Obtain A UK Sportsperson Visa

Reach out to our Sportsperson visa UK solicitors when you would like to obtain this visa as an emerging or elite sportsperson. Our award-winning immigration experts can project manage your case to a successful outcome for a pre-agreed fixed fee.

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UK Sportsperson Visa Lawyers

When you are seeking to come to and work in the UK as a sportsperson, it is important to be well-informed on the relevant visa requirements. Our award-winning solicitors at Cranbrook Legal in central London specialise in work visas, and offer assistance to both elite and up-and-coming sportspeople.

You may approach our Sportsperson visa UK solicitors due to an interest in applying for this visa for the first time, or you might wish to switch to this visa from another visa type. We also advise and assist those who may have been unsuccessful in their application for a Sports visa for the UK.

Whatever your circumstances and requirements are in relation to the Sportspersons or Sports visitor visa for the UK, you can expect the most comprehensive, responsive and transparent service from us. We have a high success rate, and charge a pre-agreed fixed fee. For more information, please call 0208 215 0053.

How can you help me get a UK Sportspersons Visa?

We help sportspeople to obtain the relevant visa that would enable them to move to and work in the UK.  Whether you are an emerging or established sportsperson, you can expect a first-class service from our experienced Sports visa UK lawyers, who are known for their dynamic and progressive mindset.

Our visa services for sportspeople from around the world are characterised by the highest standards of care, decency and transparency. When we take you on as one of our clients, we will agree a fixed fee with you at the outset of your case, so that you have financial certainty, with no need to worry about any unexpected ‘hidden’ charges.

We will then project manage your case from start to finish, holding your hand throughout the entire process, and providing tailored advice and support to ensure you make the most informed choices for your situation and needs.

We have an excellent track record of helping our clients to achieve a positive outcome from their application for a UK Sportspersons visa. Simply book your consultation with us today for further information about how we can help you with your case.

What is a UK Sportspersons Visa?

The term ‘sportspersons visa’ may be used in reference to two popular types of UK visa: the Sportsperson visa (T2), which is aimed at elite sportspeople or qualified coaches, and the Temporary Worker – Creative and Sporting visa (T5), which is designed for up-and-coming sportspeople and creative workers.

As a holder of the T2 Sportspersons visa, for example, you would be able to stay in the UK for up to three years, or six years if you are successfully approved for an extension. You would also be allowed to do the following on this visa:

  • Work for your sponsor in the job outlined in your Certificate of Sponsorship
  • Take on a second job in certain circumstances
  • Play for your national team in the UK
  • Work as a sports broadcaster
  • Do voluntary work
  • Study, provided that it does not interfere with the job for which you have sponsorship
  • Travel abroad and return to the UK
  • Bring your ‘dependant’ partner and children with you to the UK, as long as they meet the eligibility requirements for this

Those in the UK on the T2 Sportspersons visa are not, however, permitted to access public funds, or to start and run a business. They are also not allowed to start a second job until they have begun working for their sponsor.

The T5 Temporary Worker – Creative and Sporting visa, meanwhile, enables the successful applicant to come to the UK for up to 12 months, or the time given in their Certificate of Sponsorship plus up to 28 days – whichever is shorter. If you meet the requirements for an extension, you could extend your T5 visa for up to 12 months, or the time that your Certificate of Sponsorship states plus 14 days – whichever is shorter.

Those who come to the UK on this T5 Sports visa are permitted to do the following:

  • Study (an Academic Technology Approval Scheme certificate will be required for some courses)
  • Work for their sponsor in the job their Certificate of Sponsorship describes
  • Do a second job in the same industry and at the same level as their main job for up to 20 hours per week
  • Do a job on UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI)’s Skilled Worker shortage occupation list for up to 20 hours per week
  • Work as a sportsperson for their national team while it is playing in a British University and College Sport (BUCS) competition
  • Work as a sports broadcaster
  • Bring their ‘dependant’ partner and children with them to the UK, as long as they meet the eligibility requirements for this

Holders of the Temporary Worker – Creative and Sporting visa (T5) are not allowed to get public funds or to start their own business.

