The Tier 2 (Minister of Religion) visa is for people from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) who have been offered a job within a faith community (for example as a minister of religion, missionary, or member of a religious order). As with other Tier 2 routes, before applying for a visa under this route you must have a job offer and a certificate of sponsorship from your potential employer. You must undergo a ‘genuineness test’ to establish that you genuinely intend to undertake, and are capable of undertaking, the role for which the Certificate of Sponsorship was assigned and that you will not take other unpermitted employment in the UK.
You must have at least £945 (plus £630 per family member) in your bank for a minimum of 90 days before you apply unless your sponsor is an A-rated sponsor.
A Tier 2 (Minister of Religion) visa is valid for a maximum of 3 years and 1 month or for the time given on your certificate of sponsorship plus 1 month, whichever is shortest.
You can extend your Tier 2 (Minister of Religion) up to a maximum of 6 years. You can also apply for indefinite leave to remain after you have reached 5 years continuous leave in the United Kingdom.
Yes. Your partner (if you are unmarried you must have lived together for 2 years) and your children under 18 can come to the UK with you. If you are already in the UK, your children aged over 18 can remain with you if they are currently in the UK as your dependant.
Unfortunately, there is no longer a full right of appeal if a Tier 2 visa application is refused, instead an applicant must apply for administrative review. In an administrative review a refusal will not be overturned if the applicant has failed to provide a specified document or made an error with their application. It is therefore crucial to ensure that any application made under the Points Based System is prepared, thoroughly checked and submitted by a qualified and experienced immigration specialist to avoid refusal of the application and loss of fees paid.
If you have any questions about Tier 2 (Sportsperson) visas or if you would like to talk about your case and to discuss how we can help you, please call us on 0121 698 2187 or alternatively email us at info@hsic.co.uk.
You can also use our free immigration advice service (this is suitable for general enquiries about immigration requirements and not for preparation of an application for leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom).