Permitted Paid Engagement Visit
For experts invited to do pre-arranged paid work in the UK, such as a lecture or a performance. You must finish it in your first 30 days.
- Screening A few questions about your work, your family and your plans.
- Documents A checklist built around your route and who is coming with you.
- Expert review A qualified adviser reads every document before anything is filed.
- Application Every answer is checked against the published rules for your route.
- Submission Filed, with everything that went with it kept in one place.
- Arrival We stay with you through the crossing and the first steps after.
Application fee
£135
Standard Visitor visa, up to 6 months
Maximum stay
6 months
GOV.UK, Standard Visitor visa
Paid work allowed
Invited work
Only the engagements the rules list
What is the UK Permitted Paid Engagement visa?
A permitted paid engagement lets an invited professional visit the UK as a Standard Visitor to carry out a single, pre-arranged paid engagement in their own profession, for example examining, lecturing, performing, providing legal advocacy for a client, or a sporting or conference engagement, shortly after they arrive. No employer sponsorship is needed.
Who this is for
The route is for someone invited by a UK-based organisation, agent, broadcaster or client to carry out one of the specific paid engagements published for this purpose, where the engagement relates directly to the visitor's profession and expertise overseas. It suits an academic examiner, a lecturer, a qualified lawyer representing a client, a professional artist, entertainer or musician, a professional sportsperson, a conference speaker, or an overseas pilot examiner. The visitor must also meet the general Standard Visitor requirements, including having enough funds to support the visit without working outside the engagement or claiming public funds, and genuinely intending to leave the UK at the end of the visit.
Requirements
- Formal invitationA written invitation from a UK-based organisation, agent, broadcaster or client, for a specific engagement arranged before the visitor travels to the UK.
- Established expertiseThe visitor must be able to show they are an established expert in their profession, and the engagement must be relevant to their expertise, qualifications and main job in their home country.
- AgeThe visitor must be 18 or over when they enter the UK.
- One of the published engagement typesThe engagement must be one of the specific paid engagements published for this route, for example academic examining, lecturing, legal advocacy for a client, performing as an artist, entertainer or musician, professional sport, conference speaking, or examining pilots. It must be declared as part of the application.
- Completed within 30 daysThe paid engagement itself must be completed within 30 days of the visitor entering the UK, even though the wider visit can last longer.
- General Standard Visitor eligibilityThe visitor must also meet the general Standard Visitor requirements, including having enough funds to support the visit without working outside the engagement or claiming public funds, and genuinely intending to leave the UK at the end of the visit.
- No employer sponsorshipUnlike the UK's sponsored work visas, this route does not need a UK employer sponsor licence or a certificate of sponsorship. Eligibility rests on the invitation and the visitor's own evidence of expertise.
Documents typically needed
- Valid passport or travel documentMust be valid for the whole of the stay.
- Formal written invitationFrom the UK-based organisation, agent, broadcaster or client, confirming the specific engagement.
- Evidence of expertiseFor example published work, media coverage, awards, or a letter confirming the visitor's role and field, depending on the type of engagement.
- Evidence of fundsShowing the visitor can support the visit without working outside the engagement or claiming public funds.
- Certified translationsFor any document that is not in English or Welsh.
How to apply
Get a formal invitation
Secure a written invitation from the UK host confirming the specific engagement before booking travel.
Check the visa requirement
Confirm whether a visa is needed for the visitor's nationality, and gather evidence of expertise relevant to the engagement.
Apply online
Apply for a Standard Visitor visa online, declaring the permitted paid engagement and providing the invitation and evidence of expertise.
Prove identity and give biometrics
Prove identity with a passport or travel document, and have fingerprints and a photo taken, either online or at a visa application centre appointment.
Complete the engagement within 30 days
Carry out the paid engagement within 30 days of entering the UK; the rest of the visit can continue for other standard visitor purposes up to the length of the visa.
Fees & costs
- Standard Visitor visa (used for a permitted paid engagement)
- £135
Fee is for a visa of up to 6 months and is set by the Home Office; it can change. Source: GOV.UK https://www.gov.uk/standard-visitor
Processing times
- Apply outside the UK
- Usually within 3 weeks
Standard service time published by the Home Office once the application is submitted with identity proof and supporting documents.
What you can and can't do
Permitted
- Examine students, or chair or join selection panels, as a highly qualified academic invited by a UK higher education institution or a UK-based research or arts organisation
- Give lectures in their subject area as an invited expert, without filling a teaching position for the host organisation
- Assess UK-based pilots against another country's aviation requirements, as an overseas-designated pilot examiner invited by a UK-regulated training organisation
- Represent a client as a qualified lawyer, providing advocacy for a court or tribunal hearing, arbitration or other dispute resolution
- Carry out an activity relating directly to their profession as a professional artist, entertainer or musician invited by a UK creative organisation, agent or broadcaster
- Carry out an activity relating directly to their profession as a professional sportsperson invited by a UK sports organisation, agent or broadcaster
- Give a one-off talk or short series of talks and speeches as a speaker invited to a conference or other event
Not permitted
- Work in the UK outside the invited engagement
- Access public funds
If the application is refused
An application is granted if the decision maker is satisfied that the suitability and eligibility requirements for the route are met, and refused if they are not. The refusal notice explains the reasons and any next steps that apply.
Common questions
How long can I stay on a permitted paid engagement visit?
Do I need a sponsor for a permitted paid engagement?
What counts as a permitted paid engagement?
How much does a permitted paid engagement visa cost?
How long does a decision take?
Can I do tourism as well as the paid engagement?
Talk it through with one of our solicitors.
Book a consultation and one of our immigration solicitors will go through your situation, the documents involved, and what happens next.
Business Visit
A Business Visitor Visa allows you to attend meetings, conferences, site visits and negotiations in the UK for up to six months. Employment or providing services in the UK is not allowed.
Read the guide →Creative Visit
Artists, entertainers and musicians can carry out certain unpaid activities under visitor rules. Paid gigs require other routes.
Read the guide →