From April 6, 2017, individuals applying to come to the UK to undertake certain jobs will be subject, along with any adult dependants (over the age of 18 years old) applying with the main applicant, to the requirement under the Immigration Rules to produce a criminal record certificate. The certificate must be produced from any country in which the applicant has been resident for 12 months or more, consecutively or cumulatively, in the previous 10 years.
Effective January 1, 2017, sponsors must inform prospective employees at the point they assign their Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) that they may become subject to this requirement by the time they make their application. This will enable them to begin seeking certificates where needed at the earliest opportunity, and to lodge a complete application for entry clearance sooner.
Affected job titles are:
- Dental practitioners
- Education advisers and school inspectors
- Further education teaching professionals
- Health professionals not elsewhere classified
- Health services and public health managers and directors
- Medical practitioners
- Medical radiographers
- Midwives
- Nurses
- Occupational therapists
- Ophthalmic opticians
- Pharmacists
- Physiotherapists
- Podiatrists
- Primary and nursery education teaching professionals
- Probation officers
- Psychologists
- Secondary education teaching professionals
- Senior professionals of educational establishments
- Social services managers and directors
- Social workers
- Speech and language therapists
- Teaching and other educational professionals not elsewhere classified including Special needs education teaching professionals
- Therapy professionals not elsewhere classified
- Welfare professionals not elsewhere classified
The requirement to produce a criminal record certificate already applies to those applying under Tier 1 (entrepreneur) or Tier 1 (investor) and any adult dependant relative of the main applicant in either of these categories.
