The UK is a top destination for athletes and sporting professionals in a diverse range of disciplines. Whether you are a sportsperson, coach or club, our immigration barristers in London are well versed in the full range of UK visas available to sportspersons who wish to visit, or work in, the UK. Our specialist immigration barristers work closely with professional and amateur sportspersons, employers and event organisers across all sports to ensure that their immigration and visa requirements are met. For advice and assistance with applying for a UK visa for a sportsperson, contact our immigration barristers and lawyers in Covent Garden, London on 020 3617 9173 or by email to info@richmondchambers.com.

1. IMMIGRATION ROUTES FOR
SPORTSPERSONS

2. IMMIGRATION ROUTES FOR
SPORTSPERSONS
The UK is a top destination for athletes and sporting professionals in a diverse range of
disciplines. Whether you are a sportsperson, coach or club, our immigration barristers
in London are well versed in the full range of UK visas available to sportspersons
who wish to visit, or work in, the UK.
Our specialist immigration barristers work closely with professional and amateur sportspersons, employers and event organisers across all
sports to ensure that their immigration and visa requirements are met.

3. About us
Richmond Chambers LLP is an award-winning, innovative
partnership of specialist immigration barristers and other
immigration law professionals. Based in the heart of London’s
Covent Garden, we are ideally located to service the immigration
and visa requirements of professionals and amateurs in all sports.
Winner of the ‘Best Immigration Set of the Year - UK’ award at the
Global Mobility and Immigration Awards 2014, Winner of the ‘Best
Emerging Firm’ award at the MPF Awards for Management
Excellence 2014 and Winner of the ‘ABS of the Year’ award at the
Modern Law Awards 2014, our forward-thinking barrister-led law
firm delivers creative immigration law solutions to professional
and amateur sportspersons, coaches, officials, clubs and event
organisers.
Our team of immigration barristers has experience in assisting
sportspersons from all disciplines. We are experts in immigration
options for sportspersons and coaches and will guide you through
the complex Home Office rules and policies. We understand
that sportspersons often need to travel frequently for training,
competitions and other events at short notice. We can work
within your timeline to ensure that you meet your professional
commitments. We will simplify the procedure for you and help to
protect you from any immigration compliance issues.
We pride ourselves on being approachable and pro-active in
understanding and meeting our clients’ needs. We are a highly
driven team, dedicated to providing clear and reliable immigration
advice to sportspersons as part of a professional and friendly
service.
For advice and assistance with visiting, or working in, the UK
as a sportsperson, contact our immigration barristers and
lawyers in Covent Garden, London on 020 3617 9173 or
by email to info@richmondchambers.com

4. General visa information
If you want to work as a sportsperson, undertaking sporting
activities in the UK, you will normally need to have a visa under
one of the tiers of the points-based system. The points-based
system has special categories and rules for those in the sporting
industry, both professional and amateur. In most categories you
will have to be sponsored by an employer. However, if you are
going to be in the UK briefly, or for a single event or activity, one
of the visitor visas may be appropriate.
The main immigration routes available to sportspersons are:
J Visit (Standard) – Business Sports visa;
J Permitted Paid Engagement Visitor visa;
J Tier 2 Sportsperson visa;
J Tier 5 Temporary Worker visa.

5. Employers, clubs and event organisers
If you want to employ someone who does not already have
the right to work in the UK, you will need to sponsor them. All
companies and organisations who want to sponsor their
employees must obtain a Sponsor Licence.
To sponsor a sportsperson under the Tier 2 Sportsperson or Tier
5 Temporary Workers: Creative and Sporting categories you must
be a sporting body, sports club, event organiser or other organiser
operating, or intending to work in, the sporting sector. Agents
cannot be sponsors.
You will need to obtain an endorsement from the governing body
for your sport, which must be recognised by the Home Office. The
endorsement will confirm that you are a genuine club or similar
organisation and have a legitimate requirement to bring migrants to
the UK as sportspersons. If the governing body for your sport is not
recognised by the Home Office, it is important to ensure you plan
well ahead if intending to sponsor any migrants, as it can take up to
6 months for a governing body to be added to the approved list.
Players on loan: if you sponsor a sportsperson you will have
special duties if they are on loan to another club. You can only
loan and accept loaned players if your governing body permits
this. If one of your players is moving on loan then you must report
this to the Home Office. The player may only be loaned if they
will return to your club after the loan period. You will continue to
be responsible for the player and must make arrangements with
the loan club so that you can continue to meet your sponsor
duties. The loan club does not need to make an application for an
endorsement or have a Sponsor Licence.
If the player is permanently transferred, you must inform the
Home Office and the new club must make an application for the
player, both for an endorsement and a visa. The player must be
granted leave to play for the new club before they begin playing
for them. If a player is on loan from an overseas club to a UK club,
you must meet all the requirements of Tier 2 or Tier 5 and have a
governing body endorsement.

