TIER 2 (GENERAL) CERTIFICATE OF SPONSORSHIP INITIAL APPLICATION FORM
Please complete this form when applying for a Certificate of Sponsorship and return it to the Work Permits
Desk along with the necessary supporting documents listed at the end of the form.
Signed applications can be sent to the Work Permits Desk:

via the internal mail - Work Permits Desk, Personnel Services, Level 2, 5 Worcester Street

by fax - 01865 289927

by email – laxmi.vikraman@admin.ox.ac.uk / natalie.goldsmith@admin.ox.ac.uk
It is important that the information provided on the Certificate of Sponsorship application is
accurate since this information must match the information provided by the applicant on their
visa/leave to remain application.
It is not possible for the Work Permits Desk to consider incomplete applications. Therefore, please
ensure that you provide all of the required information.
Eligibility
Will the migrant apply for their visa overseas, or for leave to
remain from within the UK?*
* Note that migrants can only apply from within the UK if they hold a valid visa in a category that is eligible to switch
into Tier 2. See http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/personnel/permits/status/ for further information.
For migrants applying from overseas only:
Has the migrant held any Tier 2 visas (with any employer)
within the past twelve months?**
** Note that migrants applying from overseas who have held a Tier 2 visa within the past twelve months will not be
eligible to return to the UK on another Tier 2 visa for at least twelve months after either their previous visa expired, or
the earliest date from which they can evidence they had left the UK and have not since returned.
For migrants applying from within the UK only:
Has the migrant held any Tier 2 visas (with any employer)
within the past six years?***
***Note that the maximum permitted time on a Tier 2 visa is six years. Tier 2 migrants wishing to stay in the UK longer
than six years should apply for settlement, if they are eligible to do so.
Points Assessment
Please ensure you are satisfied that the migrant will meet the points criteria for Tier 2 before applying for a
Certificate of Sponsorship.
Further information on the points criteria for a Tier 2 visa can be found at
http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/personnel/permits/tier2/overseas/cosapplicationprocess/
Updated April 2013
1
Is the department/college satisfied that the applicant will
meet the Tier 2 points criteria?
Maintenance Requirement
Departments/ colleges may certify the maintenance requirement on behalf of the migrant where the migrant
is unable to meet this requirement him/herself. By doing so, the employing department/ college is certifying
that they will, if necessary, maintain and accommodate the migrant for the first month of their employment
(to a minimum value of £900).
Does the department/ college intend to certify the
maintenance requirement on behalf of the migrant?
If the department/ college intends to certify the maintenance
requirement on behalf of the migrant, please specify the
limit to this undertaking (the minimum undertaking must be
£900 for the first month of employment).
Departments/ colleges may certify the maintenance requirement on behalf of the dependant(s) of a Tier 2
migrant where the migrant/their dependant(s) are unable to meet this requirement themselves. By doing so,
the employing department/ college is certifying that they will, if necessary, maintain and accommodate
each dependant migrant for the first month of the main applicant’s employment (to a minimum value of
£600 per dependant).
Does the department/ college intend to certify the
maintenance requirement on behalf of the migrant’s
dependant(s)?
If the department/ college intends to certify the maintenance
requirement on behalf of the migrant’s dependant(s), please
specify the limit to this undertaking (the minimum
undertaking must be £600 per dependant for the first month
of employment of the main applicant).
Updated April 2013
2
Passport Information
Please complete the following personal information in full.
appear in the migrant’s passport, where applicable.
Please complete personal details as they
Title (e.g. Dr, Mr, Mrs)
Last name
First name(s)
Other name(s) – [i.e. previous name]
Nationality
City of birth
Country of birth
Date of birth
Gender
Passport number
Passport issue date (DD/MM/YYYY)
Passport expiry date (DD/MM/YYYY)
Passport place of issue (city / country)
Migrant contact details
Country of residence
This must be the country in which the migrant will
apply for their visa/leave to remain.
Full residential address including post code /
zip code / area code
This must be the country in which the migrant will
apply for their visa/leave to remain.
Email address
Updated April 2013
3
Identification numbers
UK ID card number (if applicable)
UK National Insurance number (if applicable)
National ID card number (if applicable)
Employment details
Start date (DD/MM/YYYY)
The start date of the COS must be the start date of
the job (except where the migrant is switching from
Tier 1 PSW or Tier 4 and has already commenced
the employment).
Please give a date in the future. It is not possible to
backdate a COS.
Required COS end date (DD/MM/YYYY)
Note that a COS can only be issued for three years,
or the length of the contract, whichever is the shorter
period. Please indicate the end date accordingly.
Does the migrant require multiple entry to
the UK for work purposes?
Migrants who will be require to travel overseas for
work purposes (such as to attend conferences or
conduct fieldwork) will require a multiple entry visa.
Migrants who will only travel overseas for domestic
and leisure purposes do not require a multiple entry
visa.
Total weekly hours of work
Full work address in the UK including
postcode
Other regular UK work address(es)
Job title (must match the advertised job title
and contract)
Main duties e.g. conducting experiments,
analysing and publishing results, teaching
Updated April 2013
4
(maximum 700 characters)
The UKBA does not view University research and
University teaching as the same profession.
Therefore, if a research post requires the holder to
teach, or a teaching post requires the holder to
conduct research, this must be noted in the job
description on the COS.
Give registration details if there is a legal
requirement for the migrant to be registered
with a professional or other official
organisation in the UK (e.g. GMC
membership).
Is the applicant a ‘New Entrant’ or
‘Experienced Worker’? † (This determines the
relevant salary threshold as specified in the Codes of
Practice)
Gross annual pay
£
Gross annual allowances
£
Description of allowances (e.g. £1000 per
annum travel, £5000 per annum
accommodation)
†
‘New Entrants’ are:
 graduates switching from Tier 1 (Post-study Work) or Tier 4 into Tier 2 under the post-study provisions;
and

