A Tier 2 Minister of Religion Visa UK allows ministers and religious workers in pastoral positions to remain in the country for a maximum of three years and one month. Up to three-year extensions are possible. With this visa, you may be able to get established status and eventually citizenship.
For experienced guidance on your tier 2 minister of religion visa application, speak with our immigration solicitors. If you need immediate support contact us at 02033844389 right now.
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The Tier 2 Minister of Religion visa does provide a potential path to settlement (‘indefinite leave to remain’) in the UK.
Individuals who have been sponsored to perform a primarily pastoral leading role within a bona fide faith-based organisation or religious order in the United Kingdom may apply for the Minister of Religion Visa (Tier 2).
It is possible to settle in the UK as a Minister of Religion using the (Tier 2) route and applicants can be accompanied or joined by a spouse and children under the age of 18.
The Temporary Work-Religious Worker Visa is a better option if you want to help out a UK religious organisation for up to two years by doing religious work, such as joining a religious order or doing non-pastoral work for them.
Call us at 02033844389 for further information.
UK Visas & Immigration requires the following requirements in order to grant you a Minister of Religion using the (Tier 2) Visa:
You may have to meet different requirements depending on your situation. To ensure that any mistakes can be identified, and a solid strategy can be developed and implemented, you must seek professional advice and guidance as soon as possible.
Individuals who are qualified to perform the job of a Minister of Religion are eligible for the (Tier 2) Minister of Religion Visa.
You will hold a major role within your religious establishment or organization in the UK, such as a minister, missionary, member of a religious order, or another religious worker with a pastoral role.
Ministers of Religion are expected to fulfil religious duties either within their sponsor’s organisation or as directed by their sponsors in the UK. The duties you perform here may include preaching, pastoral work, and non-pastoral work. The majority of your duties should be pastoral. For example, you should lead a congregation in performing rites and rituals and preach the essentials of the creed. Religious leaders such as priests, imams, rabbis, and other ministers of religion would fall under this category but are not limited to them.
The main duties of a Minister of Religion do not include school teaching, media production, domestic work, administrative work, or clerical duties unless you hold a senior position within your sponsor’s organization (like a financial controller). In these cases, applicants should consider other routes, such as the skilled worker route, to be sponsored.
For a Minister of Religion Visa (Tier 2), you must hold a valid Certificate of Sponsorship from a sponsor approved by the Home Office for the role you wish to perform in the UK. Ensure that your sponsor holds a valid Tier 2 Minister of Religion sponsor license.
You will be sponsored by a genuine religious organization that:
Your bank account must contain at least £1,270, held for a minimum of 28 days, ending at least 31 days prior to the date of your Minister of Religion Visa (Tier 2) application unless you have been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months or your employer agrees to cover your costs during your first month in the UK (which is confirmed on your Certificate of Sponsorship).
In order to apply for the Minister of Religion Visa (Tier 2), you must have a good grasp of English.
Reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills at level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Language are needed.
The second piece of advice from the Home Office about tier 2 minister of religion minimum salary is:
You may switch to the Minister of Religion (Tier 2) route if you currently have leave to remain in another immigration category unless you were granted permission as a visitor, short-term student, parent of a child student, seasonal worker, domestic worker in a private household, or outside the Immigration Rules.
The Minister of Religion Visa (Tier 2) is valid for the length of time stated on the Certificate of Sponsorship plus 14 days or 3 years and 1 month, whichever period is shorter.
Ministers of Religion may spend up to 6 years on the Tier 2 Minister of Religion route. Upon applying for permission to stay in the UK as a Tier 2 Minister of Religion from within the UK, you will be granted permission for a maximum of 6 years plus the difference between that period and the period you have already been granted permission by the Tier 2 route.
You will be able to work in the job you have been sponsored for if your Minister of Religion Visa (T2) application is successful. Additionally, you will be able to do voluntary work and pursue studies.
After five years of continuous residence in the UK, T2 Ministers of Religion are eligible to apply for settlement (indefinite leave to remain in the UK).
