Immigration support

Self-employed individuals are currently unable to be granted Tier
2 visas in the UK's immigration system. To enable suitably
qualified non-European economic area nationals to train and
practise at the Bar of England and Wales, the Bar Council
negotiated a special licence with the UKVI (then UKBA) in 2011. The
Bar Council operates as a Licenced Sponsor on behalf of the UKVI,
and is therefore able to provide visas for pupils and tenants
working in chambers in England & Wales provided that they and
the chambers meet a variety of qualifying criteria (please see
Eligibility" in the next page).
Tier 2 visas are available to:
In addition to these, the Bar Council is also able to sponsor
visas for individuals aiming to spend a short amount of time
studying or undertaking non-remunerated work in the UK under a
Tier 5 visa. These visas are available to:
The Bar Council is only able to act as a sponsor for pupils and
tenants in chambers (not in any other outfit of the legal
sector).
The Bar Council is the migrant's sponsor, but the chambers is
fully responsible for ensuring that the migrant is indeed working
as expected (the purpose of the visa, as specified in the
certificate of sponsorship) and that the resident labour market has
been tested if this is required. Please see the section entitled
"Eligibility" on the next page and the UKVI guidance
here for further information.
The individuals requiring specialist immigration advice should
contact an immigration lawyer, or the UK Visas and Immigration. The
Bar Council is neither able to nor allowed to provide any sort of
advice which could be construed as immigration advice. Our remit is
restricted to the application of the UKVI Tier 2 and Tier 5
regulation insofar as it is applied to the Bar and the professional
environment of self-employed barristers.
The full guidance of Tier 2 and Tier 5 may not be sufficient for
a migrant, prospective migrant or chambers to comprehend their
compliance requirements and the Bar Council's obligations. This is
because the Bar Council's special sponsor licence requires that the
terms of reference of Tier 2 be adapted to the professional
definitions and frameworks of the Bar of England & Wales. You
are encouraged as a migrant, prospective migrant and/or chambers to
contact the Bar Council if you have any queries, and indeed to
ensure that you do not solely rely on the Tier 2 guidance, which
may not reflect the way in which the Bar Council will apply the
principles contained in the UKVI guidance as applicable to the Bar
of England & Wales.