International Sportsperson Visa

This visa allows elite sportspersons or internationally established qualified sports coaches to live and work in the UK.

Yes. As part of the application process, you will need to confirm details relating to your employer. Your employer must have a valid sponsor licence and issue you with a Certificate of Sponsorship before you apply for your visa.

Yes. You can do this through either of the below options:

• Passing the Secure Engligh Language Test (SELT) from an approved provider.
• Have a GCSE at A level, Scottish National Qualification leve 4 or 5, Scottish Higher or Advanced Higher in English, or gained it through study at a UK school under the age of 18.
• Have a degree level qualification that was taught in English. Ecctis will need to approve that it is valid.

You will need to:

• show that you have paid Ecctis to check that your qualification is valid
• a valid passport
• proof of English requirement

You may also need to provide the following:

• your biometric residence permit (BRP) or online proof of your immigration status if you are swapping from one visa to another
• proof of your relationship with your partner and children if they are joining
• Tuberculosis test results if you are from a qualifying country.

The visa can last for up to 3 years. Following the initial grant of leave, you can apply to extend your visa, subject to meeting the eligibility requirements.

Yes, subject to meeting eligibility requirements, you can apply for your partner and children aged under 18 to join you as your dependants.

You may be eligible to apply for another visa, like the Skilled Worker Visa.

Yes, international sportspersons who have, at any point in the preceding 5 years been granted leave as an international sportsperson for a period exceeding 12 months, can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) after 5 years’ continuous residence in the UK.

Current processing times are 8 weeks when applying from inside the UK, or 3 weeks when applying from overseas. For an additional fee, you can prioritise your application and receive an expedited decision. Please note, these timeframes are a guideline, and some applications do take longer to receive a decision.

The fees charged by Home Office can be found on their official website here. You will also need to pay the healthcare surcharge, found on the Home Office website.

Yes. You will need to attend an appointment at your nearest visa centre to have your photograph taken and to submit your fingerprints. This is for your visa.