Can I Apply for The UK Government Authorised Exchange Visa?

If you want to come to the UK for a structured period of work experience, training, research or a fellowship, the Government Authorised Exchange visa may suit you. The route is for knowledge sharing and professional development, and cannot be used to fill jobs.

Overview of The UK Government Authorised Exchange Visa

The Temporary Work – Government Authorised Exchange (GAE) visa replaced the old Tier 5 (Temporary Worker – Government Authorised Exchange) visa. The rules are in Appendix Temporary Work – Government Authorised Exchange of the Immigration Rules, and the approved schemes are listed in Appendix Government Authorised Exchange schemes.

What Is The Government Authorised Exchange Visa?

The visa lets you come to the UK through an approved exchange scheme for work experience, training, an Overseas Government Language Programme, research or a fellowship. Depending on the scheme, you can stay for a maximum of 12 or 24 months:

• Work experience programmes: up to 12 months;
• Research and training programmes and Overseas Government Language Programmes: up to 24 months.

Examples of approved schemes include the Medical Training Initiative, the British Council's Foreign Language Assistants Programme and the BUNAC Blue Card Internships scheme. The route does not lead to settlement.

Purpose of The Visa

Approved schemes aim to share knowledge, experience and best practice. The route cannot be used to fill job vacancies or bring unskilled labour to the UK. Your role must be supernumerary, meaning it is in addition to the host organisation's normal staffing and does not fill a permanent position or ongoing vacancy, even temporarily.

Key Differences from Other UK Visas

Unlike the Skilled Worker visa, which generally requires a salary of at least £41,700 or the going rate for the job, there is no salary threshold on the GAE route. Your pay must still comply with the National Minimum Wage and the Working Time Regulations.

Basic Eligibility Criteria

To qualify, you must:

• have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) or sponsorship reference number from a licensed sponsor running an approved scheme;
• be doing a role that meets the rules of that scheme;
• have enough money to support yourself (see below);
• not fall for refusal on suitability grounds, for example because of criminality.

Nationality and Location Requirements

The route is open to all nationalities, although individual schemes may be limited to particular countries or groups. If you are outside the UK, you must get entry clearance before you travel.

You can only apply from inside the UK if you already hold GAE permission, or if you hold (or last held) Student permission and have completed a UK bachelor's or postgraduate degree during that permission. In that case, you must be sponsored for either postgraduate professional training or work experience needed for a professional qualification or registration in the same field as your degree, or an internship of up to 12 months directly related to your degree.

Age

The immigration rules do not set a minimum or maximum age for the main applicant, but applicants under 18 must meet the parental consent requirement. Individual schemes often set their own age limits, so check the scheme's criteria.

Participation in An Approved Scheme

Your CoS must confirm your details, the job and pay, that the pay complies with the National Minimum Wage, that the role meets the requirements of the scheme, that it is supernumerary, and that it is in an eligible occupation code. If you are doing research in certain sensitive subjects, you may also need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate.

Approved Schemes and Sponsorship

Who Can Sponsor You

Your sponsor can be an organisation running an approved exchange scheme (often an umbrella body that places participants with host organisations), a higher education institution (for sponsored researchers, visiting academics and examiners), or a government department or agency. Your work, training or research must relate to the work of the sponsor.

How to Find and Join An Approved Scheme

1. Check the list of approved schemes in Appendix Government Authorised Exchange schemes on GOV.UK.
2. Contact the scheme operator to find out its entry criteria and how to apply for a placement.
3. Once you have been accepted, the scheme sponsor assigns your CoS or sponsorship reference number.
4. Apply for your visa (see below).

Sponsor Responsibilities and Certificate of Sponsorship

The sponsor must be licensed for the particular scheme and must be A-rated (unless you are extending with the same sponsor). A CoS is valid for 3 months from the date it is assigned; a sponsorship reference number is valid for 90 days from the date it is issued to the sponsor. Sponsors must keep records and report changes to the Home Office under the sponsor guidance.

Financial and Maintenance Requirements

Proof of Sufficient Funds

You must have at least £1,270 in your bank account, held for at least 28 days in a row, with day 28 falling within 31 days of your application. You do not need to show this if:

• your A-rated sponsor confirms on the CoS that it will maintain and accommodate you up to that amount for your first month; or
• you have been in the UK with permission for at least 12 months.

A partner and children applying with you need £285 for a partner, £315 for the first child and £200 for each additional child, on top of your £1,270, unless your sponsor certifies their maintenance.

English Language

There is no English language requirement for the GAE visa itself. Individual schemes may set their own language requirements.

Health and Character Requirements

Tuberculosis (TB) Testing

If you are coming to the UK for more than 6 months and live in a country listed in Appendix Tuberculosis, you need a TB test certificate from a clinic approved by the Home Office. Check the list of countries and approved clinics on GOV.UK.

Criminal Record

The Home Office can refuse your application under Part Suitability of the Immigration Rules, for example for criminal convictions or for giving false information. You must answer the questions on criminal history honestly and fully.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

1. Get your CoS or sponsorship reference number from your sponsor.
2. Apply online on GOV.UK using the Temporary Work – Government Authorised Exchange form. You can apply up to 3 months before your start date.
3. Pay the £340 application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge, which is usually £1,035 per year (not payable for a visa of 6 months or less applied for from outside the UK).
4. Prove your identity, either with the UK Immigration: ID Check app or at a visa application centre (or a UKVCAS service point in the UK), and upload your documents, including a TB certificate if needed.

Processing Times and Decisions

The Home Office usually decides within 3 weeks for applications from outside the UK and 8 weeks from inside the UK. You may be able to pay for a faster decision. If you are successful, you will get an eVisa, which you access through your UKVI account.

What You Can Do on The Visa

You can work in the job you are sponsored for, do a second job for up to 20 hours a week, do a job on the Immigration Salary List for up to 20 hours a week, study (subject to ATAS), and bring your partner and children as dependants. You cannot take a permanent job or claim public funds. You can enter the UK up to 14 days before your job starts and stay up to 14 days after it ends.

Extensions

You can extend from inside the UK, up to the maximum allowed by your scheme (12 months for work experience, 24 months for research, training or an Overseas Government Language Programme). If you want to change sponsor, you must make a new application.

Refusals

There is no right of appeal against a refusal on this route, but you can apply for an administrative review if you think the Home Office made a mistake. You can also make a fresh application that deals with the reasons for refusal.