How do I sponsor a migrant worker?
Categories of temporary worker
This page explains the different categories of temporary worker that you can apply to sponsor under tier 5 of the points-based system.
On this page
- What is the tier 5 - creative and sporting category?
- What is the tier 5 - charity worker category?
- What is the tier 5 - religious worker category?
- What is the tier 5 - Government Authorised Exchange category?
- What is the tier 5 - international agreement category?
- What is the tier 5 - youth mobility scheme category?
What is the tier 5 - creative and sporting category?
This category is for migrants who want to come to the United Kingdom to work as sports people for up to 12 months, or to perform as entertainers or creative artists for up to 24 months.
It does not cover people who currently enter the United Kingdom under the permit-free concessions for entertainers (including permit-free festivals) and sports people. These concessions have been brought within the immigration rules (outside the points-based system) under the revised visitor categories.
See the Visiting section for more information, including information about a category of visitor visa that allows certain people in the creative sector to carry out a limited number of 'permitted paid engagements' if they are coming to the UK for less than 1 month.
What is the tier 5 - charity worker category?
Migrants coming to work temporarily in the United Kingdom as charity workers should do only voluntary activities and not paid work. They should intend to carry out work directly related to the purpose of your organisation.
Migrants entering the United Kingdom under the charity workers category will be given a maximum of 12 months' permission to stay.
What is the tier 5 - religious worker category?
The religious worker category is for people coming to the United Kingdom to temporarily fill a religious role. Religious workers can:
- do preaching, pastoral work and non-pastoral work;
- work in the United Kingdom in the same way that they are working in an overseas organisation (although their duties in the United Kingdom may be different) - the job should be done in their holiday from their job overseas; or
- work in a religious order with a community which involves a permanent commitment, such as a monastery or convent. The work in a religious order must be in the order itself or be outside work directed by the order. A migrant can apply if he or she is a novice whose training means taking part in the daily community life of the order.
A migrant should apply under the student category (tier 4) if they are a member of a religious order and studying for a qualification, a formal full-time course of study or training in an academic institution not looked after by the order.
Migrants entering the United Kingdom under this category will be given a maximum of 24 months' permission to stay. Their dependants will be allowed to work if accompanying or joining them in the United Kingdom.
What is the tier 5 - Government Authorised Exchange category?
This category is for people coming to the United Kingdom through approved schemes that aim to share knowledge, experience and best practice. This category must not be used to fill job vacancies or to bring unskilled labour to the United Kingdom.
All existing and newly approved schemes fall under:
- a work experience programme;
- a research programme; or
- a training programme.
Individual employers and organisations are not allowed to sponsor migrants under this category, even if you are licensed as a sponsor under other tiers or other sub-categories of the points-based system. The only exceptions to this are:
a) if you are a government department or an executive agency of a government department; or
b) a Higher Education Istitution (HEI) and you are recruiting:
- a sponsored researcher; or
- a visiting academic who will give lectures, act as an examiner or work on a supernumerary research collaboration; or
Apart from these exceptions the sponsor for a government authorised exchange scheme must always be an overarching body which is willing to administer the exchange scheme and act as the licensed sponsor for any migrants participating in the scheme.
What is the tier 5 - international agreement category?
This category is for migrants who are coming to the United Kingdom under contract to provide a service that is covered under international law, including:
- employees of overseas governments and international organisations;
- private servants in diplomatic households;
- migrants coming to the UK to service contracts under specific international trade agreements.
You can find information about how long migrants can stay in the UK in this category on the Tier 5 (Temporary worker - international agreement) page.
What is the tier 5 - youth mobility scheme category?
Sponsors under the youth mobility scheme are the national governments of the participating countries and territories.
The youth mobility scheme is for young people from participating countries and territories who would like to experience life in the United Kingdom. Sponsored young people from participating countries will be allowed to come to the United Kingdom for up to two years, while young United Kingdom nationals enjoy similar opportunities in participating countries and territories. These young people will be free to do whatever work they like during their stay in the United Kingdom, except for setting up their own business, playing professional sport or working as a doctor in training.
They should not view this as a route for establishing a long-term career in the UK because they must leave the UK at then end of their stay. There is no guarantee that their employer will be able to sponsor them under Tier 2 or Tier 5 to return to the UK to continue in the same job.
They can study, but this should not be the main purpose of their stay in the UK.