If you require a visa to work in the UK, you must obtain the appropriate permission before starting employment at Bournemouth University (BU).
We are keen to support overseas nationals coming to work for BU with their transition to the UK and obtaining the appropriate permission to work. Therefore, if you have a query about a visa application or an immigration issue please contact Human Resources.
Routes of Entry
Points Based Immigration System
With effect from 1 January 2021 free movement ceased for EU/EEA/Swiss nationals and the UK's Visa and Immigration Service (UKVI) introduced an immigration points based system. Under this system anyone coming to the UK for work, with the exception of Irish nationals, must meet a specific set of requirements for which they will score points to qualify for a visa.
Skilled Worker Visa
BU is an A-rated sponsor licence holder and can issue Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) to sponsor Skilled Workers to work for us. To qualify for a Skilled Worker Visa, you must score a minimum of 70 points from the following:
Offer of a job by an approved sponsor (BU)
20 Points
Job offer at an appropriate skill level supported by a Certificate of Sponsorship
20 Points
English language proficiency at the appropriate level
10 Points
Minimum Salary requirements met
20 Points
The maintenance requirement (ability to support yourself financially) must also be met as part of the visa application, although no ‘points’ are attached to this element.
Offer of Employment and Applying for a Visa
If you have successfully applied for and been offered a job at BU, you will receive a conditional offer of employment. One of the conditions for your offer of employment will be to obtain appropriate permission to work in the UK. If you are eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route BU will apply for a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) and let you know once this has been issued. You must then submit your visa application within 90 days of the CoS being issued. Details of how to apply for your Skilled Worker visa will be included in your offer letter and are also available on the UKVI website.
ATAS
Any Researcher/ Academic coming to the UK to undertake research in certain subject areas, and is subject to UK immigration control (apart from exempt nationalities) will be required to obtain an ATAS certificate prior to applying for a Skilled Worker visa. The subjects are those where the knowledge could be used to develop Advanced Conventional Military Technology (ACMT), weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) or their means of delivery. If the research focus changes while at BU to include the above then an ATAS certificate must be obtained prior to undertaking this activity.
It is possible to check if an ATAS certificate if required on the Home Office website.
Costs
BU covers the cost of the CoS and reimburses the cost of a standard Skilled Worker visa application. You will need to pay for other associated costs e.g. Immigration Health Surcharge, English Language tests, obtaining certified translations of certificate, Dependent applications (if applicable). Please note, these can be quite expensive so you will need to plan accordingly. Details of costs are available on the UKVI website. The Immigration Fee Assistance Scheme offers a salary advance to help cover some of these costs for current employees.
Travelling to the UK
Once your visa has been granted, and before travelling to the UK, you should:
- Create a UKVI account (if you don’t already have one)
- Link your current passport to the account
- Access your eVisa (digital proof of your immigration status) and check all the details are correct
Please note, from 15 July 2025, the UKVI no longer issues a 90 day vignette (sticker in the passport) for travel for certain visa types, including Skilled workers and Global Talent visa.
Before starting work
Before starting work, the university must undertake a right to work check. Typically this will take place using the Home Office View and Prove online service. You will need to generate a 9 character share code, which starts with the letter W and email this to [email protected].
Human Resources will use this code and your date of birth to view your visa details and then contact you to arrange to see you in person or online to complete your right to work check.
Please note, Skilled Workers are required to provide additional information which you will be notified of.
Your start date will only be confirmed once this check is complete.
Government Authorised Exchange Visa (Temporary worker)
BU is an ‘A rated’ sponsor licence holder and can issue Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) under the Government Authorised Exchange Visa (Temporary worker) route to sponsor researchers for a maximum of 24 months to undertake the following activities:
- A formal research project or collaboration;
- A period of work-based training/work experience/internship/placement;
- Skill development/knowledge transfer;
- A series of lectures, which doesn’t amount to a formal teaching post, i.e. where they are not filling an advertised position and the work is above the Faculty’s normal requirements.
Work or activities undertaken must never amount to a ‘genuine vacancy’ and the role must be supernumerary, which means it is:
- Over and above BU’s normal staffing requirements (this means it is not usually applicable for an advertised post), and
- if the person filling the role were not there it wouldn’t be filled by anyone else.
If you have any queries about this route please contact Human Resources.
Global Talent
The Global Talent visa allows individuals recognised as leaders or potential leaders in academia or research to live and work in the UK.
There are four different paths through which a Global Talent Visa can be gained. It is a two stage process; stage one involves applying for an endorsement from a UK body and stage two, submitting your visa application. Further details are available on the UKVI website.
If you have any queries about this please contact Human Resources.
Graduate Visa
The Graduate visa route is available to international students who have successfully completed their studies in the UK and who have a valid student visa at the time of application. Students granted a Graduate visa will be able to work in the UK after their studies for up to 2 years if they are an undergraduate or postgraduate student, or 3 years if they are a doctoral student.
The Graduate visa is unsponsored, and applicants do not need a job offer to apply. There are no minimum salary requirements and graduates on the route can work flexibly and switch jobs as required.
If you are a current BU student and have any queries about this route please contact us.
Other Routes
There may also be other routes of entry available to you, for example family visas or UK Ancestry visas. Other routes of entry may also be available, the UKVI website offers further details.
Bringing partners, spouses or dependents to the UK
If you are coming to the UK with a spouse, partner or dependent, they may need to apply for a relevant visa. University employees with a Global Talent, Skilled Worker or Government Authorised Exchange Visa (Temporary worker) visa may apply to bring their family to the UK as their dependants. For the purposes of these applications, the Immigration Rules define ‘dependants’ as being:
- Husband, wife or civil partner;
- Unmarried or same-sex partner;
- Child aged under 18 at the time of application.
No other family members are eligible to be dependants
A dependant visa can be obtained from either inside or outside the UK. However, if an individual is applying from inside the UK, they must not be holding a visitor visa, visitor status granted at the border, or a short-term study visa. If they are, they must leave and apply from outside the UK.
There are a number of requirements that must be met in order for an individual to be eligible for a dependant visa and further details are provided on the UKVI website.
Contact Us
If you have any queries about visa requirements for entering the UK and working at BU please do not hesitate to contact us.