Visa Costs
As per University guidance the Department will pay for the first visa of a new employee, as well as associated NHS surcharge cost for international staff recruited from 1 January 2025, if either a Skilled Worker visa or a Global Talent visa is required for the employee to take up their post at the Mathematical Institute. The Department may elect to cover premium appointment fees if agreed necessary by the Department.
Where a Skilled Worker visa extension would ensure that the employee’s work-related travel plans are not interrupted, the Department will also cover the cost of the visa extension.
The Department will not cover the cost of:
• Tier 5 (Government Authorised Exchange) visas
• Student visas
• Indefinite Leave to Remain visas
• British citizenship applications
• Visas for dependents
If grant funding is available and the grant’s terms and conditions permit the expense, and if there are no further costs to the department, Immigration Health Surcharges and any dependant-related visa costs should be charged to the grant.
Furthermore, if grant funding is available and the grant’s terms and conditions permit the expense, and if there are no further costs to the department, Indefinite Leave to Remain visa costs should also be charged to the grant, noting, however, that this is a taxable benefit and that the department will not cover the tax cost.
With regards Indefinite Leave to Remain visa costs and dependant visa costs, it should be noted that most funders will only cover these costs for staff that are named in the proposal form. Grant terms and conditions generally do not cover Indefinite Leave to Remain visa costs or dependant visa costs for un-named staff. All applications need to be approved by the Finance Officer (Research Projects and Studentships) to ensure the cost is eligible and budget is available on the grant.
Visa costs for staff already residing in the UK are a taxable benefit and the employee will be expected to cover the associated tax charge.
Reimbursement for visa costs
There are two different routes for reimbursement based on whether an employee applied for their visa outside the UK or within the UK.
- Outside the UK - eExpenses
New employees that have applied for their visa outside the UK should seek reimbursement for eligible visa costs via the University’s online eExpenses system. Department guidance on using eExpenses can be reviewed here.
Please note that an account code will be required when submitting a claim through eExpenses. Accounts codes allow the expenditure to be charged against the correct budget. Where visa costs are to be charged to externally funded research grants, the principal investigator of the grant will be able to advise on the appropriate account code. In all other cases, claimants should choose the general ledger cost code ‘BK4008’.
- Within the UK – Taxable Benefits Expenses Claim Form
Where staff have applied for their visa from within the UK, the expense is considered a taxable benefit and reimbursement should be made using the taxable benefits expenses claim form.
Completed expense claims along with scanned or electronic copies of receipts for all expenditure should be emailed to the Finance Team at @email.
When emailing the Finance Team, you are asked to declare that your expense claim is legitimate. In your email you must include the statement “I confirm that the attached claim is in respect of bona fide business expenses incurred wholly, exclusively and necessarily on behalf of the University”. This statement is in lieu of an original signature and the Finance Team will not be able to process any claims without this confirmation from the claimant.
Expense claims should be submitted on a timely basis, generally within two months after the expenditure is incurred.