Permitted Paid Engagements

Permitted Paid Engagements are part of the Standard Visitor route. All visitors are able to undertake PPE without the need for a special visa. However, visitors intending to undertake a PPE must have arranged their PPE activity prior to travel to the UK, and this must be undertaken within 30 days of arrival in the UK as a Visitor.

Ordinarily visitors to the UK cannot take employment, undertake work for an organisation or business in the UK, establish a business or do a work placement or internship. They cannot be paid from a UK source for any activities undertaken in the UK. This does not apply if the visitor has entered the UK to undertake a Permitted Paid Engagement. This route is a handy exemption to the normal restrictive visit visa requirements and can be relied upon by experts in their field wishing to enter the UK to undertake one of the permitted engagements.

Who can enter the UK to undertake a Permitted Paid Engagement?

Permitted Paid Engagement Visitor may be:

• an academic who is highly qualified within their field of expertise, coming to examine students and/or participate in or chair selection panels, and have been invited by a UK higher education institution, or a UK-based research or arts organisation as part of that institution or organisation’s quality assurance processes;
• an expert coming to give lectures in their subject area, where they have been invited by a higher education institution, or a UK-based research or arts organisation, and this does not amount to filling a teaching position for the host organisation;
• an overseas designated pilot examiner coming to assess UK-based pilots to ensure they meet the national aviation regulatory requirements of other countries, where they have been invited by an approved training organisation based in the UK that is regulated by the UK Civil Aviation Authority for that purpose;
• a qualified lawyer coming to provide advocacy for a court or tribunal hearing, arbitration or other form of dispute resolution for legal proceedings within the UK, where they have been invited by a client; and
• a professional artist, entertainer, or musician coming to carry out an activity directly relating to their profession, where they have been invited by a creative (arts or entertainment) organisation, agent or broadcaster based in the UK; or
• a Professional Sportsperson coming to carry out an activity directly relating to their profession, where they have been invited by a sports organisation, agent, or broadcaster based in the UK.
• A speaker at a conference

What are the requirements for a Permitted Paid Engagement?

To enter the UK as a Permitted Paid Engagement Visitor a person must be able to show that:

• They are over 18
• They have been formally invited to the UK to undertake a Permitted Paid Engagement by a UK based organisation, such as a higher education institute, and that the event or activity has been arranged before the person travels and is declared on their application for permission to enter the UK.
• The engagement relates to the applicant’s area of expertise and occupation overseas.
• They will complete the PPE within the first 30 days of their visit, and that they do not intend to live in the UK for extended periods thorough frequent or successive visits or make the UK their main home.
• That they can support themselves during the UK based engagement and that they can cover the cost of the return or onward journey.

The applicant must show the event or engagement relates to their expertise, qualifications and main job in their home country. For example, they could provide a letter from their employer. The immigration team at Freeths can assist in collating the required evidence in support of an application as a Permitted Paid Engagement Visitor.

Visa requirements for a Permitted Paid Engagement

Only nationals of countries on the Visa National List need a visa before travelling to the UK as a visitor. If you are not a national of a country on this list, you can opt to apply for a visa if you wish. If you decide to travel without a visa, you should still ensure you get a stamp in your passport from a Border Force officer when you enter the UK.

How can our immigration solicitors help?

Our team of immigration solicitors can help by advising on whether this route provides the best fit, assessing the documentation, assisting with drafting documents as required and preparing and submitting the required visa application.

We provide a responsive, full-service approach to ensure every visa matter is dealt with successfully and with a short lead time between instructions and grant of visa clearance. With our expert immigration solicitors, you can be confident of securing the required immigration permission to enter the UK as a Permitted Paid Engagement Visitor.

If you would like to know more about the Permitted Paid Engagement visa, or need help with any immigration matter, then please contact our immigration team, who are on hand to help.