What are the requirements of the UK Sportspersons Visa?

Whichever Sports visa for the UK you are interested in applying for – the T2 or the T5 route – it is important to be well-informed on the relevant requirements before you apply.

You have the right to apply for the T2 Sportsperson visa if all of the following conditions are present:

  • You are an elite sportsperson or qualified coach, who is recognised by the governing body of your sport as being at the highest level of your profession internationally
  • Your sport’s governing body is endorsing your application
  • Your employment will develop your sport in the UK at the highest level
  • You satisfy the other eligibility requirements for this visa

Those other eligibility requirements for the T2 visa include:

  • Having a valid Certificate of Sponsorship for your job
  • Proving your English language knowledge
  • Having sufficient personal savings to support yourself when you come to the UK
  • Showing that you can travel, and your travel history over the past five years
  • Having tuberculosis test results, if you are from one of the countries in the UK Government’s list for this
  • Having an eligible occupation, if you are switching from a Tier 4 visa

Meanwhile, the Temporary Worker – Creative and Sporting visa (T5) is the category of visa for which up-and-coming sportspeople must apply, if the below conditions are the case:

  • They have been offered work in the UK as a sportsperson or creative worker
  • They satisfy the other eligibility requirements for this visa

The other eligibility requirements for the T5 visa include:

  • Making a significant contribution to your sport at the highest level in the UK
  • Having a Certificate of Sponsorship reference number
  • Having enough money to support yourself in the UK; you will normally be required to have a minimum of £1,270 available, unless you are exempt

Our Sports visa UK solicitors can advise and guide you at every stage of your application for a T2 or T5 Sportspersons visa. Please do not hesitate to arrange a consultation with us for tailored support.

Can I switch into the Sportsperson Visa UK category?

In the case of both the Sportsperson visa (T2) and the Temporary Worker – Creative and Sporting visa (T5), there is the option to switch to these visas from other visa types, subject to certain requirements.

If, for example, it is the T2 Sports visa for the UK to which you might like to switch, you will need to satisfy the general eligibility requirements for this visa. You must also be in the UK already, under any of the below visas or schemes:

  • Tier 1 visa
  • Tier 2 (General) visa
  • Tier 2 (Minister of Religion) visa
  • Tier 2 (Intra-company Transfer) visa under the Immigration Rules in place before 6 April 2010, and you’re applying to change sponsor
  • Tier 4 visa, provided that you have an eligible occupation or have done a minimum of 12 months of a PhD
  • Start-up visa
  • Innovator visa

You also have the option of switching to the Sportsperson visa (T2) if you satisfy the eligibility requirements and are a:

  • Dependent partner of someone holding a Tier 4 visa
  • Representative of an overseas business

If you are not in one of the above categories, you will only be able to apply for the Sportsperson visa (T2) if you leave the UK and submit your application from abroad.

Alternatively, it may be the T5 Temporary Worker – Creative and Sporting visa, aimed at up-and-coming sportspeople, to which you wish to switch. This will be a possibility for you if you are already in the UK on a Standard Visitor visa, and your sponsor gave you a Certificate of Sponsorship for this visa prior to your arrival in the UK.

You will not have the right to switch to the T5 Sportsperson visa for the UK if you’ve used the Temporary Worker – Creative and Sporting visa (T5) concession to come to the UK.

Whether you are interested in switching to the T2 or T5 visa from your present visa type, you are urged to apply before your current visa expires. You will also need to submit your application online.

Our award-winning and experienced Sportsperson visa UK lawyers in central London are advantageously placed to project manage your case if you are looking to switch from one visa category to another. Please book your consultation with us today to begin the process, or call 0208 215 0053.

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Who can endorse me for the UK sportsperson Visa?

As a candidate for the Sportsperson visa (T2), you will need to get your sport’s governing body to endorse your application. For this endorsement to be valid, the governing body musthave been approved by the Home Office.

