UK VISA Information for Teachers
Are you a teacher from overseas looking to relocate and teach in the UK? Are you unsure about which Visa you will need to make the move?
While there is no specific UK visa for teachers, there are several different visas that teachers coming to the UK from abroad may be eligible to apply for. It is important to look over the criteria for these different visas to determine which is most suitable for you and your circumstances.
Please note: if you hold a British passport then NO Visa fees will apply.
The Youth Mobility Scheme is a visa that you can apply for if you want to live and work in the UK for up to 2 years. The earliest you can apply for this visa is 6 months before you travel to the UK.
It involves a simple online application to start the process. If you are accepted, it allows you to work unrestricted for 2 years in the UK. If you are a New Zealand citizen, a further 1 year is available on this visa.
Once you have applied online, proved your identity and provided the correct documents, you will usually receive a decision within 3 weeks. However, a Youth Mobility Scheme Visa can take around two months to process, but in an emergency situation can be fast tracked in as little as 1 week.
You will be eligible to apply for the Youth Mobility Scheme if you meet the following requirements:
- You are a Canadian, Australian or New Zealand citizen aged 18-35
- You have at least £2,530 in your bank account to show that you will be able to support yourself in the UK (This money will have to be available for at least 28 days in a row, and day 28 must be within 31 days of applying for the Youth Mobility Scheme visa)
- You have not entered the UK using this visa previously
- You do not have children under the age of 18 who live with you
- You do not have children you are financially responsible for
The Youth Mobility scheme incurs the following costs:
- £298 application fee
- Healthcare Surcharge (£470 per year)
- As this is a two year Visa, this totals £1238
The UK Ancestry Visa allows you to stay in the UK for 5 years and work without restrictions. The earliest that you can apply for this visa is three months before you travel to the UK, and you should receive a decision on your visa application within 3 weeks.
If you have lived on in the UK for 5 years on this visa, you may be able to either apply to extend your visa by another 5 years, or apply to settle permanently (‘indefinite leave to remain’).
You are eligible to apply for a UK Ancestry Visa under the following circumstances:
- You are a Commonwealth citizen
- You are a British Overseas Citizen
- You are a British overseas territories citizen
- You are a British national (overseas)
- You are a citizen of Zimbabwe
- And:
- You can prove that one of your grandparents was born in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man
- You must also:
- Be 17 or over
- Have enough money without help from public funds to support and house yourself and any dependants
- Be able to work and be planning to work in the UK
The UK Ancestry Visa incurs the following costs:
- £637 for the visa
- Healthcare Surcharge (£624 per year)
- As this is a five year visa, this totals up to £3757
If you are ineligible for the previous visas, the Skilled Worker Visa allows you to relocate to the UK to perform an eligible job with sponsorship from an approved employer.
This visa can last for up to 5 years, at which point it will need to be extended. You will have to apply to extend or update this visa if it expires, or if you change your occupation or employer. You may also be able to apply to settle permanently (‘indefinite leave to remain’).
You must have received and confirmed a job offer before you apply for the Skilled Worker Visa, and you must apply for the visa within 3 months of receiving your certificate of sponsorship. You will usually hear if your application has been successful within 3 weeks.
You are eligible to apply for a Skilled Worker Visa under the following circumstances:
- You must work for a UK employer that has been approved by the Home Office
- You must have a ‘certificate of sponsorship’ from your UK school with information about the role you have been offered
- You must be able to speak, read, write and understand English, and you will have to prove your English knowledge when you apply for the visa
- Your salary must meet the requirement for a Skilled Worker Visa (This will depend on your experience, qualifications, and the region that your employer is in)
Citizens of all ages from the USA, Jamaica and South Africa will require a Skilled Worker Visa, alongside teachers aged 31 and older from Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
On this visa, you can bring a partner and children as your ‘dependants’, provided that they are eligible.
The Skilled Worker Visa incurs the following costs:
- £719 application fee
- If you teach Maths, Physics, Science (where an element of Physics will be taught), Computer Science or Modern Foreign Languages, you are eligible for a lower application fee of £551 (for a 3 year visa)
- Healthcare Surcharge (£624 per year)
- This can total up to £2591 depending on if you are teaching a shortage subject and the length of your Visa. A shorter visa will incur less cost in terms of the Healthcare Surcharge
Please Note: We strongly recommend a 1 year Visa initially to limit the immediate expense of moving.
If you require any more information on available visas, the Get into Teaching website provides useful information. You can visit the site HERE
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