Types of Standard Visitor visas

Academic Visitors are a sub-group of the Standard Visitor category. To qualify as an Academic Visitor, the applicant must be able to produce evidence that they are employed by an academic or higher education insitution outside the UK, those coming for over six (up to twelve) months will also need to show that they are highly qualified in their field of expertise.

Recent graduates who are not yet employed or who have only recently taken up an academic or research role, people on sabbatical leave from private companies, named researchers on grants, those being paid to give a/ series of lecture(s) and sponsored researchers do not qualify as Academic Visitors and should find an alternative immigration route.

Who can come to the University as an Academic Visitor?

Only those employed by academic or higher education institutions overseas in teaching or research roles are eligible to apply to come to the UK under the Academic Visitor sub-category of the Standard Visitor visa route. Research staff should therefore be eligible under this route but research students would not.

Visitors would fall under the Academic Visitor sub-category of the Standard Visitor visa route if they are coming to the UK to:

• carry out private research whilst being on leave from their overseas academic institution (e.g. research for a book, for example)

• participate in collaborative research but only if their visit is for up to six months, those coming for longer than six (up to twelve) months are only permitted to carry out private research

• share knowledge or experience or to hold informal discussions with UK counterparts (but not conducting research on University hosted projects)

• take part in a conference or seminar that is not a commercial or non-profit venture

• where the visitor is an eminent senior doctors or dentists, (i.e. those considered to be top of their field of expertise) coming to take part in research, teaching or clinical practice

• take part in arranged exchanges e.g. where the University of Oxford is involved in a formal exchange with an overseas university where researchers and other personnel are spending time at each other's institution for some or all of the duration of a project (this is very rarely applicable)

Any salary should continue to be paid by the academic's own overseas institution.

Academics coming to the University for longer than six months to participate in collaborate research could not apply as an Academic Visitor, and would require a Tier 5 visa instead.

Applicants under the Academic Visitor route must be employed by an academic institution outside the UK. Applicants who are retired are not eligible under either the Academic or Permitted Paid Engagement (PPE) route.

How long can an Academic Visitor and their dependants spend in the UK?

While a Standard Visitor visa is issued for a maximum of 6 months an Academic Visitor can apply for a visa for up to 12 months.

Dependant spouse/partners and children of Academic Visitors can obtain Standard Visitor visas to accompany them in the UK for up to 6 or 12 months in line with the Academic Visitor’s visa.

Where dependent children of Academic Visitors are coming to the UK for 12 months the restriction that they must not intend to study at a state-funded school does not apply.

What can an Academic Visitor (up to 12 month visa) do while in the UK?

An Academic Visitor can undertake other activities under their Standard Visitor visa in addition to the activities which form the main purpose of their visit. See Visitors - Permitted Activities & Restrictions.

Business Visitors are a sub-group of the Standard Visitor visa route and can undertake a range of activities for a period of up to 6 months. These activities are not necessarily business related, and might be the most suitable visa options for visitors coming to the University for academic related reasons.

The permitted activities under this visa route are as follows:
 

• attending meetings, including interviews that have been arranged before coming to the UK, or conferences

• arrange deals or negotiate or sign trade agreements or contracts and carrying out fact finding missions

• conducting site visits and inspections

• giving a one-off or short series of talks and speeches provided these are not organised as commercial events and are not making profit for the organiser

• employees of foreign manufacturers or suppliers installing, dismantling, repairing, servicing, or advising on equipment, computer software or hardware where there is a contract of purchase, supply, or lease

• employees of overseas companies or organisations receiving training in specific work practices or techniques which are required for their employment overseas and this training is not available in their home country (this could be receiving training in a research or analysis technique as long as they were not carrying out research during the visit)

• those acting as interpreter or translator for visiting business persons, provided the interpreter/translator is employed by the overseas company and is coming solely to provide this service for the visiting company member

• board-level Directors attending board meetings in the UK provided they are not employed by a UK company, although they may receive a fee for attending the meeting 

The Permitted Paid Engagements (PPE) Visitor route is a less common sub-group of the Standard Visitor visa route and is for individuals invited to come to the UK because of their particular skills or expertise. These individuals can come to the UK to undertake pre-arranged engagements for which they must be paid; however, there is no specified level of payment that must be made. They can come to the UK for up to six months but their PPE activities must be completed within the first 30 days after they arrive in the UK.

PPE Visitors do not require a Certificate of Sponsorship from the University, but will require a formal letter of invitation from the University to be able to enter the UK under this route, whether they are applying for a visa in advance of travelling to the UK or for ‘leave to enter’ at their UK port of entry. Visitors will also be required to satisfy Immigration Officers that the pre-arranged engagement relates to their area of expertise and/or qualifications and to their occupation overseas.

Who can come to the University as a PPE Visitor?

Only the following groups of individuals are able to come to the University under the Permitted Paid Engagement (PPE) Visitor route to undertake one or more of the following paid activities:

• Visiting lecturers – lecturers invited to give one or a short series of paid lectures in their field of expertise, as long as this is not a part-time or full-time role*

• Visiting examiners or assessors – academics who are highly qualified in their field of expertise to examine students or participate in and/or chair a selection panel as part of the institution’s quality assurance processes

* PLEASE NOTE: Home Office guidance makes clear that someone coming on a PPE Visitor visa must not be replacing the formal role of the course teacher, hence, they can deliver lectures as a 'guest slot' within a course of study but cannot be responsible for the design, delivery, marking, or review of a course etc.

The paid engagement must relate to the individual’s area of expertise and/or qualifications and must relate to their main occupation overseas.

Please note that applicants under the Academic Visitor route must be employed by an academic institution outside the UK. Applicants who are retired are not eligible under either the Academic or Permitted Paid Engagement (PPE) route. 

What can a PPE Visitor do while in the UK?

A PPE Visitor can undertake other activities under their PPE Visitor visa in addition to the activities above which would form the main purpose of their visit. Please see visitor visa conditions page for more information.

What is the PPE Visitor visa application process?

The process of obtaining permission to enter the UK as a PPE Visitor is the same as that for other Visitor visa routes and depends on whether the applicant is classed as a ‘visa national’ or ‘non-visa national’. Please see the Visa application and supporting documents for more information.

What Supporting documentation is required?

Those applying for a PPE Visitor visa must submit the following documents in support of their visa application if applying if advance of travelling to the UK, or to the Immigration Office at their UK port of entry if applying for ‘permission to enter’:

• current passport or other valid travel identification

• an invitation letter from the host department/ college within the university

• proof that the paid engagement relates to their expertise, qualifications and main job in their home country, for example a letter from their employer

• proof that they can support themselves during their trip

• details of where they intend to stay and their travel plans
   

Guidance on requirements for supporting documents when applying for a Visitor visa can found in the Home Office Guide