Certificate of Sponsorship application process
Before applying to the Work Permits Desk for a Tier 2 Certificate of Sponsorship for an overseas applicant, departments and colleges must first satisfy themselves that the migrant is able to meet the points criteria for a Tier 2 visa (note that the points criteria for a Tier 2 visa are different to the points criteria used by the UK Border Agency when considering a formal request for a Certificate of Sponsorship).
Departments and colleges should also satisfy themselves that the migrant has not held a valid Tier 2 visa in the past twelve months. To prevent repeat periods of short-term temporary leave in Tier 2, any Tier 2 visa holder who leaves the job for which their Tier 2 visa was issued and leaves UK, or who switches out of Tier 2 into another immigration category from within the UK, will not be able to apply for another Tier 2 visa again for a period of twelve months from the expiry date of their existing/previous visa.
Migrants must obtain 70 points in order to be eligible for a Tier 2 visa, as follows:
| Requirement | Points |
| Valid Certificate of Sponsorship | 30 |
| Salary meets the minimum the rate detailed in the appropriate Code of Practice, or £20,000 per annum, whichever is higher.* | 20 |
| Maintenance - either (a) the equivalent of £900 of personal savings held for at least 90 days prior to the date of the visa application, plus additional savings (£600) for each accompanying dependant, or, (b) confirmation from the employing department/college that it will if necessary maintain and accommodate the migrant to a minimum value of £900 (and accompanying dependants to a minimum value of £600 each, if required) during the first month of employment. | 10 |
| English language: (a) national of an English-speaking country as defined by the UKBA, or (b) has studied for a degree via the medium of English, or (c) has passed an approved English language test** | 10 |
*Please note that migrants must be paid their salary into their own personal bank account. Payments in cash are not permitted.
** Please see the UK Border Agency's Approved English Language Tests for guidance on acceptable programmes and the grade migrants must reach in order to meet the Tier 2 requirements.
Migrants can use the UK Border Agency's points calculator to assess whether they would have enough points for a Tier 2 visa.
In order to apply for a Certificate of Sponsorship for an overseas migrant, the employing department or college will need to complete a Tier 2 initial CoS application form 
(137kb) and return this to the Work Permits Desk together with the documentation listed at the end of the form.
The Work Permits Desk will submit all valid requests received by the 29th of each month to the UK Border Agency which will consider the applications on the 11th of the following month. The University should receive notification of the UK Border Agency's decision within five working days, and the Work Permits Desk will issue approved Certificates of Sponsorship to migrants as soon as possible.
A Tier 2 Certificate of Sponsorship can be issued for a maximum three years in the first instance and can be extended for a maximum further three years. The maximum permitted time on a Tier 2 visa is six years. Migrants who wish to remain in the UK to work beyond six years should apply for settlement if they are eligible to do so. Those who are not eligible to apply for settlement will be required to leave the UK after six years.