6. Visit (Standard) – Business Sports Visa
J take part in a specific one-off charity sporting event, providing
that you are not paid other than for travelling and other
expenses;
J join, as an amateur, a wholly or mostly amateur team provided
that you are not paid other than for board and lodging and
reasonable expenses; or
J serve as a member of the technical or personal staff, or as an
official, attending the same event as a visiting sportsperson
coming for one or more of the purposes listed above.
You must be over the age of 18 and not intend to work while in the
UK, otherwise than as permitted. You must also be able to show
that you can maintain and accommodate yourself for the duration
of your stay, that you intend to leave the UK and that you can
meet the cost of your onward journey.
You must not intend to live in the UK through frequent or
successive visits, be in transit to a country outside the Common
Travel Area (UK, Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey), intend
to undertake a course of non-incidental study exceeding 30
days, marry or form a civil partnership or receive private medical
treatment in the UK.
The Visit (Standard) – Business Sports visa
is for non-EEA nationals who are seeking
to come to the UK to take part in a sports
tournament, event or series of events.
A Visit (Standard) – Business Sports visa will allow you to do the
following:
J take part in a sports tournament, a particular sporting event or
series of events in which you are either:
– taking part, either as an individual or as part of a team;
– making personal appearances and promotions, such as book
signings, television interviews, guest commentaries, negotiating
contracts or to discuss sponsorship deals;
– taking part in ‘trials’, providing it is not in front of an audience,
either paying or non-paying;
– undertaking short periods of training, either as an individual or
as part of a team, providing you are not intending to settle in
the UK, being paid by a UK sporting body, or joining a UK team
where you are involved in friendly or exhibition matches;

7. If you visit the UK with a Visit (Standard) – Business Sports
visa, you will be allowed to stay in the UK for up to 6 months.
However, you may also apply for a long-term visa if you can
prove that you need to make repeated visits over a longer
period.
If you would like your family to accompany you then they will
need to enter as a Visitor (Standard).
Nationals of certain countries are not required to apply for
visitor visas before travelling. They can instead simply ask to
enter the UK when arriving at the UK border. If this applies to
you, it is a good idea to prepare all the relevant documents
and have these checked before you travel, in order to avoid
being refused entry to the UK.

8. Permitted Paid Engagement Visitor Visa
The Permitted Paid Engagement visa category is for non-EEA nationals who are
seeking to come to the UK to perform a specific task, for which they will be paid,
without having to be sponsored under the points-based system.
Visitors cannot normally work for a UK employer in the UK.
However, there are some exceptions to this rule, known as
Permitted Paid Engagements.
You may come to the UK at the invitation of a sporting
organisation to undertake a paid engagement within the
sports sector. A sporting organisation is considered to be any
organisation involved in organising or staging sporting events.
You must be able to demonstrate that you are a full time sports
professional outside the UK.
All engagements must be pre-arranged before applying for a
Permitted Paid Engagement visa.
You must be over the age of 18 and not intend to work while in the
UK, otherwise than as permitted. You must also be able to show
that you can maintain and accommodate yourself for the duration
of your stay, that you intend to leave the UK and that you can
meet the cost of your onward journey.
You must not intend to live in the UK through frequent or
successive visits, be in transit to a country outside the Common
Travel Area (UK, Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey), intend
to undertake a course of study, marry or form a civil partnership or
receive private medical treatment in the UK.
If you visit the UK as a Permitted Paid Engagement Visitor, you will
be allowed to stay in the UK for up to 1 month.
Permitted Paid Engagement visitors are not allowed to bring family
members to the UK on the same visa. If you would like your family
to accompany you then they will need to enter as a General Visitor
or Child Visitor.
Nationals of certain countries are not required to apply for visitor
visas before travelling. They can instead simply ask to enter the UK
when arriving at the UK border. If this applies to you, it is a good
idea to prepare all the relevant documents and have these checked
before you travel, in order to avoid being refused entry to the UK.

9. Tier 2 Sportsperson Visa
The Tier 2 Sportsperson visa is designed specifically for elite sportspersons and
coaches internationally established at the highest level, whose employment will make a
significant contribution to the development of their sport at the highest level in the UK,
and who will base themselves in the UK.
Your employer must already hold a Tier 2 Sponsor Licence in the
Sporting category.
Your application must be endorsed by your sport’s appropriate
governing body, as recognised by the Home Office. The governing
body should confirm to the Home Office that:
J You are internationally established at the highest level;
J You will make a significant contribution to the development of
your sport at the highest level in the UK;
J It is suitable to fill the post with a migrant and not someone who
is already settled in the UK.
Once the sport’s governing body has endorsed your application,
your employer can issue you with a Certificate of Sponsorship
(CoS). The CoS will confirm the details of your proposed
employment in the UK and must be used to apply for a visa.
Entry clearance or leave to remain as a Tier 2 Sportsperson
You can apply for a Tier 2 Sportsperson visa from outside the
UK. If you are already in the UK, you must be in an immigration
category that is permitted to switch into the Tier 2 Sportsperson
category. The categories permitted to switch include some
subcategories of Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 4. You may only switch from
Tier 5 if you were last granted leave as a Tier 5 Temporary Worker
in the Creative and Sporting subcategory in order to work as a
professional footballer. Your family members may accompany you
as your dependents.

