International Agreement visa

Overview

The Temporary Work — International Agreement visa is for people who will be contracted to do work covered by international law or treaty while in the UK. This includes working for an overseas government or a “recognised international organisation”, and working as a private servant in a diplomatic household. You must be sponsored — hold a certificate of sponsorship from a licensed employer — before you apply, and the work you do in the UK must relate to the work of your sponsor organisation. The route replaced the Temporary Worker — International Agreement Worker (T5) visa.

You can apply up to 3 months before the start date on your certificate of sponsorship. How long you can stay depends on the type of work you do. The route does not lead to settlement.

Wesbridge Associates supports UK sponsors with sponsor licence applications and ongoing compliance; we do not recruit workers or place candidates with employers.

Who the route covers

GOV.UK lists two kinds of work covered by international law.

Eligibility in detail

Every condition GOV.UK lists for the route. You must meet all of them.

• Certificate of sponsorship

  A unique reference number from a sponsor recognised by the UK government to issue certificates. It holds information about you and your job, is not a paper document, and is valid for 3 months from the date it is assigned to you.

• Work covered by international law

  Your work must be for an overseas government or recognised international organisation, or as a private servant in a diplomatic household or the household of someone who works for a recognised international organisation, and must relate to the work of your sponsor.

• Aged 18 or over

  You must be 18 or over on the date you apply.

• Money to support yourself

  You usually need at least £1,270 in your bank account, held for at least 28 days in a row, with day 28 within 31 days of applying — unless you are exempt.

• Knowledge of English — private servants only

  If you are a private servant applying from outside the UK you must prove your knowledge of English to at least CEFR level B1, unless you hold a qualifying UK school or degree qualification or are a national of an exempt country.

• Minimum wage and working hours

  Your employer must make sure your job pays at least the minimum wage and follows UK rules on weekly working hours. GOV.UK states that if it does not, your application will be refused.

• ATAS certificate, if required

  If your employer tells you your job involves researching a sensitive subject at PhD level or higher, you need a valid Academic Technology Approval Scheme certificate.

• TB test, if applicable

  If you are from a country where you have to take a tuberculosis test, provide your test results with your application.

You do not need to show proof of the £1,270 if you have been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months, or if your employer can cover your costs during your first month in the UK, up to £1,270. Where your employer supports you, it must complete the “sponsor certifies maintenance” section of your certificate of sponsorship, under “Additional data”. Your sponsor must also give you the information it used on the certificate, such as your working hours.

Knowledge of English for private servants

Applies only to private servants applying from outside the UK. You can prove it in one of four ways.

• A UK school qualification you began when under 18: a GCSE, an A level, a Scottish National Qualification at level 4 or 5, or a Scottish Higher or Advanced Higher in English.
• A degree-level qualification that was taught in English and awarded by a UK institution, even if you studied outside the UK.
• A degree taught in English from an institution outside the UK, with an Ecctis assessment code confirming it is equivalent to a UK bachelor’s degree or higher and was taught in English.
• A Secure English Language Test (SELT) from an approved provider showing you can read, write, speak and understand English to at least level B1 on the CEFR scale.

You do not need to prove your knowledge of English if you are a national of Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, the British overseas territories, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Malta, New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago or the USA. If you have already proved your knowledge of English in a previous successful visa application you may not have to prove it again, and you do not need to prove it when you extend your visa.

How long you can stay

Overseas government or international organisation worker

Up to 2 years, or CoS plus up to 14 days, whichever is shorter

Private servant in a diplomatic household

Up to 5 years in total, granted up to 2 years at a time

Earliest you can apply

3 months before your start date

Entry

On the date your visa starts

If your job finishes early

You may be asked to leave within 60 days

GOV.UK notes that it is unlikely you will have to leave early if your visa has less than 60 days remaining when your job ends. You cannot start working before you get your visa.

What you can and cannot do

On this visa you can:

• Work for your sponsor in the job described in your certificate of sponsorship
• Do a second job on the Skilled Worker immigration salary list, or one in the same sector as your main job, for up to 20 hours per week — unless you are a private servant
• Study, as long as it does not interfere with the job you are sponsored for; some courses need an ATAS certificate
• Travel abroad and return to the UK
• Bring your partner and children with you as your dependants, if they are eligible

You cannot:

• Get public funds
• Start working before you get your visa

Fees and costs

Application fee, per person, inside or outside the UK

£340

Immigration Health Surcharge

Usually £1,035 per year

Fee plus surcharge for a 12-month grant

£1,375

Fee plus surcharge for a 2-year grant

£2,410

Maintenance funds you must hold, unless exempt

£1,270

Additional funds for a dependant partner

£285

Additional funds for your first child

£315

Additional funds for each further child

£200

Priority service, where offered

£500 in addition to the fee

Super priority service, where offered

£1,000 in addition to the fee

Processing times

Times run from the point you have proved your identity and provided your documents.

Standard service, applying from outside the UK

3 weeks

Standard service, extending from inside the UK

8 weeks

Priority service (£500), where offered

Usually within 5 working days

Super priority service (£1,000), where offered

Usually by the end of the next working day

Dependants applying from outside the UK

3 weeks

Dependants extending inside the UK

8 weeks

UK Visas and Immigration starts the clock once you have either verified your identity through the UK Immigration: ID Check app or attended your biometrics appointment. Processing is measured in UK working days and includes UK public holidays. GOV.UK warns that an application may take longer where information is inaccurate or needs further consideration, further evidence such as proof of funds is needed, supporting documents must be verified, an interview is required, you have a criminal conviction, or demand is unusually high. You will be contacted within the current processing time if your case will take longer.

