Visitor visa checks

The department host should check the visitor's visa on their arrival in the department.

ATAS Certificate

If the visitor will be carrying out research in a STEM subject and they are not an exempt nationality, a copy of the ATAS certificate must be obtained by the department.

Visa check

The original passport and entry visa must be seen and checked. You don't need to take a copy, but you should check that:

• the documents are genuine and haven't been altered;
• photographs and dates of birth are consistent with the person's appearance;
• the visa expiry date is in the future
• if the person doesn't have an entry visa, check their passport and keep a record of the date they arrived in the UK.
• If the visitor is coming on a permitted paid engagement, check that their paid work will be completed within 30 days of arrival.

Example Visitor documents

Not every nationality needs a visitor visa, and the passport may contain an ink stamp or a handwritten note from an immigration officer. Visa vignettes are stickers in the visitor's passport and are usually valid for six months.

Academic visitors coming for over 6 months will either be given an entry visa vignette and/or an eVisa.

Further Support

Should you have any questions or queries you can contact the team at hr-compliance@york.ac.uk.