T5 International Agreement Worker Visa For Independent Professionals (IP)

You can apply for entry clearance for T5 International Agreement worker visa as an Independent Professional (IP) if you are self-employed, with no commercial presence inside the UK and you have a contract to supply services to your sponsor in the UK. When a sponsor issues a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) to an Independent Professional (IP), they guarantee that service falls within scope of the commitments in the relevant agreement under which they are supplying a service. The Home Office UKVI will check that the sector the service is being supplied in is included in the relevant agreement via the tables in Annex IAW1 of the Sponsor an International Agreement Worker guidance. The applicant must be an Independent Professional (IP) who is self-employed, with no commercial presence inside the UK and who has a contract to supply services to their sponsor in the UK.

Eligibility Requirements For T5 International Agreement Worker Visa As An Independent Professional (IP)

The applicant should meet the following requirements to apply for T5 International Agreement Worker visa as an Independent Professional:

  • The applicant must have a valid certificate of sponsorship (CoS) assigned to him by his T5 Sponsor.
  • The applicant must have been contracted to provide a service to the sponsor in the UK which falls within the scope of the sectors specified in the relevant commitments in respect of independent professionals as set out in the relevant international agreements. The applicant must:
    • not have a commercial presence in the UK; and
    • have established a business in the country or territory that is signatory to the agreement under which they are supplying services; and
    • be a national of that country or, where the application is covered by a commitment in the Temporary Agreement between the Swiss Confederation and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on Services Mobility, be a permanent resident of Switzerland.
  • The sponsor must be the final consumer of the services provided under the contract.
  • The services contract must have been awarded through an open tendering procedure or other procedure that guarantees the bona fide character of the contract. The period of the contract awarded to the independent professional must not exceed 12 months.
  • The applicant must show they have a university degree or a technical qualification demonstrating knowledge of an equivalent level.
  • The applicant must hold any professional qualifications or registrations required to provide the services under UK law, regulations or sectoral requirements.
  • The applicant must have at least 6 years of experience in the sector in which they are supplying services.
  • The applicant must have personal savings so that he can support himself when he arrives in the UK.
  • The applicant can show that he can travel and his travel history over the last 5 years.
  • The applicant must not fall for refusal under general grounds for refusal.
  • The applicant must have tuberculosis test results if you’re from a listed country

ATAS Requirement

For applications on the International Agreement Worker route made from 21 May 2021, applicants must provide a valid ATAS certificate if all of the following apply:

  • they are being sponsored as an International Agreement Worker by a sponsor which is also a licensed Student sponsor (these will mainly be universities); and
  • they are not one of the exempt nationals listed in paragraph ATAS 3.1; and
  • their job is in one of the occupation codes listed in paragraph ATAS 1.2(a); and
  • the job includes an element of PhD-level research in a relevant subject (and these subjects are listed in paragraph ATAS 4.1).

The details are set out in Appendix ATAS. Sponsors should confirm on the applicant’s CoS whether the ATAS requirement applies. A field will be added to the CoS to confirm this but, at the moment, it needs to be set out in a sponsor note.

Financial Requirement

Where the applicant is applying for entry clearance or permission to stay and has been in the UK for less than 12 months on the date of application, either;

  • the applicant must have funds of at least £1,270; or
  • the applicant’s A rated sponsor must confirm on the Certificate of Sponsorship that they will, if it is necessary, maintain and accommodate the applicant up to the end of the first month of their employment for an amount of at least £1,270. The applicant must show that they have held the required level of funds for a 28-day period and as specified in Appendix Finance.

Relevant International Trade Agreements

  • CARIFORUM-UKEconomic Partnership Agreement
  • UK-Georgia Strategic Partnership and Cooperation Agreement
  • UK-Ukraine Political, Free Trade and Strategic Partnership Agreement
  • UK-Moldova Strategic Partnership, Trade and Cooperation Agreement
  • UK-Andean Trade Agreement
  • UK-Canada Trade Continuity Agreement
  • UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement
  • UK-Switzerland Temporary Agreement between the Swiss Confederation and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on Services Mobility
  • UK-European Union Trade and Cooperation Agreement
  • Least Developed Country (LDC) services waiver –these are additional commitments notified to the World Trade Organisation by the UK in respect of service suppliers of least developed countries

