ATAS applications for students please continue to liaise with the relevant student admissions / international student support team. HR Staff Compliance is unable to assist with student or admissions queries.

Staff Compliance Team processing times:

Pre-employment right to work checks

Please be aware that where a right to work check must be delayed, the start date is not permitted before the check is completed. The work start date would also need to be delayed until the individual is present in the UK and able to satisfactorily evidence their right to work.

Scheduled industrial action for rail/transport or Transport for London underground services can impact on the teams availability for in-person right to work checks due to travel delays/cancellations. However, we continue to operate in-person check availability all Monday to Thursdays, unless stated on this page, and on some Fridays where required.

For new arrivals to the UK, we recommend collecting the Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) card as soon as possible after arriving in the UK, and contacting our team as soon as the Online RTW check share code can be accessed, as this can be completed fully online and via a Microsoft Teams video-call.

Where the Staff Compliance Team is copied into conditional employment contracts to undertake a right to work check for individuals who already hold a suitable UK visa status, the team is currently able to meet our processing aim of our team contacting the new-hire prospective employee to complete these right to work checks within 5 working days of the date the contract is issued. Whether the check can be fully completed will depend on the new-hire prospective employee providing the necessary information/evidence promptly.

The Staff Compliance Team will send a ‘contract conditions met’ email to the new employee cc’ing departmental contact and line manager once the check is fully completed and individual is cleared to start work.

Providing advice to HR Hub teams and hiring departments

Where the Staff Compliance Team is requested by Recruitment Hub or HR Staff Hub to review the held UK visa documents / eligibility for UK work-route visa, the team is currently able to meet our processing aim of providing an initial response/advice* within 5 working days of the request from the Hub team, cc’ing the key departmental contact in our response.

*The initial response may ask for further information/evidence from the prospective employee and/or hiring department to make a full assessment of eligibility for our preferred employment visa routes.

July 2023*

17 July 2023

 

Immigration rules changes

Students switching to work routes

There are significant changes to the immigration rules which allow people to switch into work routes from a student visa as follows:

These changes took effect from 3pm on 17th July 2023 and removes the following provisions:

  • The ability for students to switch into Skilled Worker or GTV (or apply for a skilled worker /Global talent visa) up to 3 months prior to the end of their course (they must now have completed studies)
  • The ability for PhD students to switch into a skilled worker visa or GTV after completing 12 months of a PhD (it is now only after 24 months)
  • This rule change has been implemented by UKVI with immediate effect so may have consequences for people in the middle of job applications / being employed by the College.

Immigration fees increases expected

  • The normal rate for the immigration health surcharge will increase from £624 to £1,035 per year.
  • The discounted rate for students, children and youth mobility visa holders will be increased from £470 to £776 per year.
  • We are expecting 15% increases in work route visa and visitor route visa fees, and CoS, ILR, and citizenship fees to increase by “at least 20%”.

You can see the current level of fees here.

No announcement has yet been made on timing of the proposed increases, but once we know the exact fees and effective date of these fee increases this will be communicated on our webpages and with faculties/departments.

Application processing

In country applications:

UKVI are currently working to their usual standard of 8 weeks for visa application decision from the point that an in-time application is submitted, all fees and surcharges paid, and applicants biometrics provided.

There may be priority (£500 additional for 1 week decision), or super priority (£800 additional for 1-2 working day decision) options available, where required. These fees must be paid at time of visa application submission and cannot be added separately later.

  • For extension/switching applications - individuals are unable to leave the UK and common travel area until their new visa is granted and checked, and applicants/departments may decide to pay for priority processing.
  • For changes of employment from another sponsor, please consider the processing times when setting start dates. Candidates may wish to extend their current role/notice period to avoid the situation where they are unable to start employment with Imperial and have left their former employer/sponsor and are not eligible for UK public funds/benefits in the interim. Applicants/departments may decide to pay for priority processing.
  • Please be aware that applications for Indefinite leave to remain (settlement) have a 6-month standard processing service standard rather than the 8 weeks above. Applicants may decide to pay for priority processing.

Out-of-country applications:

UKVI (Home Office) guidance on how quickly you will receive a decision on your UK visa application if you are applying from outside the UK can be viewed via this link. Most overseas applications are expected to be a 3 week standard decision.

Overseas priority application options are subject to availability, and dependent on the country of application.