10. If you are currently in the UK as a Tier 4 General Student, you will
need to complete and pass your degree level course (or the first
year, if it is a PhD course) before you are eligible to switch into the
Tier 2 Sportsperson category.
In order to qualify for a Tier 2 Sportsperson visa for the UK, you will
need to show that:
J You have obtained a job offer in the UK;
J The job offer is from a licensed UK club, organisation or company;
J The governing body for your sport has endorsed your application;
J If your sponsor is a limited company, you must not own more than
10% of its shares, unless your gross salary is £155,300 or more;
J You have been issued with a valid certificate of sponsorship by
your employer;
J You have knowledge of English to the required level;
J You have enough money to support yourself without relying on
public funds.
Your leave to remain in the UK may be granted for up to 3 years,
after which you can apply for an extension. Each time you
extend your Tier 2 (Sportsperson) visa you must have a fresh
endorsement from your sport’s governing body and a new CoS.
You must work for your sponsor in the job described in your CoS.
You may do a second job, play for your national team in the UK,
temporarily work as a sports broadcaster, do voluntary work and
study, as long as this does not interfere with the job that you have
been sponsored for.
You can remain in the UK as a Tier 2 Sportsperson for a maximum
period of 6 years. However, after 5 years’ leave to remain in the UK
you may be eligible to apply to settle in the UK.

11. Tier 5 Temporary Worker Visa
The Tier 5 Temporary Worker (Creating and Sporting) visa is for sportspersons who wish
to work in the UK for a temporary period.
To apply in this category you must be sponsored to come to the
UK as a sportsperson by an employer holding a Tier 5 sponsor
licence. You will be permitted to come to the UK for up to 12
months.
To qualify for a Tier 5 Temporary Worker visa in the sporting sub-
category, you must be either a sportsperson (or a member of a
sportsperson’s entourage) who is internationally established at
the highest level in your sport, or your employment must make a
significant contribution to the development and operation of your
sport in the UK. If you are a coach, you must be suitably qualified
for the role.
In all cases you must be endorsed by the appropriate governing
body for your sport. The endorsement will confirm that your
employment meets the criteria above and that your post could
not be filled by a suitable settled worker.
To apply you will need to prove that you have specified savings,
or your sponsor can certify maintenance for you. You may bring
dependants.
If you are coming to the UK for less than 3 months you may not
need a visa, depending on your nationality.
When you are in the UK you may be loaned to another sports
club if you are sponsored as a player by a sports club, your sport’s
governing body permits player loans and you will return to play
for your sponsor at the end of the loan. Your sponsor will need to
make arrangements with the loan club to allow them to meet their
sponsor duties.

12. Visit (Standard)
Business Sports
Permitted Paid
Engagements
(PPE) Visit
Tier 2
(Sportsperson)
Tier 5
(Temporary Worker)
Maximum length
of initial visa
6 months* 1 month 3 years 1 year
Extension 7 7 Up to 6 years in this
category in total
Up to 1 year in this
category in total
Settlement 7 7 3 7
Sponsor Licence
required
7 7 3 3
Minimum salary
requirement
7 7 7 7
Restrictions
Permitted Sports
Visitor activities only
Permitted Paid
Engagements only
Must work for
sponsoring employer
Must undertake role
sponsored for
Dependents 7 7 3 3
* It is also possible to obtain a Visitor (Standard) visa for 1, 2, 5 or 10 years. However, each visit must last no more than 6 months.

13. At Richmond Chambers LLP, our immigration barristers provide expert advice to sportspersons, coaches and clubs on UK visa and
immigration requirements. We assist professional and amateur sportspersons, employers and event organisers across all sports
to ensure that they can visit and undertake sporting activities in the UK.
For advice and assistance with applying for a UK visa for a sportsperson, please contact our immigration barristers and lawyers in Covent Garden, London
on 020 3617 9173 or by email to info@richmondchambers.com.
Seven Henrietta Street | Covent Garden | London WC2E 8PS
Tel 020 3617 9173 | Fax 020 3004 1611 | Email info@richmondchambers.com | www.richmondchambers.com