How do I sponsor a migrant worker?
Tier 2 (Minister of religion)
This page explains the requirements you must meet to get a licence and sponsor migrants under the Tier 2 (Minister of religion) category of the points-based system.
If you want to apply for a sponsor licence in this category, your organisation must be a genuine (bona fide) religious organisation, which is:
- a registered, excepted or exempt UK charity according to the relevant charity legislation in force in your part of the UK; or
- an ecclesiastical corporation (either corporation sole or body corporate) established for charitable purposes.
In Northern Ireland you must have obtained charitable status for tax purposes from HM Revenue & Customs. If you are a charity which is not registered according to the relevant charity legislation you must explain the reason for non-registration in your application.
Your organisation must also be the structure for a faith-based community with a common system of belief and spiritual goals, codes of behaviour and religious practice, which exists to support and/or propagate those common beliefs and practices and where these beliefs:
- include any religious belief or similar philosophical belief in something transcendental, metaphysical or ultimate; and
- exclude any philosophical or political belief concerned with man, unless that belief is similar to religious belief.
Your organisation must also:
- not exclude from your community on the basis of gender, nationality or ethnicity;
- receive financial and material support for your core religious ministry from your congregation or community on a voluntary basis only, without promise or coercion;
- not breach, or encourage others to breach any UK legislation; and
- not operate against the public interest, or in a way that has a detrimental effect on personal or family life as these are commonly understood in the UK.
A religious order is defined for our purposes as a lineage of communities or of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion, and which must be part of a genuine religious organisation, as defined above.
Work of a missionary
The work of a missionary is not restricted to preaching and teaching, and can include the organisation of missionary activity, but should not be essentially administrative or clerical, unless filling a senior post. This means they may not be doing fieldwork themselves but can be supervising staff or co-ordinating the organisation of missionary work, or be in charge of a particular activity such as accounts, finance, personnel management or IT.
Work of a member of a religious order
The work of a member of a religious order must be within the order itself, or outside work directed by the order. Teachers working in schools not maintained by their order must apply as a teacher under the Tier 2 (General). Novices whose training consists of taking part in the daily community life of their order can apply under this category, but anyone studying for a qualification, a formal full-time course of study or training in an academic institution not maintained by the order should apply under Tier 4 of the points-based system.
People who are working or studying within a religious community but are not members of a religious order cannot apply under this category. They must apply under another category, for example Tier 2 (General) or Tier 4 (General).
Before you sponsor a migrant under Tier 2 (Minister of religion) you must complete a resident labour market test, unless there is an exemption from doing this.