  • For standard visitor visa applications, there continues to be a reduction in the availability of the priority visa service. This is in relation to visiting academic/researcher associations which are processed via this link (not T5 GAE sponsored researchers which are requested and processed via Staff Compliance Team)

General issues:

In addition, we are experiencing the following delays in relation to both in-country and out-of-country applications:

  • ATAS application processing – we have noticed an improvement in processing times for many ATAS applications in 2023, and the majority should be processed within 6-8 weeks.

However, we do still see delays and some cases have taken from 3 to 6 months. Unfortunately, there is no way of expediting ATAS applications where they are delayed. However, where the ATAS application has taken over 8 weeks please email D.Bowden@imperial.ac.uk and we will flag this delay to FCDO.

Please be aware that where a right to work check must be delayed, the start date is not permitted before the check is completed. The work start date would also need to be delayed until the individual is present in the UK and able to satisfactorily evidence their right to work.

Staff Compliance Team processing times:

Pre-employment right to work checks

Please note that the following dates are scheduled industrial action for rail/transport or Transport for London underground services and there will be no/limited availability for in-person manual right to work checks on these dates:

  • Monday 3rd to Friday 7th July 2023
  • Monday 17th July
  • Tuesday 18th July
  • Thursday 20th July
  • Friday 21st July
  • Tuesday 25th July
  • Wednesday 26th July
  • Thursday 27th July

The team will be scheduling all in-person manual right to work checks on:

  • Wednesday 19th July
  • Monday 24th July
  • Friday 28th July

For new arrivals to the UK, we recommend collecting the Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) card as soon as possible, and contacting our team as soon as the Online RTW check share code can be accessed, as this can be completed online and via a Microsoft Teams video-call.

Where the Staff Compliance Team is copied into conditional employment contracts to undertake a right to work check for individuals who already hold a suitable UK visa status, the team is currently able to meet our processing aim of our team contacting the new-hire prospective employee to complete these right to work checks within 5 working days of the date the contract is issued. Whether the check can be fully completed will depend on the new-hire prospective employee providing the necessary information/evidence promptly.

The Staff Compliance Team will send a ‘contract conditions met’ email to the new employee cc’ing departmental contact and line manager once the check is fully completed and individual is cleared to start work.

Providing advice to HR Hub teams and hiring departments

Where the Staff Compliance Team is requested by Recruitment Hub or HR Staff Hub to review the held UK visa documents / eligibility for UK work-route visa, the team is currently able to meet our processing aim of providing an initial response/advice* within 5 working days of the request from the Hub team, cc’ing the key departmental contact in our response.

*The initial response may ask for further information/evidence from the prospective employee and/or hiring department to make a full assessment of eligibility for our preferred employment visa routes.

July 2023

In country applications:

UKVI are currently working to their usual standard of 8 weeks for visa application decision from the point that an in-time application is submitted, all fees and surcharges paid, and applicants biometrics provided.

There may be priority (£500 additional for 1 week decision), or super priority (£800 additional for 1-2 working day decision) options available, where required. These fees must be paid at time of visa application submission and cannot be added separately later.

  • For extension/switching applications - individuals are unable to leave the UK and common travel area until their new visa is granted and checked, and applicants/departments may decide to pay for priority processing.
  • For changes of employment from another sponsor, please consider the processing times when setting start dates. Candidates may wish to extend their current role/notice period to avoid the situation where they are unable to start employment with Imperial and have left their former employer/sponsor and are not eligible for UK public funds/benefits in the interim. Applicants/departments may decide to pay for priority processing.
  • Please be aware that applications for Indefinite leave to remain (settlement) have a 6-month standard processing service standard rather than the 8 weeks above. Applicants may decide to pay for priority processing.

Out-of-country applications:

UKVI (Home Office) guidance on how quickly you will receive a decision on your UK visa application if you are applying from outside the UK can be viewed via this link. Most overseas applications are expected to be a 3 week standard decision.

Overseas priority application options are subject to availability, and dependent on the country of application.

  • For standard visitor visa applications, there continues to be a reduction in the availability of the priority visa service. This is in relation to visiting academic/researcher associations which are processed via this link (not T5 GAE sponsored researchers which are requested and processed via Staff Compliance Team)

General issues:

In addition, we are experiencing the following delays in relation to both in-country and out-of-country applications:

  • ATAS application processing – we have noticed an improvement in processing times for many ATAS applications in 2023, and the majority should be processed within 6-8 weeks.

However, we do still see delays and some cases have taken from 3-6 months. Unfortunately, there is no way of expediting ATAS applications where they are delayed.

Please be aware that where a right to work check must be delayed, the start date is not permitted before the check is completed. The work start date would also need to be delayed until the individual is present in the UK and able to satisfactorily evidence their right to work.

