As a non-British/Irish applicant who may not have the right to work in the UK, it's important that you understand the eligibility requirements for sponsorship to work at the University under the Skilled Worker route.

You may also find the Government's Skilled Worker visa guidance helpful.

The University is committed to ensuring that applicants receive a positive recruitment and selection experience and that all job applicants are offered equal opportunities. Applicants are shortlisted on the basis of their skills, qualifications and experience against the job description for the role. If, after shortlisting, it's determined that an applicant needs immigration permission to work in the UK, the HR Recruitment Co-ordinator will review the available options and discuss these with the applicant.

Mandatory and tradeable criteria

There are a number of mandatory criteria and tradeable criteria which you must meet in order to be eligible for sponsorship and further information on these can be found below.

Mandatory criteria which must be met:

• A job offer from the University accompanied by a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS)
• Job is on the list of UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) eligible occupations
• Job is at the required skill level
• You can read, write, speak and understand English to at least level B1

Minimum skill level

UKVI use an occupation code system designed by the Office for National Statistics to determine whether a role is eligible for sponsorship. Sponsorable roles need to be skilled to at least RQF Level 3 e.g. A-level. Roles at Grade 5 and below will not be eligible for sponsorship due to the minimum skill and salary thresholds.

Prior to advertising a role, the HR Recruitment Co-ordinator will make an assessment against the job description for the role and assign the most appropriate Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code to it to ensure consistency and compliance with UKVI requirements. It is this code that is used by the University to assign a CoS to an applicant.

Minimum salary level

The rules around minimum salary requirements can be complex so the following information is provided for information purposes only and applies to new Skilled Worker visa applications from 4 April 2024.

In addition to meeting the mandatory criteria outlined above, the salary that is offered must meet or exceed both of the following:

• general salary threshold of £38,700
• going rate for the SOC code (calculated and pro-rated based on the number of hours you will contractually work) which in some cases is higher than the general salary threshold

If this salary requirement is met, you will automatically gain an extra 20 points earning you the full 70 points needed for sponsorship.

If this salary requirement is not met and the SOC code for the role benefits from a lower minimum salary due to you meeting one of the other tradeable point criteria below then it may still be possible to sponsor you:

• Holding a PhD in a subject relevant to the role
• Holding a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) PhD in a subject relevant to the role
• Being a New Entrant to the UK labour market
• Role is on Immigration Salary List

If you are looking to use your PhD or STEM PhD as a tradeable point, the SOC code for your role must be listed as being eligible for PhD points under the Government’s Appendix Skilled Occupations. Unless the job description specifically states a PhD as an essential criterion, it will be up to the recruiting manager to provide a credible explanation of how your PhD is relevant to the role you are being sponsored for when they initiate the recruitment request. If you are using a STEM PhD as a tradeable point, the recruiting manager will also need to state how the PhD is in a STEM subject.

If successful following an interview, you will be asked to provide evidence of your PhD qualification. This is necessary for your visa application ('equivalent experience' will not suffice) and a CoS will not be issued to you unless this evidence and all other requirements have been met.

Some roles will not be eligible for sponsorship even if they meet the minimum salary requirements. This may be due to the fact that they don't meet the required skill level or because they don't appear on the UKVI list of eligible occupations.

Application process

If you are successful in your application for a role at the University you will need to ensure that you are familiar with the application process for a Skilled Worker visa which includes details of typical visa costs and timeframes.

Alternatively, if you’re applying for a research or academic role at the University, you may be eligible to apply for a Global Talent visa which has a number of benefits over the Skilled Worker visa. This visa has no language or minimum salary requirements. The HR Recruitment Co-ordinator will identify at both shortlisting and offer stage whether you meet the eligibility requirements for a Global Talent visa.