UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) is responsible for deciding who has the right to visit, study, work and stay in the United Kingdom. We help to protect the UK’s national security, as well as providing a world-class customer service to the millions of people who come to the UK legally each year.
UKVI plays a vital role in supporting the economy and cultural life of the UK, considering which organisations should have licenses to bring non-EEA nationals to work and study in the UK, as well as deciding on applications from millions of foreign nationals wishing to come to the country for visits, work, study or to be with family.
We also run the UK’s asylum system for both adults and unaccompanied children, deciding on applications and providing humanitarian protection to some of the world’s most vulnerable people. We also manage support services for refugees as they begin new lives in the UK, working closely with stakeholders across government and the voluntary sector to help people access essential services.
As well as a national footprint with three major asylum processing hubs in Croydon, Sheffield, and Liverpool, there are 14 asylum decision making hubs across the UK, including Cardiff, Belfast and Glasgow. There are also 270 Visa Application Centres (VACs) around the world, covering 145 countries and employing approximately 6,000 staff. Our focus is on delivering secure services which protect the integrity of our immigration controls while also ensuring these services are customer centric and support the UK’s economic prosperity and security.
What you could be doing
- Getting to the heart of asylum applications, establishing the facts and applying the law to protect both the vulnerable as well as the country
- Assessing visa applications, helping people with the right skills and evidence to work or study in the UK, benefitting the UK economy as well as those individuals
- Protecting vulnerable people from human trafficking by asking the right questions and scrutinising applications thoroughly to ensure visas aren’t being misused
- Helping to manage asylum support services, providing accommodation, subsistence payments and other support services to refugees starting new lives in the U.K.
- Making decisions on sponsor licenses which determine who can bring people into the UK for Study/Work purposes and dealing with licence-related transactions
- Working with Commercial Partners who support us in the delivery of visa application services and Transactional Services Support
- Ensuring our customers are heard by managing correspondence and complaints, using insight to improve services and shape better outcomes
- Delivering compensation fairly and efficiently to those affected by the Windrush scandal whilst rebuilding trust
- Providing specialist operational services (e.g. ID checks, fraud, subject access requests) to support safe, lawful, and effective decision‑making
The benefits of working in UK Visas and Immigration
We have a commitment to developing world class customer services, including through professional development. We also have clear development pathways for those in the Operational Delivery Profession (ODP).
We have a variety of roles providing opportunities to work in interesting and challenging roles, gaining valuable experience for your professional development. We are based in a range of locations across the UK, ensuring that candidates are not restricted by their location.
We also offer flexible working arrangements, including opportunities to work evenings if this is something that is suitable for your personal circumstances. Our IT systems provide scope for remote working. We are developing an annual recruitment calendar showing team members when vacancies for different grades and other related role types will be advertised. This will provide a structure around which team members can consider their own development and plan career steps.
