Government Authorised Exchange Visa

The UK offers several Government Authorised Exchange Visa visas for overseas workers. These visa routes aim to bring employees on a short-term or long-term basis to their UK branches. The aim of these visa routes is to simplify the process of hiring talent from outside the UK.
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How to Apply For a UK Government Authorised Exchange Visa?

A Government Authorised Exchange Visa is a type of Government Authorised Exchange Visa that allows you to come to the UK under an approved government exchange scheme. You can stay up to a maximum of 24 months, depending on the nature of your intended work in the UK.

You can apply for this visa only to do work of a specific nature in the UK. You must have a Certificate of Sponsorship from a licensed sponsor. This sponsor must also meet specific eligibility requirements.

The requirements you must satisfy for the Government Authorised Exchange Visa concern your finances, intended job in the UK, age, and your UK sponsor.

Here at the London-based Adam Bernard’s, our immigration lawyers can help you satisfy these requirements. You can get in touch with our Government Authorised Exchange Visa solicitors to under the full scope of these requirements.

Rights and Restrictions

The Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) you are issued by a licensed sponsor details the nature of your job in the UK. You will mostly be required to focus on this particular job if you are issued a visa and come to the UK.

Depending on your CoS, you can perform the following activities:

  • Receive training
  • Participate in work experience
  • Undertake research
  • Join a fellowship
  • Take part in an Overseas Government Language Programme

In addition to your CoS-specific job, you can also perform other activities that are not listed on your CoS. These include studying or taking on a second job that is part-time. This second job must not be a permanent job placement and can’t be more than 20 hours per week.

You can consult the Government Authorised Exchange Visa solicitors at our law firm to see what you can or can’t do on your visa. Our immigration lawyers will offer you tailored advice depending on the specifics of your CoS.

What is a Government Authorised Exchange Scheme?

A Government Authorised Exchange Scheme is a scheme that has been approved by the government of the UK. Such a scheme is typically meant to facilitate the sharing of experience, knowledge, and other best practices.

The schemes eligible for this particular visa category include:

  • Research programmes
  • Language programmes
  • Internships
  • Work Experience schemes
  • Training programmes

You can see this complete list of Government Authorised Exchange Schemes. To be eligible for the Government Authorised Exchange Visa, you must be applying under one of the schemes on the list.

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Eligibility Requirements

You must satisfy certain eligibility criteria for this visa category. Here is a look at the key requirements you must fulfil as an applicant:

  • You must be at least 18 years of age.
  • You must have received a CoS from a licensed sponsor, registered and listed with the Home Office. The CoS must be valid and no more than 3 months old when you submit your visa application.
  • Your licensed sponsor must be a higher education institution if you intend to fulfil the role of a visiting academic, examiner or sponsored researcher.
  • Your sponsor can be a government entity such as a government agency or department.
  • Your intended work in the UK must be to participate in training, work experience, fellowship, research, or Overseas Government Language Programmed under an approved exchange scheme.
  • You must have cash funds of at least £1,270 and you must have been in possession of these funds for at least 28 consecutive days out of the 31 days immediately before your visa application.

You may need to meet other requirements for the visa. Our Government Authorised Exchange Visa solicitors can advise you on whether or not this is the case. With the help of our immigration lawyers, you can ensure that your visa application is complete.

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Documents Required for Visa Application

You are required to provide several supporting documents when applying for the Government Authorised Exchange Visa. These documents are used to confirm the information you provide on your visa application form.

Following are the documents you must provide along with your application:

  • A valid form of identity. This can be a national identity document or a travel passport. If you submit your passport, it must have at least one blank page to receive the visa approval in case your application meets success.
  • A CoS reference number. This is provided by your UK sponsor as a part of your CoS.
  • A proof of financial means. This proof confirms that you have the minimum required funds to meet the financial requirements for the visa. You can use a bank statement to satisfy this requirement.
  • A tuberculosis test certificate. You may need to provide this, depending on your country of origin. Not all applicants are required to provide a TB test result certificate.
  • An ATAS certificate. If your intended job in the UK involves doctoral-level research into a sensitive subject area, you may need to provide an ATAS certificate issued by your UK sponsor.

Our immigration lawyers can help you bring together all the relevant supporting documents. You can also consult our Government Authorised Exchange Visa solicitors to discuss how you may obtain any documents that you are missing.

Get in touch with our expert Government Authorised Exchange Visa Solicitors today.

The Application Process

You must submit an online application for the Government Authorised Exchange Visa. The application can be submitted up to 3 months in advance. It is best to apply as early as possible so that you have ample time to respond to any information requests from the Home Office.

You can apply for this visa both from within and without the UK. If you submit your application from outside the UK, the Home Office takes around 3 weeks to reach a decision. For applications submitted from within the UK, the processing time is up to 8 weeks.

The actual time it takes for the Home Office to reach a decision may be longer if your application has missing details or inaccurate information. The Home Office may then request you to resubmit supporting documents or provide the missing information. This can lead to delays in the outcome of your visa application.

A part of the visa application process is to submit your biometric details. You can do so by using the official ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app. If this option is not available for your region, you must schedule an appointment with the nearest visa application centre to submit your details.

It is important to note that you can also apply to have your dependents join you on the Government Authorised Exchange visa. However, each dependent applying with you must meet specific eligibility requirements.

To be eligible, a dependent must be a spouse, partner, or child. If your spouse or partner is applying, you must show the availability of at least £285. If one child is applying to join you, you must have at least £315. For more than one child, the same funds must be available for the first child, and another £200 for each subsequent child.

The visa fee for each dependent will be separately charged. You must also provide valid proof of the relationship between you and your dependents.

Our Government Authorised Exchange Visa solicitors can help you fulfil the eligibility requirements for your dependents. With the help of our immigration lawyers, you can also ensure that you have properly planned your visa applications to ensure a timely decision.

Visa Fees and Duration

The basic visa fee for the Government Authorised Exchange Visa is £259. You must also pay an annual healthcare surcharge which is £624 per year. You may incur other expenses such as a fee for submitting biometric details and a fee to have your documents translated if they are not in English or Welsh.

The duration of your visa depends on the nature of the work you intend to do in the UK. If you are going to do work experience, your maximum visa duration can be 12 months. If you will be involved in research, training, fellowship, or an Overseas Government Language Programme, you may receive a visa that is valid for up to 2 years.

The actual expiry date of your visa will be the job end date listed on your CoS, plus 14 days, as long as this doesn’t exceed the maximum durations noted above.

Why Choose Adam Bernard’s?

Here at the London-based Adam Bernard’s, our immigration lawyers offer detailed and tailored advice for UK visa applicants. If you are applying for a Government Authorised Exchange Visa solicitors at our law firm can help you understand and satisfy the eligibility requirements.

You can also consult our Government Authorised Exchange Visa solicitors for any other aspect of your visa application. With the help of our immigration lawyers, you can make sure that you have fulfilled all the requirements for your visa before you submit your visa application.

You can schedule a free consultation with our Government Authorised Exchange Visa solicitors to discuss your case. This helps you see precisely how we can help you.

Call us now at 0207-100-0505 to schedule a free session with our lawyers.

Get in touch with our expert Government Authorised Exchange Visa Solicitors today.

0207 100 2525