A UK internship, research placement or training programme can be an important step in your professional development. The immigration arrangements need to match the approved scheme and the activities you will undertake.
Knightsbridge helps applicants prepare straightforward Government Authorised Exchange visa applications, with clear guidance on sponsorship and evidence.
About this route
The Government Authorised Exchange route covers eligible temporary placements through approved schemes. These may involve work experience, training, research, fellowships or an Overseas Government Language Programme.
You need sponsorship under an appropriate approved scheme. The permitted period depends on that scheme, commonly up to 12 or 24 months. Eligible partners and children can apply as dependants.
The route does not itself lead to settlement. The placement must meet the scheme’s requirements and must not fill a permanent position or ongoing vacancy.
Eligibility Check
The starting questions include:
- Is your placement covered by an approved exchange scheme?
- Has the appropriate organisation agreed to sponsor you?
- Do you have the required Certificate of Sponsorship or sponsorship reference?
- Are the activities, dates and financial arrangements confirmed?
- Can you meet the maintenance requirement or an applicable exemption?
- If already in the UK, do you qualify to apply from within the country?
Certain research activities also require an Academic Technology Approval Scheme certificate, known as ATAS. This should be checked during preparation.
Understanding your situation
Your host organisation and immigration sponsor may perform different roles. A company might host the placement while an approved scheme operator provides sponsorship.
We clarify those arrangements before preparing the application. We also consider your current immigration status, the purpose of the placement and any academic or professional conditions connected with it.
How Knightsbridge Helps
We can review your circumstances, check the proposed application against the scheme and sponsorship information, explain the evidence needed and prepare the application for your approval.
We help you understand which details should come from the host organisation and which require confirmation from the sponsor. This is particularly useful where several organisations are involved in arranging the placement.
Addressing Challenges
An internship offer alone does not establish eligibility. The placement needs appropriate sponsorship and must satisfy the relevant scheme requirements.
Switching inside the UK is also restricted. Certain students can qualify after completing an eligible UK degree, but the relationship between the degree, proposed training or internship and sponsorship must meet the rules. It is not a general switching option for every visa holder.
Timescales and Costs
The application fee is currently £340 per person. The Immigration Health Surcharge may also apply, and any scheme or placement charges should be checked separately with the relevant organisation.
Standard decisions usually take three weeks outside the UK or eight weeks inside the UK after the required application steps are completed.
We confirm our professional fees, the work included and any applicable VAT before paid preparation begins.
Situations requiring closer analysis
Unclear scheme eligibility, changes to the proposed activities, previous refusals or immigration breaches may require specialist referral. We explain the appropriate service where additional legal representation is needed.
Your journey with Knightsbridge
We start by understanding the opportunity you have been offered and how the placement has been arranged. We establish the scheme, sponsoring organisation and host, together with the dates you are working towards.
Once the scope of our work is agreed, we prepare a tailored document plan. This identifies the information you need to provide and the confirmations required from the organisations involved. Where relevant, we also check whether research clearance or other supporting documents need to be obtained before applying.
We review the evidence together, raise missing details and prepare the application around the confirmed arrangements. Before submission, you have an opportunity to check the information and ask questions about the process.
We then explain identity verification and handle agreed correspondence. When the decision arrives, we help you understand the permission granted and its conditions. Plans beyond the placement are considered separately, with any further advice or applications agreed in advance.
Ready to have your case assessed?
Tell us about your placement, approved scheme and proposed start date.
The free review identifies the service you need. Detailed advice and application preparation are separately agreed.