Getting a sports governing body endorsement as part of your T2 Sports visa UK application will confirm to the Home Office that:

  • You are internationally established as a player or coach at the highest level
  • You will make a significant contribution to the development of your sport at the highest level in the UK

The relevant sports governing body is expected to confirm these details in a letter. This letter is also required to include a unique endorsement number. The reference number will begin with an abbreviated form of the governing body’s name – for instance, RUGU for rugby union. This reference number should also appear towards the bottom of the Certificate of Sponsorship.

What if my UK Sportsperson Visa is refused?

Once you have applied for a T2 Sports visa for the UK, the Home Office will make a decision on the basis of whether you have satisfied the requirements of this visa route.

With the help of our Sportsperson visa UK lawyers, your application will hopefully be a success. If, however, you do not meet all of the relevant requirements, any of the general grounds for refusal apply, or you are in breach of immigration laws (with the exception of any period of overstaying permitted under the Immigration Rules), your application will be refused.

If you do receive a refusal decision on your visa application, you will not have the right to appeal against this decision. In the event, however, that you believe the Home Office has made a mistake in its consideration of your application, you are entitled to apply for an Administrative Review.

The decision letter from the Home Office will set out how you can make an Administrative Review application. If this is the stage you have reached and you would appreciate specialist advice and guidance, please book a consultation with our Sports visa UK solicitors today.

Why Choose Us For Your Sports Visa UK?

We Are Dedicated

We Are Committed

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We Are Result Driven

We Are Strategic Thinkers

We Are Commercially Aware

Contact our Immigration Solicitors In London on 0208 215 0053 or
via info@cranbrooklegal.com to make your enquiry.

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UK Sportsperson Visa Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who can Sponsor me under the Sportspersons Visa in the UK?

Another thing that applicants for the T2 and T5 Sports visas have in common, is a need to have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) in place as part of their candidacy.

In the case of those seeking to be approved for the T2 Sportsperson visa, their sponsor will be the governing body sponsoring their application. This governing body will give the applicant a CoS as proof that they are sponsoring the applicant.

If, meanwhile, you are an up-and-coming sportsperson wishing to move to and work in the UK on a Temporary Worker – Creative and Sporting visa (T5), you are required to have a Certificate of Sponsorship from a licensed employer prior to applying to come to the UK to work. It is expected that the work you carry out in the UK will be related to your sponsor organisation’s work.

The Sportsperson visa (T2) can serve as a route to settlement in the UK – the status also known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’ (ILR) –as long as you meet the Home Office’s requirements for this.

As a holder of the T2 Sportsperson visa, you have the right to apply for ILR status as long as you also meet the below eligibility requirements:

  • You have spent at least five years living and working in the UK, without spending more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12-month period – a requirement also referred to as ‘continuous residence’
  • Your employer (sponsor) still requires you for your job
  • Your job pays a minimum of £35,800 (unless you are exempt from the ‘minimum earnings threshold’)
  • You are paid the relevant salary listed in UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI)’s Codes of Practice

The five years required as ‘continuous residence’ do not need to come purely from your time spent on the Sportsperson visa (T2); they can also include time you may have spent in the UK on another visa, provided that it is one of the following:

  • Tier 2 Minister of Religion
  • Tier 2 (General) or Skilled Worker
  • Tier 1, but not Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur)
  • Representative of an Overseas Business
  • Global Talent
  • Innovator

Those aged between 18 and 64 years old at the time of their application are also required to pass the UK Government’s Life in the UK Test and satisfy the English language requirements.

Applications for settled status must be made online, and the Home Office’s fee is £2,389 for each person who applies. You will be informed within six months whether you have been successful with your application. If the complexity of your application means the timeframe for a decision is likely to be longer, the Home Office will contact you about this.

There is the option to get a decision on your application within five working days, if you pay an additional £500 for the priority service. The Home Office also offers a ‘super priority service’, whereby applicants can get a decision even faster than this; the additional fee for this service is £800.

Book your consultation with our Sports visa UK lawyers now for an in-depth discussion about possible settlement applications, and how we can help manage your case.

