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Visa Fees and Loan Scheme for new hires

This page details some of the financial support for individuals who incur additional expenses as a result of taking up their first appointment with the Open University.

Relocation expenses reimbursement

Visa – 

New hires will now be able to claim to be reimbursed for the cost of their visa application fees (for themselves only) through relocation expenses.
 
To claim these costs, individuals must have a contract of employment of at least 12 months duration.
 
The amount of any visa application fees shall be included within maximum allowance permitted under the “other costs” section.
 
Visa’s covered are:
  • Skilled worker, where a certificate of sponsorship has been issued for three years or less
  • Skilled Worker, where a certificate of sponsorship has been issued for over three years
  • Temporary Worker – Government Authorised Exchange (GAE)
  • Global Talent Visa
  • Biometric enrolment (for all visas in the UK)
 

Other costs – 

Expenses are payable where the individual is moving to or within the UK and the appointment is for a period of at least two years.
 
Where these conditions are met, relocation expenses will be reimbursed up to a maximum of £8,000
 
Included are:
  • Removal expenses of furniture and effects
  • Storage charge for a maximum of 3 months
  • Legal charges incurred in selling and buying residences
  • Estate Agents' fees on sale of former residence and Accommodation Agency fees other than returnable deposits
  • Survey fees
  • Temporary Accommodation and travel expenses (£56 per week maximum – not available to overseas relocations)
  • Claims for travel fares for the appointee, spouse, partner and children to relocate to the UK will be considered
 

Visa Costs Loan Scheme

 
To qualify for the loan, individuals must have a contract of employment of at least 12 months duration. 
 
The loan amount is interest-free and will not exceed £5,000 and the individual will be subject to an affordability assessment.
 
The loan amount must be repaid within 24 months or within the duration of the individual’s contract (whichever is shorter). The candidate can submit their application for the loan in advance of their start date, but the funds can only be released as a form of reimbursement after the candidate has begun in post.
 
The visa loan scheme covers:
  • Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) – main applicant and each dependant (For visas under Skilled Worker and Temporary Worker Government Authorised 
  • Exchange (GAE))
  • Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) – main applicant and dependants
  • Leave to remain – Other (e.g. extending visas)
  • Priority visa service – settlement
  • Priority visa service – non-settlement
  • Super priority visa service
  • British Citizenship application (Note that the previous British Citizenship Application Loan Scheme is no longer available)
 
 

This page is a brief guide to the support available. You should speak to your Hiring Manager, Resourcing Hub contact, or email us on resourcing-hub@open.ac.uk for more information and full terms and conditions before committing any expense or making any significant relocation decisions. 

Please note that all these benefits relate to Open University vacancies and may not be offered by our partner organisations and subsidiaries. You should refer to their individual jobs for more information.