April payroll operations will be significantly affected as a result of the Easter College closure period. Therefore, we ask that any HR and payroll related requests (e.g. starters, leavers, contractual changes etc) are submitted to the HR Staff Hub no later than Friday 24^th March for action in April's payroll.

We cannot guarantee that anything received after this date will be actioned for April. In this case, payment will be made in the next available payroll cycle.

For current staff with time-limited visas expiring  

The Staff Compliance Team will:

• Send Right to Work (RTW) visa expiry reminders as normal (at approximately 4 months, and 2 weeks prior to visa expiry).
• Review and approve contract extension requests (CCR) in the HR Portal (Freshservice) regularly in the weeks leading up to the College Closure.

Please would departments assist by:

• Making requests for Global Talent Visa support or Skilled Worker/Temporary Worker contract extensions / Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) extensions (including VCCs) as early as possible.
• Highlighting urgent requests due to imminent visa expiry over the College Closure period to the relevant approvers and the Recruitment/Staff Hub, so that CCR tickets can be prioritised.

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 Compliance Team as early as possible, to ensure that the College 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 Compliance Team as early as possible; or
• If applying for ILR after holding another visa category, requesting an employment letter from the Staff Hub as early as possible.

Please note that staff with pending visa applications should not travel outside the UK, Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man or the Channel Islands (Common Travel Area) until they receive a decision on their application and either a BRP card or online status confirming successful outcome.

For new staff holding or requiring time-limited visas

For new staff with start dates 3-5^th April and 13-14^th April, the Staff Compliance Team will:

• 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 to the hiring department once checks are complete and the individual can start work.

Please would departments assist by:

• Making new hire/contract requests for Global Talent Visa support or Skilled Worker/Temporary Worker CoS (including VCCs) as early as possible.
• Ensuring that work start dates are not set during the College Closure period.

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

Overseas working requests submitted by Friday 31^st March will be reviewed by the Overseas Working Group as normal the following week. However, requests received after this date will not be considered until the College reopens after the Easter College Closure. Please also note that the Overseas Working Group is currently operating at limited capacity due to a period of staff absence, and that priority will be given to urgent requests until further notice.

If you are considering making an overseas working request, please first review our guidance at https://www.imperial.ac.uk/human-resources/procedures/overseas-working/

If you wish to submit a request, please follow the Process for making a request to employ staff to work overseas (on pages 1-2 of the Overseas Working guidance), completing the Overseas Working Request Form (and any associated forms) along with authorisation from both Line Manager and Head of Department prior to submission.

Please note where insufficient notice is provided of proposed start dates, or additional information is required to progress requests, the Overseas Working Group is unlikely to be able to carry out a full assessment or ensure arrangements are in place until after Easter due to the combination of staff absence and the College Closure. 

Where essential DBS checks need to be in place for the College Closure, please would departments and staff assist by making requests for DBS checks, submitting online applications, and completing ID verification by Wednesday 29^th March.

April payroll operations will be significantly affected as a result of the Easter College closure period. Therefore, we ask that any HR and payroll related requests (e.g. starters, leavers, contractual changes etc) are submitted to the HR Staff Hub no later than Friday 24 March 2023 for action in April's payroll. Any requests received after this date will be processed for payment in May 2023.

Please also note that any requests for starter contract requests, which have a proposed start date between Monday 3^rd and Monday 17^th April 2023 must be submitted to the HR Staff Hub with all the pre-employment information required no later than Monday 27^th March 2023.

Any NHS doctor payments to be made in April need to be received  by Tuesday 28^th March. Any requests received after this date will be paid in the May payroll.  

The last Job Evaluation (JE) Panel will take place on Tuesday 4^th April and the deadline to submit a role for this panel will be 17:00 on Friday 31^st March.

The next JE Panel will take place on Tuesday 18^th April and the deadline to submit papers for this will be 17:00 on Friday 14^th April.

If you require a job to be advertised or employment contracts issued before the College closes for the Easter holiday, please contact the Recruitment Hub before 18:00 on Thursday 23^rd March. This should allow us enough time to process your request without being impacted by external deadlines e.g., media, payroll cut off, college closure.

To ensure the best possible response for your recruitment advertising we strongly recommend that vacant roles are advertised for a longer period (28 days).

Please remember it is not possible to issue backdated contracts of employment and it is a legal requirement that all employees must receive a contract of employment before their start date with the college.

Casual Worker Payments

The payroll deadline is 17:00 on Friday 31^st March. All timesheets must be Level 1 and 2 approved in the Casual Worker App before this deadline in order to be paid in April. Payday will be Monday 24^th April.

Casual Worker Requests

Please send Requirement Schedule entries for new Casual Workers on Friday 31^st March at the latest, in order for workers to begin on Thursday 13^th April. As usual, Casual Worker setup is subject to the individual booking a Right to Work check with our team.

We will endeavour to contact all individuals submitted in Requirement Schedules before the College closure period. Please note that new Casual Workers cannot begin work until our team have confirmed that registration has been completed.