Workers and one-offs are hired on an irregular basis for a short period of time, provided they have the right to work in the UK. Employers may engage visa holders on a casual basis, but should be aware that different UK visas have different conditions. In some cases, a particular visa poses work restrictions or limits the types of work the visa holder can do.
Human Resources and Payroll undertake checks to ensure that all workers have a valid right to work check and that Tier 4 visa holders are not exceeding the maximum hours imposed by their visa.
An employing department must check the right to work of all workers before their employment starts.
If the individual is a List A document holder (please see table below), they have no restriction on the type of work they can do, or their weekly working hours.
If the casual worker is a List B document holder, there may be some work restrictions that apply. Please see the table below for more information.
Selection of List B visas - Work restrictions to consider when employing on casual basis
Visa type
Work restriction
Global Talent/Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) visa
No work restrictions - Except cannot work as a doctor or dentist in training or professional sports person/coach
Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) visa
Tier 2 (General) / Skilled Worker visa
Permitted to work up to 20 hours per week as supplementary employment. Several additional restrictions apply.
Tier 4 / Student visa holder
Normally restricted to working 20 hours per week.
Tier 5 (Sponsored researcher) visa holder
Tier 5 (Youth Mobility Scheme) visa holder
PBS Dependant visa holder Family member of Global Talent/2/4 or 5 visa holder
UK Ancestry
One-off and irregular pay requests will not be processed for individuals with incorrect or incomplete right to work information, or where there are questions over Tier 4 / Student visa hours. If pay is stopped HR will inform the department why this has happened and a correct casual payment request will need to be resubmitted in the following month.
If you have any questions about employing someone or their visa please speak with HR before a job offer is made and any work is undertaken.
If you intend to invite someone to Queen Mary to undertake any work please ensure that they apply for the correct visa prior to their arrival in the UK.
Please refer to the International Visitor section for more information.