Visiting Staff

Inviting Staff to the university

Before inviting a member of staff please make sure that you are following the new process highlighted in the Visiting Staff Process Flowchart (PDF). All visitors will need to complete the Visitor Assessment Form.

Upon approval, visiting staff from the EEA will need to be sent the Invite Letter for EEA Visiting Staff (Word Template) by the department. For non-EEA citizens the HR department will send the invite letter to ensure visa compliance.

Visitor Visas

A Visitor is a person who is coming to the UK for a temporary purpose. There are different visitor visa routes depending on the purpose of your visit. The most relevant to Aberystwyth University are Visit (Standard or Academic) and Permitted Paid Engagements (PPE) visa routes. The UKVI visitor rules outline what an individual can and cannot do under these visa routes.

Permitted Paid Engagement Visa

A permitted paid engagement visa is for visitors who have been invited to come to the UK because of their expertise. Migrants under this visa route are permitted to stay in the UK for up to 1 month. No sponsorship is required. The work must be relevant to the migrant's main work overseas.

The visa cannot be extended or switched and the individual must be able to prove that they have enough money to support themselves and to pay for their return or onward journey.

Family members must apply for their own separate visa(s).

This visa is for those who are coming to the UK to:

- be a student examiner or assessor

- take part in selection panels for the education, arts or research organisation you have been invited by as a highly qualified academic

- give lectures at Aberystwyth University (as long as it is not a part-time or full-time role)

- Provide advocacy in a particular area of law

- Take part in arts, entertainment or sporting activities including broadcasting

- do minor activities related to your work or business overseas e.g. meetings

More information is available from the UKVI website.

Standard Visitor Visa

A standard visitor visa allows a migrant to visit the UK for up to 6 months or, for academics on sabbatical and coming to the UK for research, up to 12 months along with their spouse or civil partner.

You must apply before travelling to the UK this can be done online at the UKVI website. Please note that you cannot extend this visa past 6 months (12 months for academics) and at the end of this period you must leave the UK and you are not permitted to switch to any other visa route.

Academic visitors should make sure they are entering the UK on the correct visa. A standard visitor visa should be applied for if the individual is visiting to do one of the following:

- A formal exchange with a UK counterpart. The individual should continue to be paid by their host instiution overseas.

- Carry out their own personal research (e.g. research for a book) if they are on sabbatical leave from their home institution

- To share knowledge or experience with UK counterparts - this does not permit research where Aberystwyth is the host institution.

This visa route is also applicable for those visiting for a conference, meeting or training. It is also applicable for academics accompanying students on a study abroad programme.

A Standard Visitor Visa is unlikely to apply to migrants visiting the UK to collaborate on research projects hosted by Aberystwyth University.

An academic visitor on a standard visitor visa must not take employment or do work that amounts to them filling a role or providing cover for a role.

Visitor visa holders cannot be paid by any source in the United Kingdom. The only payments that they may receive is reasonable expenses to cover the cost of their travel and subsistence or prize money.

Please visit the UK government visitor rules Appendix V for more information.