Apply for a Permitted Paid Engagement Visitor visa
Have plans to come to the UK as a professional performer? The Permitted Paid Engagement Visitor visa may be the ideal choice to visit the UK to undertake a paid engagement. Provided your occupation and expertise align with the Home Office requirements, the PPE visa offers a solution to be granted entry to work in the UK for up to a month. If you have a formal invitation by a UK organisation to attend an event or to work at a pre-arranged engagement, this visa may suit your needs for your planned stay.
Not sure where to start on your Permitted Paid Engagement Visitor visa application? Read on to learn more about this visa, how it works, and the eligibility requirements you need to meet. Alternatively, contact our skilled immigration specialists directly to learn more.
What is a Permitted Paid Engagement Visitor visa?
A Permitted Paid Engagement Visitor visa is a short-term visitor visa that applies to professionals visiting the UK for a specific engagement or event. Provided you fall into the specified categories defined within this visa, you can stay in the UK for up to one month, specifically for the purpose of attending that pre-planned event. Unlike other visas, you cannot extend your stay on a PPE visa, and you’ll need to re-apply each time you are invited to an engagement within the country.
PPE visas are single-person visas, where each individual needs to apply separately. For example, if you’re a musician in a band, each band member would need to apply for their own UK visa to enter the country and work a planned event.
Who can travel on a Permitted Paid Engagement Visitor visa?
If you are invited to the UK for a specific paid engagement, it’s important to check whether your occupation and expertise are covered as part of the PPE visa. The allowed professions included on this list are as follows:
- Professional artists, entertainers or musicians performing at an event or engagement.
- Professional sportspeople taking part in UK-bases sporting events.
- Qualified lawyers that have been paid to represent a client in UK court, tribunal hearings or legal disputes, including preparing for the hearing.
- Lecturers invited to give a lecture or series of lectures on their area of expertise
- Academic assessors or examiners invited to take part in selection panels, examine or assess students
- Air pilot examiners invited to examine UK-based air pilots with full-time employment in an overseas national aviation authority.
It’s important to note that PPE visas cover a short-term engagement and are not a viable option for covering longer-term employment. In the cases of academic examiners or lecturers, you cannot be fully retired and remain eligible for entry to the UK through this visa option.
What can you not do on a Permitted Paid Engagement Visitor visa?
If you enter the UK on a Permitted Paid Engagement Visitor visa, you are limited on what you can do during your time in the country. Some of the activities not permitted under this visa include:
- Taking paid work related to your main jobs or expertise
- Studying
- Living in the UK beyond your one-month visa
- Claiming benefits
- Passing through the UK ‘in transit’ to another country
- Marrying or registering a civil partnership, or giving notice for either – this requires a Marriage Visitor visa
- Bringing your partner or dependents to the UK – they will need to apply for their own Visitor visas
PPE visa Eligibility requirements
If your country of nationality is included on the visa national list you’ll need to apply for your Permitted Paid Engagement visa to enter the UK.
To be eligible to come to the UK on a PPE visa, you must have received a formal invitation from an organisation in the UK to attend an event or engagement. This engagement must relate to your job or expertise, and you have to be 18 or over to apply. You’ll need to prove you can support yourself, pay for your return journey and confirm that you’ll leave at the end of your visit.
Costs
A Permitted Paid Engagement visa costs £115 for up to one month. You’ll need to apply for a new visa for each engagement or consider other visa options for longer-term employment.
How to apply for a Permitted Paid Engagement Visitor visa
If you plan to apply for a Permitted Paid Engagement Visitor visa, you can do so online up to 3 months before your planned event or engagement. The steps you can take include:
1. Receive a formal written invitation
A formal written invitation from the event organiser or engagement host is required for this application. The organiser must be a UK-based business, such as a sports agent, higher education institution or, in the case of a lawyer, a client.
2. Provide evidence of your expertise
The engagement you’re travelling for must be related to your area of expertise, main job or qualifications. To prove this, you could provide evidence of your education, a letter from your employer or information from past engagements.
3. Provide documentation and identity information
You’ll also need to supply information about your identity for your application, such as a passport or travel document. In addition, you’ll need to attend an appointment at a local visa application centre with documentation to prove your identity for approval, including providing biometrics.
4. Pay fees and wait for a final decision
On completion, you pay the single fee for your PPE visa application and await a decision. In most cases, this process takes around three weeks. As you can apply for your Permitted Paid Engagement visa up to three months in advance, we’d always advise you to apply as early as possible to prevent problems from delays.
Need help with your Permitted Paid Engagement Visitor visa application?
Have an upcoming engagement in the UK? Don’t leave your visa to the last minute. With our expert help as immigration specialists, we ensure your applications are completed in plenty of time for your next event. Whether you’re a lawyer, guest lecturer or musician, we work with you to make the visa process easy. Get in touch now to find out more.
