Sportsperson Visa

To have your International Sportsperson Visa application considered by the Home Office, you must ensure you submit all of the relevant supporting documentation. The following documents are required:

• Certificate of Sponsorship reference number- this will be given to you by your employer along with your certificate of sponsorship
• Proof of your English language knowledge- if you are staying for more than 12 months
• Evidence of sufficient funds to support yourself when you arrive in the UK- bank or building society statements will suffice
• A valid passport or other relevant travel documents which show your identity and nationality
• If you need to show your travel history, expired passports and other documents should be presented
• An official letter of endorsement from your sports governing body
• A tuberculosis test result- if you are from a listed country

Your documents must be translated into English and Welsh before sending to the Home Office if they aren’t already.

You will need to submit your application form along with the supporting documentation before a decision on your Sportsperson Visa can be made by the Home Office. The time it takes to get a decision will depend on where you apply from.

For those applying for visit visa outside of the UK, it can take up to three weeks to receive a decision after the visa application process has begun.

For those applying within the UK, it can often take up to eight weeks for a final decision to be made.

If you are looking to get a faster outcome, you can opt for priority service. However, this will incur an additional cost to your application.

If you are granted your visa as an internationally established sportsperson, you can expect to receive your biometric residence permit prior to relocating to your sport in the UK.

The International Sportsperson Visa will allow you to work and live in the UK for up to three years at a time. In addition, you can also:

• Work a second job (this is permitted under certain circumstances)
• Play for your national team in the UK
• Work a job as a sports broadcaster
• Take on voluntary work
• Study in the UK– provided it does not impact the job you are sponsored for
• Travel abroad and return to the UK afterward
• Bring your partner and children to the UK as dependants (if they meet the eligibility requirements)

Whilst there are many things that you are permitted to do with an International Sportsperson Visa, the visa holder is not permitted to claim public funds or benefits or to acquire a business or set one up outside the UK.

You must apply for an International Sportsperson Visa online. For your application to be seen and considered by the Home Office, you need to submit the provided online application form with the specified application payment and documents before the application process begins.

As part of applying for a Sportsperson Visa, you will be required to prove your identity. This is done in one of two ways:

• Attending a biometric information appointment at a Visa application centre to provide your photograph and fingerprints- you will be issued with a biometric residence permit if you have to attend an appointment of this sort
• Use the Immigration ID Check app to submit identity documents

You will be instructed on which method of identity checking you will be required to participate in once you apply.

Athletes with international sportsperson visa who have received UK visa approval as an International Sportsperson for over 12 months at any point within the last five years are eligible to apply for UK permanent residency (ILR) after living continuously in the country for five years.

The time accrued under the International Sportsperson visa can be combined with time accumulated under other visa categories such as Skilled Worker, Global Talent, Innovator Founder, T2 Minister of Religion, Representative of an Overseas Business, and Tier 1, except for the Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) pathway.

You must ensure that you haven’t lived outside the UK for more than 180 days in any one-year span during these five years.

Your sponsoring organization must affirm that they plan to continue employing you for the foreseeable future and that your annual salary is no less than £35,800.

Unless you’re exempt, you’ll also need to prove your English language proficiency at level B1 or higher on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, specifically in speaking and listening skills, and pass the Life in the UK test.

Understanding the eligibility for the UK indefinite leave to remain can be complicated, especially if your situation is unique.

Speak to our legal team today by calling: 0121 667 6530 or emailing us so we can help you!

International athletes can bring along their dependent partners, who are at least 18 years old, and/or dependent children below 18.

To qualify, dependents must provide proof of relationship and may also need to meet financial criteria.

Unless they’ve held a valid UK visa for at least a year, or the athlete’s employer guarantees to cover their first-month expenses in the UK, the International Sportsperson or their dependents must have at least £285 for a partner, £315 for one child, and an additional £200 for each extra child.

These funds should be held for a minimum of 28 days and the period must end within 31 days prior to the visa application date.

For dependent partners to be eligible for UK permanent residency, they must reside in the UK for five years without exceeding 180 days of absence in any 12-month period.

Unless an exemption applies, they must also show English language proficiency at level B1 or higher in speaking and listening according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, and pass the Life in the UK test.