Entry Clearance For T2 Minister of Religion Visa (Priority Service For Faster Decision)

• Page Contents
• Overview
• Eligibility Requirements
• Points Requirement
• Sponsorship Requirements
• Genuineness Requirement
• Financial Requirement
• English Language Requirement
• Period and Conditions Of Grant
• How Can We Help?
• Our Fixed Fees

You can apply for T2 Minister of religion visa entry clearance from outside the UK if you have been offered an eligible skilled job as a Minister of Religion, missionary or member of religious order within your faith community. If you meet the requirements of the T2 (Minister of Religion) category, you will be granted leave up to 3 years depending on the job start and end dates that the Certificate of Sponsorship shows you are being sponsored to do, with the possibility of applying for further extension of T2 Minister of Religion visa to complete 5 years qualifying period for ILR as Tier 2 Minister of Religion. However, you will not be able to extend your total stay beyond 6 years. An application for entry clearance as a T2 Minister of Religion is made in accordance with requirements as set out in Appendix T2 Minister of Religion of the Immigration Rules.

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Eligibility Requirements

You should meet the following requirements to be eligible for entry clearance as a T2 Minister of Religion:

• Valid application: The applicant must make a valid application for entry clearance as a T2 Minister of Religion from outside the UK;
• Age requirement: The applicant must be aged 18 or over on the date of application;
• Suitability requirement: The applicant must not fall for refusal under Part 9: grounds for refusal;
• Points requirement: An applicant must be awarded 70 points from the points scoring table;
• Sponsorship requirement: The applicant must have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship for the job they are planning to do and the Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) must have been issued to them by their sponsor no more than 3 months before the date of entry clearance application;
• Genuineness requirement: The applicant must:
  • genuinely intend, and be able, to undertake the role for which they are being sponsored; and
  • not intend to undertake employment other than in the role for which they are being sponsored, or as otherwise permitted by the Rules.
  • Financial requirement: If the applicant is applying for entry clearance, either:
    • the applicant must have funds of at least £1,270. the applicant must have held the required level of funds for a 28-day period and must show funds as specified in Appendix Finance; or
    • the applicant’s A-rated sponsor must confirm on the Certificate of Sponsorship that they will, if it is necessary, maintain and accommodate the applicant up to the end of the first month of their employment for an amount of at least £1,270. 
• English language requirement: Unless an exemption applies, the applicant must show English language ability on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages in all 4 components (reading, writing, speaking and listening) of at least level B2. The applicant must show they meet the English language requirement as specified in Appendix English Language.

• Tuberculosis Test Certificate: The applicant must provide a valid medical certificate confirming that they have undergone screening for active pulmonary tuberculosis and that this tuberculosis is not present in them, if paragraph A39 and Appendix T of Immigration Rules rules apply.

• Other Related Pages
• Switching Into T2 Minister Of Religion Visa
• Extension Of T2 Minister Of Religion Visa
• ILR T2 Minister Of Religion
• T2 Minister of Religion Dependant Visa
• T2 Minister Of Religion Sponsor Licence

Points Requirement

Under paragraph MOR 4.1 of Appendix T2 Minister of Religion to the Immigration Rules, an applicant must score 70 points against the following

All points are mandatory. If an applicant scores fewer than 70 points, the caseworker must refuse their application and explain where they have not awarded points.

Sponsorship Requirements

The applicant must have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship for the job they are planning to do and the Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) must have been issued to them by their sponsor no more than 3 months before the date of entry clearance application. For the Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) to be valid, it must:

• confirm the applicant’s name, that they are being sponsored as a T2 Minister of Religion and details of the job and salary the sponsor is offering them, as well as any other remuneration; and
• include a start date, stated by the sponsor, which must be no more than three months after the date of application; and
• not have been used in a previous application which was either granted or refused (but can have been used in a previous application which was rejected as invalid, made void or withdrawn); and
• not have been withdrawn by the sponsor or cancelled by the Home Office; and
• confirm that the applicant is qualified to do the job of a T2 Minister of Religion; and
• confirm that the applicant is a member of the sponsor’s religious order (if the sponsor’s organisation is a religious order); and
• confirm that the applicant will perform religious duties within the sponsor’s organisation or directed by the sponsor’s organisation in the UK (which may include preaching, pastoral and non-pastoral work); and
• confirm that the applicant’s role will not involve mainly non-pastoral duties, such as school teaching, media production, domestic work or administrative and clerical work, unless the role is a senior position within the sponsor’s organisation; and
• confirm that the applicant will receive pay and conditions at least equal to those given to settled workers in the same role and compliant with, or exempt from, the national minimum wage.

The sponsor must be authorised by the Home Office to sponsor the job in question under the T2 Minister of Religion route. Furthermore, the sponsor must be listed as A-rated on the Home Office’s register of licensed sponsors, unless the applicant was last granted permission as a T2 Minister of Religion and is applying to continue working for the same sponsor as in their last permission.

Genuineness Requirement

The applicant must:

• genuinely intend, and be able, to undertake the role for which they are being sponsored; and
• not intend to undertake employment other than in the role for which they are being sponsored, or as otherwise permitted at MOR 10.3 of Appendix T2 Minister of Religion.

Financial Requirement

If the applicant is applying for entry clearance, either:

• the applicant must have funds of at least £1,270. The applicant must have held the required level of funds for a 28-day period and must show funds as specified in Appendix Finance.; or
• the applicant’s A-rated sponsor must confirm on the Certificate of Sponsorship that they will, if it is necessary, maintain and accommodate the applicant up to the end of the first month of their employment for an amount of at least £1,270.

English Language Requirement

Unless an exemption applies, the applicant must show English language ability on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages in all 4 components (reading, writing, speaking and listening) of at least level B2. The applicant must show they meet the English language requirement as specified in Appendix English Language.

Period and Conditions of Grant

If the applicant is applying for entry clearance, permission will be granted for whichever is the shorter of:

• up to 14 days after the period of employment stated on their Certificate of Sponsorship; or
• 3 years and 1 month.

The grant will be subject to all the following conditions:

• no access to public funds; and
• the only work permitted is:
• work in the job the applicant is being sponsored for; and
• supplementary employment, provided the applicant is still doing the job they were sponsored for; and
• voluntary work; and
• working out a contractual notice for a job the person was lawfully working in on the date of application; and
• study is permitted, subject to the ATAS condition in Appendix ATAS; and
• if Part 10 of the Immigration Rules applies the applicant will be required to register with the police.

How Can We Help?

Our Fixed Fees For For T2 Minister of Religion Visa Applications