Academic Visitor visa

Last updated 20 May 2024

Visitor Visa Routes

Please refer to the Academic Visitor guidance below for information on the procedure for inviting Academic Visitors to the University and the Request for Invitation form.

Academic Visitors, other than British and Irish citizens and individuals granted pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, may require a visa for their visit to the University. Please refer to the Home Office’s visa requirement webpage below for clarification on whether a visa is required for the visit, as the visitor may not need to apply for a visa to enter the UK depending on their nationality, the purpose and duration of the visit.

If a visa is required for the visit, the Academic Visitor will need to apply for a Standard Visitor or Temporary Work - Government Authorised Exchange visa depending on the purpose and duration of the visit. Please refer to the table below which details the different visa categories and the permitted activities:

A document check must be completed by Human Resources prior to the commencement of the visit. 

Scientists, researchers and academics granted a Standard Visitor visa are permitted to conduct collaborative research in the UK for visits of up to 6 months duration. Permitted paid engagements, for example, external examination or conference speaker, are permitted on a standard visitor visa but the activities must be completed within 30 days of arriving in the UK.

If the visitor is an academic and meets the eligibility requirements of being an academic employed by a university overseas who is highly qualified in their field of expertise, they may apply for a Standard Visitor visa of up to 12 months duration.

Visitors entering the UK on a Standard Visitor visa must leave the UK at the end of their visit and cannot switch into another visa category.

The visitor should not receive any funding from a UK Source, except reasonable payments for expenses or a payment for a permitted paid engagement within the first 30 days of the visit to the UK.

The visitor may require an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate before their visit can commence (see link below to the ATAS webpage for further information).

A visa application typically takes 3 weeks from when the visitor submits their biometrics at the Visa Application Centre.

Further information on the Standard Visitor visa is available at the link below. 

The Academic Visitor will need to be sponsored by the University for the duration of their visit if they will be involved in collaborative research for more than 6 months duration whilst at the University. A Certificate of Sponsorship will be assigned by Human Resources to support the visitor’s visa application.

Prior to assigning a Certificate of Sponsorship, the visitor must provide Human Resources with a scanned copy of their passport, confirmation of their funding (must include visit dates and amount of funding which must meet or be above the national minimum wage) and an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate (if applicable – see link below to the ATAS webpage for further information).

A Certificate of Sponsorship can be assigned to the Academic Visitor up to 3 months prior to the expected visit start date. Visa applications typically take 3 weeks from when the visitor submits their biometrics at the Visa Application Centre.

Further information on the Temporary Work – Government Authorised Exchange visa is available at the Home Office webpage below.