Immigration support policy for international staff
The University of Nottingham provides financial support for immigration-related costs incurred by international staff and their immediate family members during their employment. This includes reimbursement for specific costs such as visas and the health surcharge, as well as interest-free loans for other immigration-related expenses. This is available to international staff across all job families.
Reimbursable visa costs
The University will reimburse the visa application cost for the main applicant for the following visas:
- Skilled Worker
- Global Talent, including the endorsement fee
- Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) for existing employees
The biometric registration fee of £19.20 for UK-based applicants is also covered.
Cost details
The amount you pay depends on the length of your visa and whether you apply from inside or outside of the UK. For current fees, please visit the Home Office Immigration & Nationality Fees web page.
Eligibility
| Skilled Worker visa |
For new employees with at least a one-year appointment, existing employees extending their contract/visa by at least one year, and those switching from another visa category for at least one year. |
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| Global Talent visa |
Same conditions as the Skilled Worker visa. |
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| Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) |
For employees with at least one year of service and a minimum of three years remaining in their employment, requiring ILR to continue working at the University. |
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Excluded costs
- Priority or premium service fees, English Language test fees, UK ENIC Certificate fees, Life in the UK test fees, postage
- Visa costs other than for Skilled Worker, Global Talent or ILR applications
- British Citizenship or Naturalisation fees
- Visa costs for non-employees or dependents
- Unsuccessful visa, ILR or health surcharge application costs
- Retrospective visa, ILR or health surcharge application costs
- Visa switching outside of the usual renewal window where there is a current right to work in place; for example, switching from a Skilled Worker visa to a Global Talent visa, switching from a Graduate visa to a Skilled Worker or Global Talent visa
- Visa or health surcharge costs for positions under one year
The University offers a separate interest-free loan scheme for the dependents of new or existing employees and for employees who would like to spread the costs of other visa related fees.
Reimbursement of Immigration Health Surcharge
- Reimbursed for the main applicant of a Global Talent of Skilled Worker visa, excluding dependents
- The health surcharge fee is reimbursable per the employment contract length
- Loans are available for dependents’ health surcharge costs
External funding
If your external funding covers immigration costs, claim these from the funding body. You will not be eligible for additional reimbursement from the University.
Application process
- Submit application: use the reimbursement for visas and immigration health surcharge form, attach scanned payment receipts and email to the Staff Immigration team (br-staffimmigration@exmail.nottingham.ac.uk)
- New starters: after employment begins and right to work checks are complete, submit the form within three months.
- Existing employees: submit the form within three months of receiving a positive outcome from UKVI.
- Approval and payment: approved claims are processed by Payroll and reimbursed in GBP according to the Home Office fee schedule. Rejected claims occur if resignation notice is given or eligibility criteria are unmet.
Tax implications
Once your application has been approved, the reimbursement will be processed via Payroll and will be visible on your next payslip. It is important to note that the UK tax authority (HMRC) classifies the reimbursement of visa/surcharge fees as earnings, so you will need to be on the University’s payroll for us to reimburse you.
For the expenses to be reimbursed free of tax and National Insurance contributions per HMRC regulations, you must:
- Not have ‘Domicile or Deemed Domicile’ status in the UK
i. You were not born in the UK
ii. Your 'Domicile of Origin' is not the UK (ie the country that your parents (usually father) considered to be their permanent home at your date of birth)
iii. You were not resident in the UK for 2017/2018 (ie 6 April 2017 until 5 April 2018), or later years
iv. You have not been UK resident for at least 15 of the 20 tax years before the relevant tax year (unless you have left the UK and there are at least 6 years as a non-UK resident in the 20 tax years before the relevant tax year), and
- Incur the expense within five years of the date that you first arrived in the UK to begin employment, and
- Not have been:
i. Present in the UK for any purpose in the two-year period prior to this arrival date; or
ii. Resident in the UK for tax purposes (eg been in paid employment) in either of the two UK tax years prior to your arrival date
Please note that if you do not meet the above criteria, or if you were previously employed by the University, the payment will be subject to tax and National Insurance contributions per HMRC regulations.
The payment and any UK taxes/social security contributions withheld (as applicable per HMRC regulations) will be visible on your electronic pay slip, which you will be able to access via MyView (part of the University's HR system).
Early departure repayment
If employment ends due to contract expiry or redundancy, no repayment is required. If resigning early, reimbursement repayment follows this schedule:
Repayment schedule
| Departure date* | % reimbursement to be repaid |
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| Within 1 year |
100% |
| Within 2 years |
75% |
| Within 3 years |
50% |
*NB: Timeline is calculated from the date when the reimbursement is received
Effective date
This policy applies to new employees starting on or after 1 August 2021 and existing employees renewing visas with start dates on or after 1 August 2021. The University reserves the right to amend or withdraw this scheme at any time.