Staff Compliance Team processing times:

Pre-employment right to work checks

Please note that the following dates are scheduled industrial action for rail/transport or Transport for London underground services and there will be no/limited availability for in-person manual right to work checks on these dates:

  • Monday 3rd to Friday 7th July 2023
  • Monday 17th July
  • Tuesday 18th July
  • Thursday 20th July
  • Friday 21st July
  • Tuesday 25th July
  • Wednesday 26th July
  • Thursday 27th July

The team will be scheduling all in-person manual right to work checks on:

  • Wednesday 19th July
  • Monday 24th July
  • Friday 28th July

For new arrivals to the UK, we recommend collecting the Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) card as soon as possible, and contacting our team as soon as the Online RTW check share code can be accessed, as this can be completed online and via a Microsoft Teams video-call.

Where the Staff Compliance Team is copied into conditional employment contracts to undertake a right to work check for individuals who already hold a suitable UK visa status, the team is currently able to meet our processing aim of our team contacting the new-hire prospective employee to complete these right to work checks within 5 working days of the date the contract is issued. Whether the check can be fully completed will depend on the new-hire prospective employee providing the necessary information/evidence promptly.

The Staff Compliance Team will send a ‘contract conditions met’ email to the new employee cc’ing departmental contact and line manager once the check is fully completed and individual is cleared to start work.

Providing advice to HR Hub teams and hiring departments

Where the Staff Compliance Team is requested by Recruitment Hub or HR Staff Hub to review the held UK visa documents / eligibility for UK work-route visa, the team is currently able to meet our processing aim of providing an initial response/advice* within 5 working days of the request from the Hub team, cc’ing the key departmental contact in our response.

*The initial response may ask for further information/evidence from the prospective employee and/or hiring department to make a full assessment of eligibility for our preferred employment visa routes.

June 2023

In country applications:

UKVI are currently working to their usual standard of 8 weeks for visa application decision from the point that an in-time application is submitted, all fees and surcharges paid, and applicants biometrics provided.

There may be priority (£500 additional for 1 week decision), or super priority (£800 additional for 1-2 working day decision) options available, where required. These fees must be paid at time of visa application submission and cannot be added separately later.

  • For extension/switching applications - individuals are unable to leave the UK and common travel area until their new visa is granted and checked, and applicants/departments may decide to pay for priority processing.
  • For changes of employment from another sponsor, please consider the processing times when setting start dates. Candidates may wish to extend their current role/notice period to avoid the situation where they are unable to start employment with Imperial and have left their former employer/sponsor and are not eligible for UK public funds/benefits in the interim. Applicants/departments may decide to pay for priority processing.
  • Please be aware that applications for Indefinite leave to remain (settlement) have a 6-month standard processing service standard rather than the 8 weeks above. Applicants may decide to pay for priority processing.

Out-of-country applications:

UKVI (Home Office) guidance on how quickly you will receive a decision on your UK visa application if you are applying from outside the UK can be viewed via this link. Most overseas applications are expected to be a 3 week standard decision.

Overseas priority application options are subject to availability, and dependent on the country of application.

  • For standard visitor visa applications, there continues to be a reduction in the availability of the priority visa service. This is in relation to visiting academic/researcher associations which are processed via this link (not T5 GAE sponsored researchers which are requested and processed via Staff Compliance Team)

General issues:

In addition, we are experiencing the following delays in relation to both in-country and out-of-country applications:

  • ATAS application processing – we have noticed an improvement in processing times for many ATAS applications in 2023, and the majority should be processed within 6-8 weeks.

However, we do still see delays and some cases have taken from 3-6 months. Unfortunately, there is no way of expediting ATAS applications where they are delayed.

Please be aware that where a right to work check must be delayed, the start date is not permitted before the check is completed. The work start date would also need to be delayed until the individual is present in the UK and able to satisfactorily evidence their right to work.

Staff Compliance Team processing times:

Pre-employment right to work checks

Where the Staff Compliance Team is copied into conditional employment contracts to undertake a right to work check for individuals who already hold a suitable UK visa status, the team is currently able to meet our processing aim of our team contacting the new-hire prospective employee to complete these right to work checks within 5 working days of the date the contract is issued. Whether the check can be fully completed will depend on the new-hire prospective employee providing the necessary information/evidence promptly.

The Staff Compliance Team will send a ‘contract conditions met’ email to the new employee cc’ing departmental contact and line manager once the check is fully completed and individual is cleared to start work.