You can combine time spent in the T2 Minister of Religion category with time spent in the International Sportsperson, Skilled Worker, Tier 1 (other than Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur), Sole Representative of an Overseas Business, Innovator, and Global Talent categories.
In any 12 months during the 5 years used, you cannot have spent more than 180 days outside the UK.
A sponsor will need to confirm that you will continue to work for them for the foreseeable future and that you will be paid appropriately.
The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages requires you to demonstrate speaking and listening ability at least to B1 and pass the Life in the UK test unless you are exempt.
This means that if you continue working for your sponsor (and meet compliance requirements) for a continuous period of 5 years, you are eligible to apply for indefinite leave to remain which will then afford you a status equivalent to permanent residency.
At this point, you become free from immigration control and enter and leave the UK at your leisure without any visa requirements.
You also enjoy all of the same rights as a settled person in the UK
Applying for a UK Minister of Religion visa from outside the UK usually costs£719, while extending or switching to this form of visa in the UK often costs £827. On this visa category, you can apply for dependent partners or children. Each dependent must submit their own application, and the visa costs remain the same.
Foreign nationals applying for a visa to the UK are also required to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS). Ideally, this would last the whole visa period. An annual stay at the IHS would cost £1,035 (or £3,105) in total. The IHS fee can be paid by sponsors instead of the visa applicant. If so, it should be made clear in the terms of the job or sponsorship agreement.
Tier 2 ministers of religion may join or be accompanied by a dependent partner aged 18 and up as well as a dependent child.
Dependents may also need to satisfy a financial requirement in addition to providing evidence of their relationship. The Tier 2 Minister of Religion – or their partner or child – will need £285 for a partner, £315 for one child, and £200 for each additional child, unless they have been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months or their employer covers their first month’s costs. The money needs to have been held for at least 28 days and not more than 31 days before the date of their visa application.
Settlement is only open to dependent partners of Tier 2 Ministers of Religion who have lived in the UK continuously for 5 years with no more than 180 days of absence in any 12 months and have demonstrated English language proficiency on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages at level B1 speaking and listening or have passed the Life in the UK test.
Visa decisions for most Tier 2 Minister of Religion applications are made within three weeks. If a visa application centre offers a priority service, you may be able to obtain a faster decision.
Most applications to extend their stay as a Tier 2 Minister of Religion are decided within eight weeks of submission.
An additional three years of stay may be possible for you if you file for a Minister of Religion Visa extension.
To renew your T2 Minister of Religion visa, you must show that you are still needed in your current position and that you can fulfil the same criteria as when you first applied.
Before your existing visa expires, you must pay all association expenses and submit an application. Your dependents must also submit a visa renewal application simultaneously.
These are some of the main reasons why the Minister of Religion visa and the Religious Worker visa are different:
Differences | Minister of Religion visa | Religious Worker Visa |
Type of work visa | Long-term > 2 years | Short-term < 2 years |
Route to permanent settlement? | Yes | No |
Sponsorship required | Yes | Yes |
Job offered required | Yes | Yes |
Type of work allowed | Mainly pastoral with some non-pastoral | Either religious or non-pastoral work |
Application fee | £719 (if applying outside the UK) | £298 per person |
Financial requirement | £1,270 | £1,270 |
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Most of the time, a child needs a visa in order to live in the UK. For instance, if their parent is a foreign national working or studying in the country, the child may need a Child Dependant Visa.
You can work as a Minister of Religion in the UK with a Religious Worker Visa if you have trained full-time for a year with a ministry. You must have completed one year of training for this position in order to proceed.
The usual period for a Minister of Religion visa is three years and one month. However, it can be extended to match the duration of the Certificate of Sponsorship. The maximum amount of time a person can stay is 6 years, and it can be extended for a further 3 years. Holders of this visa type are eligible to apply for ILR after a period of 5 years.
It is allowed to have a second job, but it must be in the same field, an occupation included on the UK Shortage Occupation List, or unpaid volunteer work. Your job sponsored by your visa cannot be negatively impacted by this job.
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