The majority of visitors to the UK for any period of time for academic and research purposes and who are not from the EEA (European Economic Area)[1], require entry clearance.
As this does not constitute employment there is no requirement for the “post” to be advertised. The individual has to apply for appropriate entry clearance to the UK in their own country prior to travelling.
Overseas visitors who wish to come to the University to participate in a conference or seminar where it is a single or occasional event are still able to enter the UK as Business Visitors and need to contact the British Consulate in their own country to obtain entry clearance before travelling.
[1]The countries in the European Economic Area (EEA) exempt from entry clearance requirements are as follows:
Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom.
Bulgaria and Romania are also EEA members. However, nationals from these countries require entry clearance and are therefore subject to the same procedure as non-EEA nationals.
To qualify for entry to the UK as an academic visitor the individual must
and the visit must not exceed 12 months.
Although it is no longer possible for a sponsored researcher to enter the UK under the Academic Visitor Immigration category, this route still exists for individuals who wish to come to the UK to carry out their research for their own purposes. The individual must contact the British Consulate in their own country before travelling to ascertain whether they meet the criteria for an academic visitor.
An academic visitor is not permitted to switch into other employment once in the UK.
The relevant department will need to provide a letter of invitation to the individual, who will then apply to the British Consulate in their own country for entry clearance to the UK.
Once entry clearance has been granted for an academic visitor, the department may need to obtain academic status via their Faculty Office.