Providing advice to HR Hub teams and hiring departments

Where the Staff Compliance Team is requested by Recruitment Hub or HR Staff Hub to review the held UK visa documents / eligibility for UK work-route visa, the team is currently able to meet our processing aim of providing an initial response/advice* within 5 working days of the request from the Hub team, cc’ing the key departmental contact in our response.

*The initial response may ask for further information/evidence from the prospective employee and/or hiring department to make a full assessment of eligibility for our preferred employment visa routes.

May 2023

In country applications:

UKVI are currently working to their usual standard of 8 weeks for visa application decision from the point that an in-time application is submitted, all fees and surcharges paid, and applicants biometrics provided.

There may be priority (£500 additional for 1 week decision), or super priority (£800 additional for 1-2 working day decision) options available, where required. These fees must be paid at time of visa application submission and cannot be added separately later.

  • For extension/switching applications - individuals are unable to leave the UK and common travel area until their new visa is granted and checked, and applicants/departments may decide to pay for priority processing.
  • For changes of employment from another sponsor, please consider the processing times when setting start dates. Candidates may wish to extend their current role/notice period to avoid the situation where they are unable to start employment with Imperial and have left their former employer/sponsor and are not eligible for UK public funds/benefits in the interim. Applicants/departments may decide to pay for priority processing.
  • Please be aware that applications for Indefinite leave to remain (settlement) have a 6 month standard processing service standard rather than the 8 weeks above. Applicants may decide to pay for priority processing.

Out-of-country applications:

UKVI (Home Office) guidance on how quickly you will receive a decision on your UK visa application if you are applying from outside the UK can be viewed via this link

Overseas priority application options are subject to availability, and dependent on the country of application.

  • For visitor visa applications, there continues to be a reduction in the availability of the priority visa service.

General issues:

In addition, we are experiencing the following delays in relation to both in-country and out-of-country applications:

  • ATAS application processing – we have noticed an improvement in processing times for many ATAS applications, and the majority should be processed within 6 weeks. However, we do still see delays and some cases have taken 3-6 months. Unfortunately, there is no way of expediting ATAS applications where they are delayed.

Please be aware that where a right to work check must be delayed, the start date is not permitted before the check is completed, so the start date would also need to be delayed until the individual is present in the UK and able to evidence their right to work.

Please also be mindful of upcoming UK Bank holidays / College closure days in May / June when planning start dates for new hires.

  • Monday 29th May (bank holiday)

Please also note that the following dates are scheduled industrial action for transport and there will be no availability for in-person manual right to work checks on these dates:

    • Wednesday 31st May
    • Friday 2nd June
    • Thursday 1st June may also have significant travel disruption, and we are monitoring whether possible to conduct in person checks on this date.

Please also be mindful of these closure dates for existing staff submitting and providing evidence to the Staff Compliance Team of their submitted visa application / permission to use the Home Office employers checking service. Where there are closure days/weekends employees may need to ensure they provide evidence/permission on the last working day beforehand, if visa expiry falls on a weekend or closure date.

The Staff Immigration and Compliance Team will provide the relevant information to existing staff extending sponsorship/visa (where it will impact on travel ability) and respond to RTW Reviews (to HR Staff Hub and Recruitment Hub) for new hires on this basis. If you are planning any recruitment or arranging start dates for new hires, please factor this information into your timelines.

March 2023

In country applications:

UKVI are currently working to their usual standard of 8 weeks for visa application decision from the point that an in-time application is submitted, all fees and surcharges paid, and applicants biometrics provided.

There may be priority (£500 additional for 1 week decision), or super priority (£800 additional for 1-2 working day decision) options available, where required.

  • For extension/switching applications - individuals are unable to leave the UK and common travel area until their new visa is granted and checked, and applicants/departments may decide to pay for priority processing.
  • For changes of employment from another sponsor, please consider the processing times when setting start dates. Candidates may wish to extend their current role/notice period to avoid the situation where they are unable to start employment with Imperial and have left their former employer/sponsor and are not eligible for UK public funds/benefits in the interim. Applicants/departments may decide to pay for priority processing.
  • Please be aware that applications for Indefinite leave to remain (settlement) have a 6 month standard processing service rather than the 8 weeks above. Applicants may decide to pay for priority processing.

Out-of-country applications:

UKVI (Home Office) guidance on how quickly you will receive a decision on your UK visa application if you are applying from outside the UK can be viewed via this link

Overseas priority application options are subject to availability, and dependent on the country of application.

