Permits2work

All applicants must be endorsed by a Designated Competent Body. This will require the applicant to show evidence of what economic activity (employed and/or self employed) has been undertaken in this field of expertise.

Each Designated Competent Body has set out what the endorsement requirements are. These have been agreed with the UK Border Agency and the relevant code of practice. The exact criteria will change depending on which Designated Competent Body has been applied to.

This will only be valid for 3 months from the date of issue and is produced on secure paper issued by the UK Border Agency. This will be issued by an authorised official of the Designated Competent Body.

The endorsement will confirm the personal and employment details of the applicant together with an endorsement reference number and full contact details of the Designated Competent Body.

In order to extend permission to stay in this category, all applicants will be required to demonstrate that they have continued to be economically active in field of expertise and have at least an intermediate level of English.

The English requirement will be met if the applicant is a national of a majority English speaking country; has passed a recognised English language test; or holds a UK bachelors degree (or equivalent) that was taught in English.

Salaried employees will need to produce formal payslips together with evidence from the employer. Self-employed applicants will be required to produce evidence from their accountant together with other formal documents which demonstrate that the company is actively trading in the UK.