International Agreement Visa UK (Temporary Work)

The Temporary Work – International Agreement visa is a specialist UK work route for people whose work is covered by international law or treaty. Under the current Immigration Rules, it principally covers eligible employees of overseas governments or recognised international organisations and private servants working in qualifying diplomatic households.

This is not a general route for overseas workers and it should not be confused with the Global Business Mobility Service Supplier visa. If you are being contracted to provide services to a UK company, the Service Supplier route may be the relevant route instead.

The application is sponsorship-led. The worker normally needs a valid Certificate of Sponsorship from an organisation authorised to sponsor the relevant role, and the proposed work must satisfy the specific International Agreement requirements.

You must normally be 18 or over, have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship, genuinely intend and be able to undertake the sponsored role, and have enough money to support yourself unless a financial exemption or sponsor-certified maintenance applies.

The work itself must fit the International Agreement route. Current categories include an employee of an overseas government or other recognised international organisation established under an international treaty signed by the UK, or a qualifying private servant in a diplomatic household.

Your sponsor must also ensure that the job meets applicable UK National Minimum Wage and Working Time rules. Depending on the role, additional requirements can apply, including English language requirements for private servants applying from outside the UK and ATAS requirements for certain research-related roles.

Your permission allows you to work for your sponsor in the role described on your Certificate of Sponsorship and to study, subject to ATAS where required. You cannot access public funds. Overseas-government or recognised international-organisation workers may take limited supplementary work where the rules allow it. Private servants have separate work conditions, so check the specific rules before taking any additional employment.

You need a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) from a sponsor authorised by the Home Office for the International Agreement route. The CoS must identify the applicant and sponsored role and include the relevant job, salary and assignment details.

For an initial application, the CoS must have been issued no more than three months before the application date. The sponsor must normally be A-rated when sponsoring a new worker and the role must meet the relevant route-specific requirements.

The application should be consistent across the CoS, employment documentation and supporting evidence. A mismatch over the employer, role, salary, assignment dates or basis on which the work is covered by international law can create avoidable risk.

There is not a general English-language requirement for every applicant under this route. However, a private servant in a diplomatic household applying for entry clearance from outside the UK may need to demonstrate English at least at CEFR level B1 in reading, writing, speaking and listening, unless an exemption applies.

English can potentially be proved through an eligible UK school qualification, a qualifying degree taught in English, an overseas degree assessed by Ecctis, or an approved Secure English Language Test. A private servant extending an existing International Agreement visa does not need to prove English again.

Applicants coming to the UK under this route must obtain the relevant entry clearance before travelling. You can normally apply up to three months before the work start date shown on your Certificate of Sponsorship.

After the online application, you will need to prove your identity. Depending on your nationality and passport, this may be through the UK Immigration: ID Check app or at a visa application centre.

Standard decisions are usually made within around three weeks for applications made outside the UK and around eight weeks for eligible applications made inside the UK, although individual cases can take longer.

An eligible partner and dependent children can apply with the main applicant or, where permitted, join later. Each dependant makes an application and pays the relevant visa fee and Immigration Health Surcharge.

Where maintenance evidence is required, the additional amount is currently £285 for a partner, £315 for the first child and £200 for each additional child. The money will normally need to satisfy the applicable 28-day holding requirement unless an exemption applies.

Dependant applications should be planned alongside the main application so that relationship evidence, finances and visa expiry dates are consistent.

You can apply to extend if you are already in the UK with permission on the International Agreement route, continue to meet the requirements and have not reached the maximum period allowed for your category.

As a main applicant, you cannot switch into the International Agreement route from another UK immigration route. An in-country application is only available if you have, or last had, permission on the International Agreement route.

Otherwise, apply for entry clearance from outside the UK.

Employees of overseas governments or recognised international organisations can normally stay for a maximum total of two years. A private servant in a diplomatic household can receive permission for up to two years at a time, subject to an overall maximum of five years.

A private servant extending their visa must also provide evidence of salary received for the three months before the application. An in-country applicant should not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man while the application is pending because the application can be treated as withdrawn.

No. The International Agreement route is a temporary work route and does not directly lead to indefinite leave to remain.

If your longer-term objective is to remain and settle in the UK, your immigration strategy may need to consider whether you could qualify for another route in future. Any switch must be assessed against the rules of the destination route and your immigration status at that time.