General issues:

In addition, we are currently experiencing the following delays in relation to both in-country and out-of-country applications:

  • ATAS application processing – we have noticed an improvement in processing times for many ATAS applications. However, we do still see delays and some cases have taken 3-6 months. Unfortunately, there is no way of expediting ATAS applications where delayed.
  • Visa applications – although current UKVI processing times are now back to their usual service standards, we have seen some applications submitted between Autumn 2022 – January 2023 delayed.
    • For visitor visa applications, there is a reduction in the availability of the priority visa service.
  • HR Staff Compliance Team In-person right to work checks for new starters with time-limited visas – Please note that the Industrial action for railway and/or transport for London strike days will have an impact on team availability for in-person checks in March 2023 on the following dates:
  • Wednesday 15th March
  • Thursday 16th March
    • There may be limited availability on Friday 17th March
    • There may be limited availability on Friday 31st March
  • Thursday 30th March

No checks will be conducted in-person on these dates and will either need to be:

  • undertaken as online right to work checks, once the Biometric Residence document is collected by the new starter, or
  • scheduled on the next working day after strike action / limited appointment availability.

Please be aware that where a right to work check must be delayed, the start date is not permitted before this check is completed, so this would also need to be delayed.

Please also be mindful of the upcoming College Easter closure dates when planning start dates for new hires, and for awareness when our team will be able to complete right to work checks prior to work start.

Please also be mindful of these dates for existing staff submitting and providing evidence to the Staff Compliance Team of their submitted visa application / permission to use the Home Office employers checking service.

The Staff Immigration and Compliance Team will provide the relevant information to existing staff extending sponsorship/visa (where it will impact on travel ability) and respond to RTW Reviews (to HR Staff Hub and Recruitment Hub) for new hires on this basis. If you are planning any recruitment or arranging start dates for new hires, please factor this information into your timelines.

December 2022

In country applications:

Please note that UKVI (Home Office) have recently updated their standard processing and decision time for in-country Skilled Worker Route extensions, switches, and changes of employment from 8 weeks to 11 weeks. (This has reduced from the 16 week estimate given in November 2022 update).

UKVI are aiming to return to their usual standard of 8 weeks by end of 2022.

There may be priority (£500 additional for 1 week decision), or super priority (£800 additional for 1-2 working day decision) options available, and we would expect that these decisions are faster than 11 weeks, but please be mindful that these timelines may also be subject to delay.

  • For extension/switching applications for Skilled Worker Route this may mean that individuals are unable to leave the UK and common travel area for some time until their new visa is granted and checked, and applicants/departments may decide to pay for priority processing.
  • For changes of employment from another sponsor, please consider these delays when setting start dates. Candidates may wish to extend their current role/notice period to avoid the situation where they are unable to start employment with Imperial and have left their former employer/sponsor and are not eligible for UK public funds/benefits in the interim. Applicants/departments may decide to pay for priority processing.

Out-of-country applications:

UKVI (Home Office) guidance on how quickly you will receive a decision on your UK visa application if you are applying from outside the UK can be viewed via this link. 

Availability of overseas priority application options is currently limited, and applications may be delayed.

General issues:

In addition, we are currently experiencing the following delays in relation to both in-country and out-of-country applications:

  • ATAS application processing - continues to be slow/unpredictable (no improvement since the summer student application spike) and some cases have taken 6 months. Unfortunately, there is no way of expediting ATAS applications.
  • Visa applications – delays across the board for most immigration routes.
  • HR Staff Compliance Team In-person right to work checks for new starters with time-limited visas – Please note that the Industrial action for railway and/or transport for London strike days will have an impact on team availability for in-person checks in December 2022 and January 2023 on the following dates:

Tuesday 13 December 2022
Wednesday 14 December 2022 
Friday 16 December 2022
Tuesday 3 January 2023
Wednesday 4 January 2023 
Friday 6 January 2023

No checks will be conducted in-person on these dates and will either need to be:

  • undertaken as online right to work checks, once the Biometric Residence document is collected by the new starter, or
  • scheduled on the next working day after strike action.

Please be aware that where a right to work check must be delayed, the start date is not permitted before this check is completed, so this would also need to be delayed.

The Staff Immigration and Compliance Team will provide the relevant information to existing staff extending sponsorship/visa (where it will impact on travel ability) and respond to RTW Reviews (to HR Staff Hub and Recruitment Hub) for new hires on this basis. If you are planning any recruitment which may be impacted by this update, please factor this information into your timelines.