On company business

Dear Mr Bassie,

I work locally for a well-known international organisation but I have never travelled before. A temporary assignment has come up in the UK and I am being encouraged to apply for it. I am sure the organisation will guide me through the process for a visa if I apply and am successful. However, I would still like to know what is involved in making such a visa application. Thank you for any information you can give me.

V.P.

Dear V.P.,

Your application for a visa really depends on the type of organisation that you are attached to. For the purposes of answering your question, I will assume that your organisation is able to fit into the international agreement category.

It may be possible for you to travel to the UK or even possibly remain there to work through the international agreement category (Tier 5 Temporary Worker) under the points-based system.

International agreement

The international agreement category is for people who are going to the UK under contract to do work covered under international law. This includes the General Agreement on Trade in Services; similar agreements between the UK and another country; employees of overseas governments and international organisations; and private servants in diplomatic households.

Before an application can be made under the international agreement category, you must have a sponsor and be able to obtain a certificate of sponsorship. When the application is made, you will be awarded points based on your sponsorship and the availability of maintenance (funds).

Since you are outside the UK, you will need to apply for permission to enter the country under the international agreement category - this is known as 'entry clearance'. The necessary forms can be obtained from the UK visa services.

You should also be aware that if your application is successful, while you are in the UK under this category, it is possible for you to make an application to extend your permission to stay there; this is known as 'leave to remain'. The maximum total time that you can stay, that is, live and work there, is 24 months or the time given in your certificate of sponsorship plus 28 days, whichever time is shorter.

In addition, you should note that you cannot switch from a different category into the international agreement category, or from the international agreement category into a different category.

If you are successful, and you find it necessary to leave and then return to the UK regularly as part of your job, you can get a 'multiple entry certificate of sponsorship'. Your sponsor will give you this certificate, which allows you to come and go a number of different times for the duration of your certificate. If you leave the UK and you were given permission to stay for six months or less, your permission to stay will come to an end when you leave, and you must apply again if you want to go back.

- John S. Bassie is a barrister/attorney-at-law who practises in Jamaica. He is a Supreme Court-appointed mediator and a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. Email: lawbassie@yahoo.com or editor@gleanerjm.com.