Entry Clearance For T2 Minister Of Religion Visa

You can apply for T2 Minister of religion visa entry clearance if you have been offered job as minister of religion, missionery or member of religious order within your faith community. If you meet the requirements of the T2 (Minister of Religion) category, you will be granted leave up to 3 years depending on the job start and end dates that the Certificate of Sponsorship shows you are being sponsored to do, with the possibility of extending for a further 3 years. However, you will not be able to extend your total stay beyond 6 years.

Our expert team of T2 visa solicitors are specialists in T2 Minister of Religion visa entry clearance applications. As one of the best T2 visa solicitors in London, our T2 visa solicitors have wealth of knowledge and experience to provide high quality fixed fee legal services for T2 Minister of Religion visa entry clearance applications. Ask a question to our expert T2 visa lawyers for free immigration advice or book an appointment for detailed immigration advice concerning your T2 Minister of Religion visa entry clearance.

Pastoral Duties As A Minister Of Religion

Pastoral duties include:

• leading worship regularly and on special occasions;
• giving religious education to children and adults by preaching or teaching;
• officiating at marriages, funerals and other special services; and
• offering counselling and welfare support to members of the congregation; and
• recruiting, training and co-ordinating the work of any local volunteers and lay preachers.

Working As A Missionary

Work as a missionary is not just preaching and teaching. It can also include:

• the organisation of missionary activity (but should not be administrative or clerical, unless filling a senior post);
• supervising staff;
• co-ordinating the organisation of missionary work;
• being in charge of a particular activity such as accounts/finance, personnel management or IT; and
• translating religious texts – this is missionary work, not clerical work.

Resident Labour Market Test (RLMT) For T2 Minister Of Religion Visa Sponsorship

You should confirm with your sponsor that they have indicated that a resident labour market test (RLMT) has been completed on the Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS).

The exemption from the Resident Labour Market Test (RLMT) can apply in the following circumstances:

• Your employer has justified that the role you will be undertaking is supernumerary and you will not be filling a vacant position that could otherwise be filled by a settled worker and you intend to be based in the UK for the duration of your permission to stay;
• The role you will be doing involves living mainly within and being a member of a religious order, which is a lineage of communities or of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion, for example, an order of nuns or monks.

T2 Minister Of Religion Salary

Your certificate of sponsorship (CoS) must confirm that you will receive pay and conditions at least equal to, or in excess of, those normally given to a settled worker in the same role. This may be a traditional salary, stipend, customary offering, board and lodgings or a combination of these but must comply with, or be exempt from, the National Minimum Wage regulations.

Your salary may be paid in the UK or abroad. If you will be paid abroad in a currency other than pounds sterling, the salary amount entered on your Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) will be based on the exchange rate published on www.oanda.com on the day the Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) is assigned.

Eligibility Requirements For T2 Minister of Religion Visa Entry Clearance For UK

To be eligible for T2 Minister of Religion visa for UK, you need to:

• be employed by a licensed T2 Minister of Religion sponsor;
• have a valid certificate of sponsorship (CoS) for your job;
• show your job is at appropriate job level as stated in Appendix J of the Immigration Rules;
• show you are being paid an appropriate salary for your job;
• prove your knowledge of English as required in Appendix B of the Immigration Rules;
• have have funds for maintenance in the UK or your T2 sponsor has certified your maintenance as per requirements of Appendix C of the Immigration Rules;
• show you can travel and your travel history over the last 5 years;
• have tuberculosis test results if you’re from a country listed in Appendix T of the Immigration Rules;
• provide a criminal record certificate from any country you have lived in for 12 months or more in the last 10 years, if you will be working with vulnerable people.

What Is The Points Based Criteria For T2 Minister of Religion Visa Entry Clearance?

T2 Minister of Religion visa is a Points Based visa category and points can be awarded for the Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS), English language and funds for maintenance. A T2 Minister of Religion migrant should score 70 points in total to qualify for entry clearance as a T2 Minister of Religion migrant. The breakdown of the required points for T2 Minister of Religion visa entry clearance is given in the table below:

Genuineness Test For T2 Minister Of Religion Visa Entry Clearance

When applying for entry clearance for T2 Minister of Religion visa UK, Home Office UKVI must be satisfied that you genuinely intend to undertake, and are capable of undertaking, the role for which the Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) was assigned and you will not undertake employment in the UK other than permitted by the entry clearance or leave to remain, should it be granted.

In order to assess the genuineness, the Home Office UKVI may:

• request additional information and evidence, and refuse your application if the information or evidence is not provided. Any requested documents must be received by the Home Office at the address specified in the request within 10 business days of the date the request is sent; and
• request you attend an interview, and refuse your application if you fail to comply with any such request without providing a reasonable explanation. Any information obtained during the course of an interview may be relied on for the further purpose of assessing a sponsor’s compliance with their sponsor duties.

In making the genuineness assessment, the Home Office UKVI will base their decision on the balance of probabilities and may take into account your:

• knowledge of the role;
• relevant experience relative to skills required to do the role;
• knowledge of the sponsor in the UK;
• explanation of how you were recruited; and
• any other relevant information.

How Can We Help You?

Our specialist team of T2 Minister of Religion visa solicitors can provide fast, friendly, reliable and fixed fee legal services for your T2 Minister of Religion visa entry clearance application. As your appointed legal representative for T2 Minister of Religion visa entry clearance application, our work can include the following:

• assessing your eligibility for T2 Minister of Religion visa for UK by considering all the relevant eligibility requirements;
• assisting your prospective T2 Minister of Religion sponsor with Resident Labour Market Test (RLMT), restricted Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) application to Home Office UKVI and correctly assigning the restricted Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) to you;
• advising on relevant documents to be submitted in support of the T2 Minister of Religion visa entry clearance application;
• assessing the documentary evidence including the Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) to ensure that the documents are in line with the Home Office UKVI requirements for T2 Minister of Religion visa entry clearance;
• completing online application form for T2 Minister of Religion visa entry clearance for UK;
• preparing a detailed cover letter in support of the T2 Minister of Religion visa entry clearance application to explain in detail how all the relevant requirements for T2 Minister of Religion visa entry clearance have been satisfied by the T2 applicant;
• submitting the T2 Minister of Religion entry clearance application online, paying the Home Office UKVI fees for T2 Minister of Religion visa application and booking applicant’s appointment with the relevant UK visa application centre;
• uploading all the supporting documents online in support of the T2 Minister of Religion visa entry clearance application;
• preparing the applicant for an interview by the Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) in relation to T2 Minister of Religion visa entry clearance application;
• making any post interview representations to the Entry Clearance Officer (ECO), if necessary;
• doing all the follow up work including responding to any queries raised by the Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) until decision is reached on your T2 Minister of Religion visa entry clearance application.

Our Fixed Fees For Entry Clearance For T2 Minister of Religion Visa

Our fixed fees for entry clearance application for T2 Minister of Religion visa from outside the UK are as given in the fee table below: