Guidance for Imperial Easter Closure 2026

April payroll will not be affected by the University Easter closure. Payday is Friday, 24 April 2026, and payslips will be available to view on Thursday, 23 April 2026.

For current staff with time-limited visas expiring  

The Staff Compliance Team will:

• Send Right to Work (RTW) visa expiry reminders as usual (at approximately 4 months and 2 weeks before visa expiry), except for those whose visas expire between 01-09 April, who will be contacted in advance of the Easter closure period.
• Review and approve contract extension requests (CCR) in the Portal (FreshService) regularly in the weeks leading up to the closure period.

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 Virtual Credit Cards) 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 Compliance Team will need to prioritise work related to immediately urgent visa expiries and April 2026 new starters, and this may impact upon email responses/request processing for later start dates and visa expiries.

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 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 Compliance 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, request an employment confirmation letter from the Staff Hub as early as possible.

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 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 in-time application and ‘3C Leave’.

For new staff holding or requiring time-limited visas

For new staff with start dates from 31 March  to 10 April 2026, the Staff Compliance Team will:

• Liaise with individuals before their start date to check the status of their visa applications and relocation to the UK, and update hiring departments as required.
• Undertake pre-employment RTW checks as usual once the contract is issued, the individual holds the required UK visa status, and they are 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/Temporary Worker CoS (including VCCs) 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 are required for the Easter closure period, please have departments and staff submit online applications and complete ID verification by Thursday, 26 March 2026.

Overseas working requests submitted by Thursday, 26 March 2026, will be reviewed by the International Mobility Team (IMT) as normal the following week. However, requests received after this date will not be considered until Imperial reopens following the Easter closure.

If you are considering submitting an overseas working request, please review our guidance first.

If you wish to submit a request, please follow the process for making a request to employ staff to work overseas, complete the Overseas Working Request Form, and obtain authorisation from both the Line Manager and the Head of Department before submitting to the IMT.

Please note that where insufficient notice is provided of proposed start dates, or additional information is required to progress requests, the IMT is unlikely to be able to carry out a full assessment or ensure arrangements are in place until after the closure period. 

Please ensure that any requests for additional payments, contractual changes, parental leave, unpaid leave, and leavers for April 2026 are approved and received by the People team by 17: 00 on Wednesday, 25 March 2026. 

Any requests received after this date will be processed for payment in time for the May 2026 pay run. 

Please also note that any new starter contract requests with a proposed start date between 1 and 10 April 2026 must be submitted to the Staff Hub along with all necessary pre-employment information/documentation and required approvals, no later than Wednesday, 25 March 2026, so they can be processed before the Easter Closure.

If you require a job to be advertised or employment contracts issued before the university closes for the Easter holiday, please contact the Recruitment Hub before 18:00 on Wednesday, 25 March 2026.

This will allow us enough time to process your request without being affected by external deadlines, such as media deadlines, payroll cutoffs, and university closures.

Please note that incomplete requisitions (without a full Job Description, advert and other necessary information) will be placed on hold.

Please kindly plan your activities before the deadline and contact the Recruitment Hub in advance if you need any additional information.

Please note that it is not legally permissible to issue backdated employment contracts; all employees must receive a contract of employment before their start date with the university.

The last Job Evaluation panel before the Easter closure will take place on Tuesday, 31 March 2026. The submission deadline is at 17:00 on Friday, 27 March 2026.

The next Job Evaluation panel after Easter closure will take place on Tuesday, 14 April 2026. The submission deadline is at 17:00 on Friday, 10 April 2026.

Casual Worker Payments

The payroll deadline is after the Easter closure, at 17:00 on Friday 10 April 2026. All timesheets must be approved at Level 1 and Level 2 in the Casual Worker App by this deadline to be processed. Payday will be on 24 April.

Casual Worker Requests

We recommend submitting Requirement Schedule entries for new Casual Workers by 26 March at the latest for work commencing after the closure.

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 the Requirement Schedules before the University’s closure period.