UK Visa: A Simple Guide to the 2023 UK Permitted Paid Engagement Visa
This article is all about the UK Permitted Paid Engagement Visa, its application process, requirements, and other important details. Let’s start with the main points:
- The UK Permitted Paid Engagement Visa is a short stay visa for professionals from certain countries who want to work for a private person, company, or organization in the UK.
- You can get this visa if you’re 18 or older, plan to work for up to a month, and don’t have any history that disqualifies you from a UK visa. You should also have enough money to support yourself during your stay without depending on UK public funds.
- Some jobs you can do with this visa include being a guest lecturer, a pilot examiner, or an expert lawyer. But, you can’t use this visa for self-employment, internships, or direct selling jobs.
Now, let’s dive deeper.
What is the UK Permitted Paid Engagement Visa?
The UK Permitted Paid Engagement Visa is a type of visa for professional folks from certain countries who want to share their skills in the UK. You might get this visa if you’re going to work for a private person, company, organization, or group in the UK, or if you’re going to do a job that doesn’t need a sponsoring employer first.
How Can I Qualify for the UK Permitted Paid Work Visa?
Here are the things you need to get this visa:
- You should be 18 or older.
- You should plan to work for up to 1 month.
- You shouldn’t have a past that disqualifies you from a UK visa.
- You should plan to leave the UK when your visa time is up.
- You should have enough money to pay for your place to stay and living expenses, as well as the transportation to leave the UK, without needing any UK public funds or services.
What Jobs Can I Do With a UK Permitted Paid Engagement Visa?
Here are some job roles that might get you this visa:
- Academic student examiner: You should be an expert in a specific field. Your job will be to check students’ knowledge in that subject. You’ll do this as part of a selection panel or a quality assurance team. The organization that you’ll do this work for must be an academic or research organization in the UK.
- Guest lecturer: The place where you’ll share your expert lectures must be recognized as an academic place in the UK.
- Pilot examiner: Your job will be to check future pilots about UK piloting standards. You’ll do this for a UK training organization approved by the UK Civil Aviation Authority.
- Expert lawyer: You’ll represent a private person in court, at a tribunal hearing, arbitration, or for other types of dispute resolution.
- Creative industry job: You could get this visa if your job is to share your skills as a professional artist, entertainer, musician, fashion model, or sportsperson. Your performances should be for a creative or sports organization, or a medium in the UK.
What Jobs Can’t I Do With a Permitted Paid Engagement Visa?
Here are some jobs that you can’t do with this visa:
- Self-employment jobs.
- Internship related to studies.
- Other types of internships.
- Direct selling.
How to Apply for a UK Permitted Paid Engagement Visa?
The way to apply for this visa is similar to other UK visas. You should schedule an online visa appointment at least 3 weeks before applying, which will cost around £93. As part of your visa application, you’ll need to provide your biometric information, like fingerprints and photographs. This will be done at the visa application center.
Here are the documents you’ll need for your visa application:
- Invitation from the UK host organization.
- Proof that your skills match the job you’ll do in the UK (if you have a job).
- Letter from your current employer confirming your job, which should match the job you expect to do on your expert guest visit.
- Proof of professional status.
Depending on your job, you might also need other documents.
How Long Does it Take for a UK Permitted Paid Engagement Visa to Process?
It usually takes up to 3 weeks for this visa to process. If you need a faster visa decision, you can pay £212 or £956 to get a visa response in 5, or 1 working day.
Can I Extend or Switch My Visa?
No, you can’t stay in the UK with this visa for more than 1 month. Also, you can’t switch to a different UK visa type. With this visa, your family can’t come with you or join you after you arrive in the UK.
Can I Change Jobs While on the Permitted Paid Engagement Visa?
You can only work in the job at the company or for the individual client that you got your UK PPE visa for. However, you can attend business meetings related to your job in your home country, as long as it doesn’t interfere with your work in the UK.
Can I Get Married or in a Civil Partnership With a UK PPE Visa?
No, you can’t get married, enter a civil partnership, or announce a marriage or civil partnership while staying in the UK with this visa. If you plan to do so, you need to apply for a UK spouse visa instead.
Can I Study While in the UK With a Permitted Paid Engagement Visa?
Yes, you can study in the UK as long as your study program lasts up to 30 calendar days and it doesn’t affect your professional work in the UK. If you want to study in a longer program, you need to apply for a UK student visa instead