anyone aged 25 or under on the date of their Tier 2 visa application.
‘Experienced Workers’ are:
 anyone not switching into Tier 2 under the post-study provisions and aged 26 or over on the date of their
Tier 2 visa application;
Recruitment
Is the applicant any of the following? If yes, please indicate
which:

A named researcher on a grant.

A Tier 1 Post-Study Work visa holder

A Tier 4/ student visa holder who has successfully
completed and passed a UK recognised bachelor or
postgraduate degree or completed a minimum of 12
months study in the UK towards a UK PhD during their
current period of leave or a period of continuous leave
which includes the last grant of leave, and who will
apply from within the UK.

Filling a post with an annual salary of more than
£152,100 per annum.
Updated April 2013
5
If you have answered yes to any of the above you do not need to meet the UK Border Agency’s advertising
requirements so please do not complete the recruitment section of the form and continue to the next
section.
Adverts used to support a Tier 2 COS application for University research and/or teaching posts, and
any post with an annual salary of £71,000 or more, must be advertised in TWO locations which both
meet the UK Border Agency's criteria for suitable media, as a minimum. Please note that the two
locations do not need to be two different types of media and can be, for example, two different websites.
Suitable locations include the University’s main vacancies web page and the Jobs.ac.uk website. There is
no requirement to advertise these posts on JobCentre Plus.
All adverts used to support a Tier 2 COS application for other posts (e.g. administrative and IT posts) must
have been placed on both (i) JobCentre Plus and (ii) either the University’s main vacancies web page, or
one other place which meets the UK Border Agency's criteria for suitable media, as a minimum.
Further information on the advertising requirements can be found at
http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/personnel/permits/tier2/overseas/advertisingrequirements/ .
Please give details of the recruitment exercise for this post below.
Advertisement 1:
Place of advertisement
Advertisement reference number
Date advert placed
Closing date
Advert contains (please tick to confirm):
job title
If the advert does not contain all of the required
criteria, a COS cannot be requested. Please contact
the Work Permits Desk for further advice.
main duties and responsibilities of the job
location(s)of the job
salary range and terms on offer
qualification(s) required
skills and experience needed
closing date for applications
Advertisement 2:
Place of advertisement
Advertisement reference number
Date advert placed
Closing date
Updated April 2013
6
Advert contains (please tick to confirm):
job title
If the advert does not contain all of the required
criteria, a COS cannot be requested. Please contact
the Work Permits Desk for further advice.
main duties and responsibilities of the job
location(s)of the job
salary range and terms on offer
qualification(s) required
skills and experience needed
closing date for applications
THIS QUESTION DOES NOT NEED TO BE ANSWERED FOR
UNIVERSITY RESEARCH AND/OR TEACHING POSTS, OR
ANY POST WITH AN ANNUAL SALARY OF £71,000 OR
MORE.
Is the department/college satisfied that their recruitment
search did not identify any suitable resident workers for the
post?
Is the department/college satisfied that they hold the
following documentation on file?