Those who are successful in being approved for the Sportsperson visa (T2) will be entitled to stay in the UK on this visa for as long as three years. If the holder of this visa applies for and is successful in being granted an extension to their visa, they will be able to stay for up to another three years, for a maximum possible stay of six years.

If, meanwhile, you are an up-and-coming athlete who is approved for the T5 Temporary Worker – Creative and Sporting visa, you will be allowed to come to the UK for a maximum of 12 months, or the time stated by your Certificate of Sponsorship plus up to 28 days, whichever is shorter.

As the holder of a T5 Sports visa, you may have the option of extending it. You will not be able to extend your stay if you used the Temporary Worker – Creative and Sporting visa (T5) concession to enter the UK. If, however, you are able to extend your T5 visa, this can be for up to 12 months, or the time that your Certificate of Sponsorship states plus 14 days, whichever is shorter.

Whether you are applying for the T2 or the T5 Sportsperson visa for the UK, you will require a valid Certificate of Sponsorship as part of your application.

In the event of your sponsor losing their licence, you will be required to leave your job and to leave the UK, unless a submit a new visa application that would enable you to stay in the UK. There can also be consequences if your sponsor’s licence is suspended, they’re taken over by new owners, or they fail to renew their sponsor licence.

The exact consequences for you of your sponsor losing their licence will depend on whether you are already in the UK when the change to their sponsor licence status occurs.

If you are already in the UK when your sponsor loses their licence, this will result in the cancellation of the Certificate of Sponsorship, and your visa being limited to 60 days – or however long you have remaining on your visa, if it is less than 60 days. If you are involved in the reasons for your sponsor losing their licence, the Home Office will withdraw your visa and you will be required to immediately leave the UK.

Alternatively, you might be outside the UK at the time your sponsor loses their licence. If this is the case for you, and you already have a visa but are yet to travel to the UK, your visa will be cancelled and you won’t be permitted to enter the UK if you do travel. In the event that you are still waiting for a decision on your visa application when your sponsor loses their licence, the Home Office will refuse your application.

Contact our Sports visa UK lawyers today, and we will be able to advise and guide you on your options if there is any change to your sponsor’s licence status.

If you are interested in applying for the T2 Sportsperson visa, it is expected that you will be an elite sportsperson or qualified coach, who is recognised by the governing body of your sport as being at the highest level of your profession internationally.

Indeed, it is the endorsement provided by the governing body – which is one of the requirements for the T2 visa – that will confirm you are internationally established as a player or coach at the highest level, as well as that you will make a significant contribution to the development of your sport at the highest level in the UK.

Sportspeople who are seeking to be granted the T5 Temporary Worker – Creative and Sporting visa, meanwhile, will also need to make a significant contribution to their sport at the highest level in the UK, in order to be eligible for this visa. At the time you apply for this visa, it is expected that you will have been offered work in the UK as a sportsperson, in addition to satisfying the other eligibility requirements.

Our Sports visa UK solicitors can help ensure you meet all of these requirements; simply get in touch with our team now for further information and advice.

Prospective applicants for the T2 Sportsperson visa for the UK may be expected to prove their knowledge of the English language.

You can prove your Englishlanguage knowledge by either:

  • Passing an approved English language test with a minimum of CEFR level A1 in speaking and listening
  • Having an academic qualification that was taught in English and that Ecctis(formerly UK NARIC) recognises as being equivalent to a UK bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or PhD

There may be other ways in which you can satisfy the English language requirement for the Sportsperson visa for the UK.To learn more about your options and other aspects of the application process for this visa route, please feel free to contact our immigration lawyers.

In addition, there may be some circumstances in which applicants for the T2 Sports visa for the UK will not be required to prove their knowledge of English. You will not need to prove your English knowledge, for instance, if you are a national of one of the below countries:

  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Australia
  • The Bahamas
  • Barbados
  • Belize
  • Canada
  • Dominica
  • Grenada
  • Guyana
  • Jamaica
  • New Zealand
  • Malta
  • St Kitts and Nevis
  • St Lucia
  • St Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • The United States of America

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