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The Minister of Religion visa is one of five UK work visa routes and is specifically intended for those who wish to work as a religious order member or religious missionary within a faith-based organisation or religious order in the UK. Applicants must have a job offer and be sponsored by a sponsor licence holder.
Minister of Religion visa applicants may carry out a range of different duties, including:
Minister of Religion visas are typically granted for up to 3 years and 1 month, and this can be further extended.
After 5 years, Minister of Religion visa holders can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), and after a further year, UK citizenship.
With a Minister of Religion visa, you will be able to:
To fulfil the eligibility requirements for a Minister of Religion visa, you must:
To acquire a Minister of Religion visa, you will need a job offer and Certificate of Sponsorship from a religious organisation with a T2 Minister of Religion Visa sponsor licence. If they do not have a sponsor licence, or if they don’t hold the correct type of sponsor licence (e.g. if they hold a student or Skilled Worker sponsor licence), they will either need to apply for a new licence or change their existing licence. A full list of eligible sponsor licence holders can be found online 1.
Your employer in the UK will give you a Certificate of Sponsorship number. Your Certificate of Sponsorship is held online (i.e. in digital form) and contains your personal information and details regarding the role you will be performing in the UK, including confirmation:
The Home Office Ministry of Religion visa guidance 2 states that applicants must receive a salary that is:
To meet the Minister of Religion financial requirement, you will need to show that you fulfil one of the following criteria:
To make a successful Minister of Religion visa application, you will need to show you meet the English Language requirements. This means you:
New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and the USA.
If your Minister of Religion visa is approved, it will be granted for up to an initial period of 3 years and 1 month, or the length of time on your Certificate of Sponsorship (plus 14 days), whichever is the shorter duration.
You can further extend your Minister of Religion visa for another 3 years or the duration of your sponsorship.
In total, you will be permitted to stay for up to 6 years (i.e. the duration of your initial visa plus the duration of your extension).
To extend your Minister of Religion visa, you must:
To make a Minister of Religion Visa Extension, you will need to:
Minister of Religion visa extension applications typically take around 8 weeks to process, however, you can continue working in the role of a Minister of Religion while you are waiting for a decision from the Home Office.
There are some key differences and similarities between the Minister of Religion visa and the Religious Worker visa, as follows:
Differences |
Minister of Religion visa |
Religious Worker Visa |
Type of work visa |
Long-term > 2 years |
Short-term < 2 years |
Route to permanent settlement? |
Yes |
No |
Type of work permitted |
Mainly pastoral with some non-pastoral |
Either religious or non-pastoral work |
Job offered required |
Yes |
Yes |
Sponsorship required |
Yes |
Yes |
Financial requirement |
£1,270 |
£1,270 |
Application fee |
£610 (if applying outside the UK) |
£244 per person |
The Minister of Religion visa provides a direct route to permanent settlement (Indefinite Leave to Remain – ILR) in the UK. ILR confers considerable advantages, including removing the need to apply for further visas, greater flexibility when it comes to employment and study, and there is no requirement to pay the costly immigration healthcare surcharge.
In order to meet the requirements for ILR, you must:
As a Minister of Religion visa holder, it is possible to bring your partner and dependant children with you to the UK. Each family member has to make a separate online application before travelling to the UK.
An eligible dependant may include:
"Dependant" means that your child is not living a separate life and is financially independent (unless they are attending a boarding school or live away at university).
The visa granted to your dependants will run for the same period as your visa (i.e. they will all have the same expiry date).
Minister of Religion visas are typically granted for up to 3 years and 1 month, or the duration of the Certificate of Sponsorship. This can be further extended for a further 3 years, allowing a total permitted stay of 6 years. Visa holders on this route can apply for ILR after 5 years.
Costs |
Inside the UK |
Outside the UK |
Application fee (main applicant) |
£704 |
£610 |
Application fee (for each dependant) |
£704 |
£610 |
Other costs:
Biometric fee |
£19.20 |
Healthcare surcharge (18 years or over) |
£624 for each year |
Healthcare surcharge (under 18 years) |
£470 for each year |
Support funds |
At least £1,270 in a bank account for at least the last 28-days before applying. In addition, if you have dependants who will be joining you in the UK, you will need to show additional funds of £285 for your partner, £315 for one child, and £200 for each additional child. |
You will be able to work a second job as long as it:
Yes, you can switch from a range of other UK visa types to a Minister of Religion visa, assuming you meet the eligibility criteria, including:
Switching will allow you to stay in the UK while your application is being processed rather than being required to leave the country and apply from outside.
References:
1 GOV.UK: Register of licensed sponsors: workers
2 Home Office: T2 Minister of Religion caseworker guidance
3 GOV.UK: Minister of Religion visa (T2)