Guidance for Christmas Closure 2025

For current staff with time-limited visas expiring  

The Staff Immigration Team will:

• Send Right to Work (RTW) visa expiry reminders as normal (at approximately 4 months, and 2 weeks prior to visa expiry), except for those whose visas expire between 15 December 2025 – 9 January 2026, who will be contacted additionally in advance of the closure period.
• Review and approve contract extension requests (CCR) in the HR Portal (FreshService) regularly in the weeks leading up to the closure period.
• Process any urgent Certificates of Sponsorship (Skilled Worker/GAE) or Statements of Guarantee (Global Talent Visa) as early as possible, once all documentation and quality checks are completed.

Please would departments assist by:

• Making requests for Global Talent Visa support or Skilled Worker/GAE contract extensions/Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) extensions (including Virtual Credit Cards with sufficient sums and expiry dates) as early as possible.
• Highlighting urgent requests due to imminent visa expiry over the closure period to the relevant approvers and the Recruitment/Staff Hub, so that ticket approvals/processing can be prioritised.
• Being mindful that the Staff Immigration Team will need to prioritise work related to immediately urgent visa expiries, January 2026 new starters, and where limited window of eligibility for Global Talent UKRI endorsed funder applications. This may impact upon email responses/processing for later start dates, visa expiries and other requests.

Please would staff assist by:

• Responding to visa expiry reminders, submitting and providing evidence of corresponding visa applications, and providing permission to use the Employers Checking Service (ECS) to the Staff Immigration Team as early as possible, to ensure that Imperial holds suitable evidence of continuing right to work.
• If applying for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) following a Tier 2/Skilled Worker visa, requesting a support letter from the Staff Immigration Team as early as possible, ensuring that your Teamseer record is up to date, and attaching a list of any other absences/overseas work not recorded in Teamseer; or

If applying for ILR after holding another visa category or applying for a Global Talent Visa extension, requesting an employment confirmation letter 

Please note that staff with pending visa applications should not travel outside the UK until they receive a decision on their application/online status confirming a successful outcome. Leaving the UK will have the effect of both withdrawing the pending visa application and/or ending the individual’s right to work permission in the UK where this is based on an in-time application and ‘3C Leave’.

For new staff with start dates between 15-22 December 2025 and 5-9 January 2026, the Staff Immigration Team will:

• Liaise with individuals before their work start date to check progress with visa application/relocation to UK and update hiring departments as required.
• Undertake pre-employment RTW checks as normal once the contract is issued and the individual holds the required UK visa status and is present in the UK.
• Confirm with the new employee and the hiring department once checks are complete and the individual can start work.

Please would departments assist by:

• Making new hire/contract requests and/or providing any completed assessment forms/supporting documents for Global Talent Visa support or Skilled Worker/GAE CoS (including Virtual Credit Cards) as early as possible.
• Not allowing induction/work to start before receipt of confirmation that pre-employment checks are completed.
• Ensuring that work start dates are not set during the closure period.

 Please note that we continue to experience significant delays with ATAS certificate applications and visa application processing can take longer during the holiday season. If it is not feasible to meet a proposed start date due to visa processing/RTW check delays, the team will advise accordingly. Please refer to (and bookmark) our UKVI visa, ATAS processing and RTW Check updates page for regular updates.

Where essential DBS checks need to be in place for the closure period, please would departments and staff assist by making requests for DBS checks, submitting online applications and completing ID verification by Friday 12 December 2025.

Overseas working requests submitted by Friday, 12 December 2025, will be reviewed by the International Mobility Team (IMT) as normal the following week. Requests received after this date will be reviewed once Imperial reopens in January, following the closure period.

If you are considering submitting an overseas working request, please first review our web pages for guidance. Once you have obtained pre-approval from your Line Manager, you can submit your request through MyRemoteWork.

Please note: Where limited notice is given for proposed start dates, or if additional information is needed to progress a request, the IMT may not be able to complete the assessment or ensure arrangements are in place until after the closure period.