If you intend on travelling to England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland for an internship or a placement, you most likely need a visa. The internship visa for the UK is called the Government Authorised Exchange visa. There are only a few exceptional cases in which it is allowed to work or to do an internship in the UK without a visa.
Many international companies in London hire interns on a regular basis
Visa-free travel to the United Kingdom
Currently, travellers from EU-countries may travel to the United Kingdom without a visa. However, the United Kingdom will introduce the UK ETA for Europeans soon. The expectation is that travellers from Europe will need an ETA or a visa to travel to England or another country of the United Kingdom by the end of 2024 or the beginning of 2025. The same rules apply to a stay with an ETA as do currently apply for a visa-free stay. Irish citizens will be exempt from the requirement to apply for an ETA.
Allowed activities without a visa
You may stay in the United Kingdom for up to 6 months without a visa. In that case, you are allowed to engage in various recreational and business activities. You may also study in the United Kingdom during those 6 months. However, you are only allowed to work for a company or an organisation in the United Kingdom under very specific circumstances, e.g. if you are a renowned artist. You are neither allowed to do any type of freelance work in the United Kingdom without a visa, nor are you allowed to sell any goods or services.
Internship in the United Kingdom
Did you find an internship or a placement in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland? Then you need to organise a few things in advance. You most likely need to apply for a visa. Also, you always need to show a valid passport to be allowed to enter the country. The internship must be at an organisation which is certified by the government to be allowed to sponsor foreign interns for their visa applications. You may also find an internship position through a recognised international internship scheme, such as AIESEC, BUNAC Blue Card, GTI, among others.
If you are accepted for an internship in the United Kingdom, your internship organisation will provide you with a certificate of sponsorship. In reality, this is only a reference number, but you will need it for your internship visa application.
Certified internship organisations
Companies in the United Kingdom may apply to the government to become a certified sponsor of foreign employees. Currently, more than 100,000 organisations in the UK hold this certificate. A part of these 100,000 organisations may only sponsor permanent employees, but some are also authorised to hire interns.
UK internship visa: Government Authorised Exchange visa
You can start your visa application once you are accepted for an internship or placement in the United Kingdom. The Government Authorised Exchange visa is the most common UK visa for an internship. This internship visa is valid for 1 or 2 years, depending on the length of your internship. You may also add your partner and/or children to your visa application. Next to your internship, you are also permitted to take a paid part-time job for up to 20 hours per week. You may also study or follow courses during your stay.
You have to submit a number of documents for your visa application. Which documents you need to supply depends on various factors. Be prepared to provide at least the following things:
- A certificate of sponsorship from your internship organisation
- A bank statement proving that you own at least 1270 GBP (around 1500 EUR)
- A valid passport
Applying for an internship visa
You can apply for the internship visa on a website of the British government. You may start the application 3 months before your internship in the United Kingdom begins, at the earliest. Keep in mind that it takes around 3 weeks for your application to be processed. The internship visa costs 298 GBP per person, and you need to pay around 1000 GBP per person per year for health insurance.
You start the application by filling in an application form. Next, you need to prove your identity by using an app to scan your passport. Alternatively, you may also submit your biometrics at a visa application centre. In the end, you must submit the required documents and wait for your application to be processed.