You can apply for a Tier 5 Temporary Worker - Government Authorised Exchange visa if you:

• want to come to the UK for a short time for work experience or to do training, an Overseas Government Language Programme, research or a fellowship through an approved government authorised exchange scheme;
• have a sponsor;
• meet the other eligibility requirements.

If you are already in the UK under one of the following visa categories, you can switch into Tier 5 Government Authorised Exchange visa from inside the UK:

• student, whether studying, re-sitting an examination or writing a thesis
• student union sabbatical officer
• student nurse
• postgraduate doctor or dentist
• Tier 4 visa
• sponsored researcher who came to the UK on a work permit and you want to continue in the same job with your sponsor

You must have completed a UK degree course during your last grant of leave.

You will be granted leave to enter or remain:

• for a maximum period of 24 months, or the time given on the Certificate of Sponsorship plus 14 days after the end date given on the Certificate of Sponsorship and up to 14 days before the start date, whichever is the shorter for those who:
  • were granted entry clearance in that capacity under the Rules in place before 6 April 2012; or
  • were granted entry clearance in a research programme, training programme or overseas government language programme under the Rules in place on or after 6 April 2012.
    Or
• for a maximum period of 12 months, or the time given in the Certificate of Sponsorship plus 14 days after the end date given on the Certificate of Sponsorship and up to
  14 days before the start date, whichever is the shorter for those who were granted entry clearance in a work experience programme under the Rules in place on or after
  6 April 2012.

You can find the list of approved Government Authorised Exchange schemes (programmes) in Appendix N of the Immigration Rules.

Any work undertaken must be equivalent to level 3 or above on the National Qualification Framework. The only exception to this is where the migrant is coming to the UK through a scheme set up as part of the EU Lifelong Learning Programme, where the migrant may undertake vocational education and training at a lower skill level.

Under Tier 5 (Temporary Worker), you must score:

• 30 points for possessing a valid Certificate of Sponsorship (Appendix A of the  Immigration Rules); and
• 10 points for Maintenance (Funds) (Appendix C of the Immigration Rules).

When the overarching body assigns a Certificate of Sponsorship, they will have guaranteed that you:

• are seeking entry to the United Kingdom to work or train temporarily here through an approved exchange scheme;
• do not intend to establish a business in the United Kingdom; and
• meet the requirements of the individual exchange scheme.

You can enter the UK up to 14 days before the job start date as given by your sponsor in your Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS).

You can challenge the refusal of your Tier 5 Government Authorised Exchange visa application by seeking Administrative Review (AR) of the Home Office UKVI decision.