We are delighted that you are interested in pursuing the next chapter of your career with us at Queen’s University Belfast.

In accordance with UK legislation, before starting work with Queen’s, all prospective employees must prove their eligibility to live and work in the UK. If you don’t already hold British or Irish nationality, Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), status under the EU Settlement Scheme, or an alternative visa which permits you to take up the position you are applying for, we encourage you to self-assess whether you are likely to obtain a visa that will grant you the right to work for the position in question before applying for the post. To assist you, we provide some useful information below.

If an international member of staff is appointed and requires, and is eligible for, a visa, the International Staff Support team will liaise with the candidate upon issuance of their offer letter to provide support and assistance.

In light of Queen’s research intensity, the positions of Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Reader, Professor and Illuminate Fellow should be eligible under the Global Talent visa (GTV) Academic and research appointments (route 1) pathway. Lecturer (Education) and Senior Lecturer (Education) are not eligible under the GTV route, as these roles do not have the sufficient research element required, but should be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker visa route (occupational code 2311).

Vice Chancellor, Pro Vice Chancellor, Dean, Associate Dean, Head of School, Research Institute Director and similar senior leadership roles at a departmental, faculty or institutional level should also be eligible under the GTV Academic and research appointments (route 1) pathway.

Postdoctoral research positions may be eligible for a GTV under the Academic and Research Appointments (route 1) or Endorsed funders (route 3) pathway but will be assessed on an individual basis.

Examples of major duties that could indicate eligibility under the Academic and research appointments (route 1) may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• to “develop and carry out a plan to pursue an area of personal research and expertise, and/or undertake research under supervision in accordance with a specified project and as a research team/project member”
• to “plan and develop independent, original contributions to a subject area or project, using methodologies, critical evaluations, interpretations, analyses and other techniques appropriate to this type of research”.

To be eligible under the Endorsed funders (route 3) pathway, positions must be at least 12 months in duration and funded by a grant issued by an endorsed funder which covers a minimum period of 2 years and is over £30,000 in value. Technologists and methodologists such as Statisticians, Bioinformaticians and Engineers may also be eligible if the position meets these conditions, but not Lab Technicians, Project Administrators or Clinical Trials Coordinators for instance. KTP Associate roles should be eligible position under the GTV endorsed funders (route 3) pathway.

Where GTV isn’t eligible for a Research Fellow or Research Assistant position, the University should be able to sponsor a Skilled Worker visa, usually under the 2119 occupational code. Depending on the salary level, this may need to be done by using tradeable points.

Academics and researchers may also be eligible for a GTV under the Individual fellowships (route 2) and Peer review (route 4) pathways, which can be applied for independently of appointment to a position with Queen’s.

For all other professional, administrative, operational, and technical roles, candidates who don’t already hold the right to work in the UK must self-assess whether they are likely to be sponsored under the Skilled Worker visa route.

Recent graduates may wish to consider the Graduate visa (for graduates of UK universities) or the High Potential Individual (HPI) visa (for graduates of eligible international universities).

We look forward to welcoming you to Queen’s!

UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) controls immigration to the UK and holds sole discretion over an individual’s UK visa application. There are a range of visa types which permit work in the UK. For comprehensive information on the respective visa categories and processes, and to find out what type of visa you require, please refer to the guidance and information provided on the UKVI website.

To avoid disappointment or delays to your visa application, we urge international staff to familiarise themselves with the documents required, processing times and costs involved.