All applications shortlisted for final interview in the
medium in which they were received (e.g. emails,
application form, cv)
The names and total number of applicants short-listed
for final interview
Notes from the final interviews conducted
Documented reasons why each rejected EEA national
who attended a final interview was not employed.
Reasons must directly relate to the essential selection
criteria for the post.
Record-keeping and Reporting Responsibilities
Departments and colleges employing migrants on Tier 2 (General) visas have a number of record-keeping
and reporting responsibilities. The consequences of non-compliance with these duties, including reporting
details late, are potentially severe for the University.
Departments and colleges can view their record-keeping and reporting responsibilities at
http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/personnel/permits/employresp/
Updated April 2013
7
Departments and colleges can view the consequences on non-compliance at
http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/personnel/permits/noncompliance/
Has the department/ college has read and
understood their record-keeping
responsibilities for Tier 2 migrants?
Has the department/ college read and
understood their reporting responsibilities
for Tier 2 migrants?
Has the department/ college read and
understood the consequences of noncompliance with their record-keeping and
reporting responsibilities for Tier 2
migrants?
Supporting documents
Please tick to confirm that the following documents are enclosed with this application:
 Copy of photo and personal information page(s) of a valid passport.
 Up to date CV.
 For overseas applicants - copies of any current and previous Tier 2 visas held within the past twelve
months.
 For in-country applicants - copies of any current UK visas (under any category) and any previous Tier 2
visas held within the past six years.
 Where advertisements were placed online – a printout from the website of the advertisement placed
showing the date of the first day that the advertisement appeared/ the date the advertisement was printed,
the name of the website and URL, the contents of the advertisement and the closing date.
 Where advertisements were placed in a newspaper or journal advertisements – the original
advertisement as it appeared in the publication showing the title and date of the publication, the name of
the sponsor organisation and the closing date for applications.
 Where advertisements were placed on JobCentre Plus – a printout from the website showing the date of
the first day that the advert appeared/ the date the advertisement was printed, the name of the website and
URL, the contents of the advert and the closing date.
 Further particulars for the post.
 Copy of any registration or professional accreditation document(s) that a migrant requires in order to do
the job (e.g. GMC membership).
 For named researchers on a grant – a signed copy of the original document from the funding body
specifically naming the applicant as a researcher which confirms the start date and starting salary.
 For migrants switching from a Tier 4/ student visa - a copy of a qualification certificate, academic
transcript or academic reference, on the official headed paper of the awarding institution that confirms that
the migrant has fully completed their studies (or for PhD students, that they have completed at least one
Updated April 2013
8
academic year of their studies), and that their course was/is more than one academic year in length. The
academic reference must show the migrant’s name, the course title/award and the duration of the course.
 For migrants switching from a Tier 4/ student visa who have been sponsored by an overseas
Government or international scholarship agency within the past 12 months - the agency’s unconditional
consent in writing, giving permission for the migrant to remain in or re-enter the UK. The evidence must be
original, issued by an authorised official of the organisation on their official letter-headed paper or
stationery.
Payment and Authorisation
The cost of each Certificate of Sponsorship is £184. Please give the full general ledger cost code that you
wish this fee and any in-country leave to remain application fee to be cross-charged to. We cannot crosscharge to project codes.
Cost codes should be in the format cost centre/natural account/ activity/ source of funds / organisation (e.g.
AX0000/85210/00/00000/10).
Cost code to charge application fee to:
We are unable to cross-charge application fees to colleges. Therefore, Colleges should attach a cheque
made payable to the ‘University of Oxford’.
Please sign below to confirm that you are satisfied that the migrant named on this form meets the
necessary points requirements for a Tier 2 (General) Certificate of Sponsorship and that the department
has read and understood its reporting and record-keeping responsibilities.
Signature
Print name
Position
Date
Department
Telephone
Email
Should you have any queries regarding Certificates of Sponsorship requirements, please do not hesitate to
contact us.
Regards,
Work Permits Desk
Tel: (2)89919 / (2)89904 / (2)89912
Email: laxmi.vikraman@admin.ox.ac.uk / natalie.goldsmith@admin.ox.ac.uk
Updated April 2013
9