There are various types of visas for a sportsperson who wants to take part in sports activities conducted in the UK. The visa provided to such individuals can be for long-term as well as temporarily. To know more about T2 & T5 sportsman visa routes contact the best sports visa immigration lawyer.

There are two most important sports visa routes i.e. the ‘Temporary Worker – Sporting and Creative Visa (T5)’ and The T2 Sportsperson Visa. There are a lot of similarities between the two routes but there are some points where they are different. This blog will help you understand the difference between the two.

Requirements of Entry Clearance

In case you are residing outside of the UK and want entry into the UK as a Tier 2 Sportsperson then you will be required to submit an application and get a Sportsperson Visa (T2) before your travel. The application of the visa is a mandatory step despite your country of origin or how long is your stay in the UK

Although acquiring a visa is also mandatory for sportspeople on Temporary Worker – Creative and Sporting Visa (T5) route, it is different from T2 in a way that it allows individuals up to 3 months within the UK. The sportsperson who meets the criteria of the route will be allowed entry and they won’t be needing a visa in advance. You can contact a T2 & T5 immigration lawyer for more details.

Change of immigration category

The sportsperson who has been given leave to remain in the UK through another category of immigration can get an extension in their stay in the UK by converting to Sportsperson (T2). The following people are not allowed to switch:

• A person was granted visiting visa last time
• A student with short term studies
• Temporary worker
• Private household help

On the other hand, it is not usually allowed to switch into the T5 Sporting Worker route except if you were granted a standard visitor visa and stayed in the UK to take part in different activities related to sports. The person must be given a legal Certificate of Sponsorship on the Creative or Sporting Worker route before entry into the UK

Requirements of Age

To get a T2 Sportsperson Visa the person must be of 16 years by the time of submission of the application. Although there are no age requirements for the visa, parental consent is required for applicants of both routes who are underage.

English language requirement

There are no English language requirements for a T5 visa but it is important that you are fluent in A1 English language skills to demonstrate that you are capable of listening and speaking easily.

Former students sponsored officially

In case you have received an award from an international scholarship or any government agency within the past 12 months of the submission of your application then you will be required to submit written consent from the concerned agency or government. On the other hand, there are no such requirements to get the T5 sporting worker visa route.

Maximum number of stays to be allowed

If you are on a UK T2 sportsperson visa then you are allowed to stay in the UK for up to 6 years from your application approval date and also allowed to apply for permanent settlement in the UK (indefinite leave to remain) after 5 years in the UK.

On another hand, the maximum time an individual has on the Temporary Worker – Creative and Sporting Visa (T5) is only 12 months and they do not have permission to apply for an extension in the period of stay or permanent settlement.

Our best immigration lawyers in London can help you submit a successful sportsman visa application. Our team has vast experience in dealing with various sports-related immigration issues in the best way.

We focus on a client-tailored strategy to get things done in a manner in which we ensure complete customer satisfaction. We begin our assistance from the very first meeting with you. We make you aware of all the legal complexities in getting a sportsman visa and help you submit the perfect application to the Home office visa & Immigration department.

We not only help you fill in the application perfectly but also guide you about the requirements to help meet the criteria as mentioned in immigration laws. A high success rate is what makes us your go-to immigration lawyer. We stay in touch with the clients from start to end and get the results that they want.