International Agreement Worker visa: who can apply, what it costs and how long you can stay

The International Agreement Worker visa is for people contracted to do work covered by international law or a treaty. This includes working for an overseas government or recognised international organisation, or as a private servant in a diplomatic household. GOV.UK says you need a sponsor. The fee is £340.

Who is this visa for?

It is for people who will be contracted to do work covered by international law or a treaty while in the UK. This includes working:

• for an overseas government or a “recognised international organisation”
• as a private servant in a diplomatic household, or in the household of someone who works for a recognised international organisation

It replaced the Temporary Worker - International Agreement Worker visa (T5).

If you are being contracted to provide services to a UK company, GOV.UK says to apply for a Service Supplier visa instead.

Can I apply?

You can apply if you:

• have a certificate of sponsorship reference number
• have enough money to support yourself in the UK, usually at least £1,270 (unless you are exempt)
• are 18 or over when you apply

You can apply up to 3 months before the day you are due to start work in the UK.

What do I need?

A sponsor and a certificate of sponsorship

You must be sponsored before you apply. That means you need a certificate of sponsorship from a licensed employer. The sponsor must be recognised by the UK government to issue certificates.

A certificate of sponsorship is not a paper document. It is a unique reference number with details about you and your job. It is valid for 3 months from the day it is assigned to you.

The work you do must be related to the work of your sponsor.

The job and pay

Your employer must make sure your job pays at least the minimum wage and follows the UK rules on weekly hours. If it does not, your application will be refused. GOV.UK’s International Agreement pages do not set an occupation code or a going rate.

English language

If you are a private servant applying from outside the UK, you need to prove your knowledge of English. You can do this by:

• having a UK school qualification you began under 18: a GCSE, an A Level, Scottish National Qualification level 4 or 5, or a Scottish Higher or Advanced Higher in English
• having a degree-level qualification taught in English and awarded by a UK institution, even if you studied outside the UK
• having a degree from an institution outside the UK that was taught in English, with an assessment from Ecctis confirming it is equivalent to a UK bachelor’s degree or higher and taught in English
• passing a Secure English Language Test with an approved provider, at level B1 or above on the CEFR scale for reading, writing, speaking and understanding

If you have already proved your English in a previous successful visa application, you may not have to prove it again. You do not need to prove your English when you extend your visa.

You also do not need to prove it if you are a national of one of these countries or territories:

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	USA

How much does it cost?

Cost	Amount
Application fee for each person (the same inside or outside the UK)	£340
Healthcare surcharge	Usually £1,035 per year
Savings to support yourself	At least £1,270 (unless exempt)
Savings for a partner	£285
Savings for one child	£315
Savings for each additional child	£200

You must have had the savings for at least 28 days in a row. Day 28 must be within 31 days of the day you apply.

You do not have to show your own savings if:

• you have been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months
• your employer covers your first month, up to £1,270, and confirms this on your certificate of sponsorship

How long can I stay?

How long you can stay depends on the type of work you do:

Type of work	How long you can stay
Overseas government worker or international organisation worker	Up to 2 years, or the time on your certificate of sponsorship plus up to 14 days, whichever is shorter
Private servant in a diplomatic household	Up to 5 years, applying for up to 2 years at a time or the time on your certificate plus up to 14 days, whichever is shorter

You can enter the UK on the date your visa starts.

You may be asked to leave within 60 days if your job finishes early. GOV.UK says this is unlikely if your visa has less than 60 days left.

Once you have applied online, proved your identity and given your documents, you will usually get a decision in:

Where you are when you apply	Usual decision time
Outside the UK	3 weeks
Inside the UK	8 weeks

You may be able to pay for a faster decision.

With this visa you can:

• study, if it does not get in the way of the job you are sponsored for (some courses need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme certificate)
• work for your sponsor in the job on your certificate
• travel abroad and return
• do a second job on the Skilled Worker immigration salary list, or in the same sector as your main job, for up to 20 hours a week (this does not apply to private servants)

You cannot get public funds (most benefits) or start working before you get your visa.

Can I bring my family?

Yes. Your partner and children can apply to join you or stay in the UK. GOV.UK calls them dependants. 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
• your child over 18, if they currently have permission to be in the UK as your dependant

To count as your partner, you must be able to prove one of these:

• you are in a marriage or civil partnership that the UK recognises
• you have lived together in a relationship for at least 2 years when you apply
• you have been in a relationship for at least 2 years when you apply but cannot live together, for example because you work or study in different places, or your culture does not accept it

Your child must live with you, unless they live away from home in full-time education. Your child must not be married or in a civil partnership.

Each family member makes a separate application and pays the visa fee. Their visa will usually end on the same date as yours.

Partners and children can work, except as a sportsperson or coach. They can also study. They cannot apply for most benefits or the State Pension.

Some family members cannot switch to your visa from inside the UK. This applies to partners and children who are in the UK:

• on a visit visa
• on a short-term student visa
• on a Parent of a Child Student visa
• on a seasonal worker visa
• on a domestic worker in a private household visa
• on immigration bail
• with permission to stay outside the immigration rules

A partner or child on a Student visa can only switch if they have finished the course they were sponsored to study, or have studied for a PhD for at least 24 months.

Can I extend or switch?

If you are already in the UK, GOV.UK says you can apply to extend your International Agreement Worker visa. The GOV.UK pages used for this guide do not cover switching to this visa from another visa.

To extend, you must:

• be in the UK
• still meet the rules for the visa
• apply online before your current visa expires

The most you can stay when extending is:

• 2 years, for overseas government and international organisation workers
• 5 years, for a private servant or an employee in the household of someone who works for a recognised international organisation

Private servants must prove they received their salary in the 3 months before they apply. You need 3 months of payslips, counting back from the day you apply, and proof that the salary reached your bank account.

The usual decision time is 8 weeks.

A partner’s or child’s visa does not extend automatically with yours. They can apply at the same time as you, or at any time before their current visa expires.