Relevant Sectors For Which Independent Professional (IP) Visa Is Permitted

The table below lists all the relevant sectors for which an Independent Professional (IP) visa for UK is or is not possible under different international agreements between the UK and other countries:

Sector CARIFO-RUM Andean Colombia Andean Peru Andean Ecuador Ukraine Georgia Moldova Canada Japan Switzer-land EU LDC Waiver
Architectural services Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Computer-related services Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Engineering and integrated engineering services Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Insurance and insurance–related advisory and consultancy services No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Legal advisory services Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Management consulting services and services related to management consulting Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Manufacturing advisory and consulting services No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Market research and opinion polling Yes Yes Yes Yes No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Mining advisory and consultancy services No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Other financial services advisory and consulting services No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Postal and courier advisory and consultancy services No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Research and development services Yes No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Telecommunications advisory and consultancy services No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Translation services No No No No Yes No No No No No No No
Translation and interpretation services Yes Yes No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Transport advisory and consulting services No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Urban planning and landscape services Yes No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

What Are The Points Based Requirements For T5 International Agreement Worker Visa Entry Clearance?

T5 International Agreement Worker visa is a Points Based visa category and points can be awarded for the Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) and funds for maintenance. A T5 International Agreement Worker should score 40 points in total to qualify for entry clearance for T5 International Agreement Worker visa. The breakdown of the required points for T5 International Agreement Worker visa entry clearance is given in the table below:

Criterion Points
Assigned a valid Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) 30
Funds for maintenance 10
Total Points 40

Period of Stay

An Independent Professional (IP) can be granted up to a maximum length of stay of 6 months in any 12-month period, unless they are:

  • providing services under the Temporary Agreement between the Swiss Confederation and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on Services Mobility, in which case they can be granted up to a maximum length of stay of 12 months in any 24-month period
  • providing services under the UK-EU Trade and Co-Operation Agreement, in which case they can be granted up to a maximum of 12 months

How Can We Help You?

Our specialist team of T5 International Agreement Worker visa solicitors can provide fast, friendly, reliable and fixed fee legal services for your T5 International Agreement Worker visa entry clearance application. As your appointed legal representative for T5 International Agreement Worker visa entry clearance application, our work can include the following:

  • assessing your eligibility for T5 International Agreement Worker visa for UK by considering all the relevant eligibility requirements;
  • advising on relevant documents to be submitted in support of the T5 International Agreement Worker visa entry clearance application;
  • assessing the documentary evidence including the Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) to ensure that the documents are in line with the Home Office UKVI requirements for T5 International Agreement Worker visa entry clearance;
  • completing online application form for T5 International Agreement Worker visa entry clearance for UK;
  • preparing a detailed cover letter in support of the T5 International Agreement Worker visa entry clearance application to explain in detail how all the relevant requirements for T5 International Agreement Worker visa entry clearance have been satisfied by the Tier 2 applicant;
  • submitting the T5 International Agreement Worker visa entry clearance application online, paying the Home Office UKVI fees for T5 International Agreement Worker visa application and booking applicant’s appointment with the relevant UK visa application centre;
  • uploading all the supporting documents online in support of the T5 International Agreement Worker visa entry clearance application;
  • preparing the applicant for an interview by the Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) in relation to T5 International Agreement Worker visa entry clearance application;
  • making any post interview representations to the Entry Clearance Officer (ECO), if necessary;
  • doing all the follow up work including responding to any queries raised by the Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) until decision is reached on your T5 International Agreement Worker visa entry clearance application.

Our Fee For T5 International Agreement Worker Visa Entry Clearance Application

Our fees for T5 International Agreement Worker visa entry clearance application are given in the fee table below:

Our Service Our Fixed Fees Range
T5 International Agreement Worker visa entry clearance application to cover all the work after CoS being assigned until decision by the Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) on your  application From £1,000 To £1,500 (VAT not applicable)

The agreed fixed fee will depend on the complexity of the T5 International Agreement Worker visa entry clearance application and the volume of casework involved in the application. In addition to our fixed fee for T5 International Agreement Worker visa entry clearance, the applicant will also have to pay the Home office UKVI fees for the entry clearance application.

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