Documents you will need

• Your certificate of sponsorship reference number — your employer will give you this
• A valid passport or other document that shows your identity and nationality
• Evidence that you have enough personal savings to support yourself, for example bank statements, unless your certificate of sponsorship shows your employer can support you
• Proof of your knowledge of English, if you are a private servant applying from outside the UK
• Proof of your relationship with your partner or children, if they are applying with you
• Your tuberculosis test results, if you are from a country where you have to take the test
• A valid ATAS certificate, if your employer tells you that you need one because your job involves researching a sensitive subject at PhD level or higher
• A certified translation of any document that is not in English or Welsh

If you are extending as a private servant you must also prove you received your salary in the 3 months before you apply: 3 months of payslips counting back from the day you apply, and proof that the salary was received in your bank account. You may need to provide additional documents depending on your circumstances.

Your partner and children

Dependants can apply to join you or stay in the UK if they are eligible.

A dependant is your husband, wife, civil partner or unmarried partner; your child under 18, including a child born in the UK during your stay; or your child over 18 who already has permission to be in the UK as your dependant. Their visa will usually end on the same date as yours. If a child’s parents hold visas with different expiry dates, the child’s visa ends on the earlier date.

Funds for your partner

£285

Funds for one child

£315

Funds for each additional child

£200

Example: partner and one child

£600, plus your own £1,270

• The money must have been held for at least 28 days in a row, with day 28 within 31 days of the application.
• Proof is not needed if you have all been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months, or your employer confirms on your certificate of sponsorship that it will cover your family’s costs during your first month.
• Each family member completes a separate application, pays the £340 fee and the healthcare surcharge, and needs your application number (GWF or UAN). They must apply before they travel to the UK.
• Dependants can work (except as a sportsperson or coach), study, and travel abroad and return. They cannot apply for most benefits (public funds) or the State Pension.
• A partner or child already in the UK cannot switch to be your dependant if they hold a visit visa, a short-term student visa, a Parent of a Child Student visa, a Seasonal Worker visa or a domestic worker in a private household visa, are on immigration bail, or were given permission outside the immigration rules.
• A partner or child on a Student visa can only switch once they have completed the course they were sponsored to study or have studied for a PhD for at least 24 months.
• A child born in the UK does not automatically become a British citizen. Apply for their dependant visa, with a full UK birth certificate naming both parents, if you want to travel in and out of the UK with them — and before they turn 18 if they want to stay.

Extending your visa

You can extend within the ceiling for your type of work.

• You must be in the UK to extend, apply online before your current visa expires, and continue to meet the eligibility rules.
• Overseas government and international organisation workers can stay in the UK for a maximum of 2 years.
• Private servants, and employees in the household of someone who works for a recognised international organisation, can stay for a maximum of 5 years.
• Private servants must prove they received their salary in the 3 months before applying — 3 months of payslips and proof of receipt in a bank account — but do not need to prove knowledge of English again.
• A standard decision is made within 8 weeks. You may be able to pay for a faster decision.
• You must not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you get a decision, or your application will be withdrawn.
• If your application is successful you will get an eVisa — a digital record of your identity and immigration status — and will need a UKVI account to access it.
• Your partner’s or child’s visa does not extend automatically. They can apply at the same time as you or at any time before their own visa expires.
• The route does not lead to settlement, and time spent on it does not count towards indefinite leave to remain.

Application process

Common refusal reasons

Each of these follows from a mandatory requirement of the route or from the general grounds for refusal.

• Applications are refused when there is no valid certificate of sponsorship reference number, or the certificate has expired 3 months after it was assigned.
• Applications are refused when the work is not for an overseas government or recognised international organisation, or as a private servant in a qualifying household — for example where the applicant is really being contracted to provide services to a UK company.
• Applications are refused when the applicant was under 18 on the date of application.
• Applications are refused when the £1,270 has not been held for 28 consecutive days, or day 28 falls outside the 31 days before the application, and no exemption applies.
• Applications are refused when a private servant applying from outside the UK cannot prove knowledge of English to at least CEFR B1 and is not exempt.
• Applications are refused when the employer has not ensured the job pays at least the minimum wage and follows UK working-hours rules — GOV.UK states this explicitly.
• Applications are refused when a private servant seeking to extend cannot show 3 months of payslips and matching bank receipts.
• Applications are refused when a required ATAS certificate or tuberculosis test certificate is missing.
• Applications are refused when documents are false, incomplete, or not accompanied by a certified translation where one is required.
• Applications are refused when the applicant has breached previous immigration conditions or falls under the general grounds for refusal, for example because of a criminal record.

Need expert guidance?

Our experts can help you establish whether your work in the UK falls within the International Agreement route.

Source

Information sourced from GOV.UK (International Agreement visa (Temporary Work)), last updated 31 October 2024, together with GOV.UK visa processing times guidance for applications outside the UK (26 June 2026) and inside the UK (21 July 2025) and the GOV.UK faster decision guidance (31 October 2024), and reproduced under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Rules change; we verify requirements at the point of instruction.