Are you eligible for the GAE visa?
The British authorities have set strict eligibility criteria that apply to the candidate, to the host company and to the opportunity itself. Knowing them before you start is essential: an incomplete or misdirected application can lead to delays, or even a refusal. That is precisely where our expertise makes the difference.
The eligibility criteria
To be eligible, the candidate must meet the following criteria.
- Be 18 years old or over.
- Hold a valid passport.
- Be a student in higher education, at bachelor’s level or equivalent as a minimum.
- Or have graduated less than 24 months before the internship starts.
- Show sufficient funds to support themselves once in the country.
- Not have already completed an internship within the host company concerned.
We can sponsor you twice, provided these are two different British companies and the combined length of the two internships does not exceed 12 months.
The host company must also meet certain criteria in order to offer an internship under the GAE programme.
- Be registered with Companies House, the UK register of companies, for at least 12 months.
- Employ a minimum of three full-time staff on site.
- Keep a ratio of 5 full-time employees per intern if the company wishes to host several interns.
- Have offices and a suitable professional environment.
- Provide adequate supervision by a member of the team, with a clearly identified mentor responsible for the candidate’s professional development throughout the placement.
The mentor must be identified from the outset. Their involvement is required to build the application file: raise this point with the host company at your very first exchange.
The internship itself must meet a number of criteria — to comply with UK government requirements, to protect you as an intern, and to guarantee a worthwhile experience.
- Last no more than 12 months, at a minimum of 25 working hours per week.
- Be a supernumerary position, designed specifically for an intern and not to fill a permanent role.
- Offer varied tasks with real responsibility, rather than purely repetitive work, with a good rotation of activities and clear objectives set out in a detailed training plan.
- Be paid beyond 6 months. Where the internship is paid, it must comply with UK National Minimum Wage legislation.
Does your future host company have questions about the GAE visa?
Are you being recruited by, or in touch with, a company in the United Kingdom whose contact does not yet know the GAE visa? We can arrange a meeting with them, by Teams or by phone, to answer all their questions. Simply fill in the form below: we will contact the company directly.