If you are applying for entry clearance (visa for you to come to the UK) as a Skilled Worker in education, health or social care sectors (see below), you must provide a criminal record certificate.
Sponsors should also notify their prospective worker of the requirement when assigning them a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS).
You must provide a criminal record certificate for any country (excluding the UK) where you have been present for 12 months or more (whether continuously or in total), in the 10 years before your application, while aged 18 or over.
This requirement also applies to dependent partner of skilled workers when they apply for entry clearance, whether separately or together with their skilled worker partner.
A valid certificate should be issued either:
If an applicant is unable to obtain a certificate they must provide an explanation with the visa application, which details their attempts to obtain a certificate and confirms why this has not been possible.
Abdo is a Sudan national and aged 35. He left Sudan in August 2020. Thereafter, he had lived and worked in UAE intermittently between August 2020 and December 2022. He also travelled around other countries as a visitor, including UK (3 months), Egypt (3 months + 4 months + 5 months), Malaysia (one month) and UAE (for a few short visits).
He is going to work in the UK as a dental technician, and therefore must submit criminal record certificates for all countries that he had been present for 12 months or more in the past 10 years (2014 – 2024). That is Sudan, UAE and Egypt.
Abdo obtained the certificate from the Sudan authority in June 2020, within 6 months before he left the country. It is thus valid.
A certificate from UAE authority was issued on 18 December 2022. Abdo last visited UAE on 12 May 2023. The certificate is valid as it was issued within 6 months before the last stay.
Abdo was unable to obtain a certificate for Egypt where he had been present for over 12 months during multiple visits. He stated the reasons on his visa application: he had made attempts to obtain a certificate, but the Egypt authorities would not issue a criminal record certificate for visitors.
The UKVI was satisfied with Abdo’s explanation and granted him Skilled Worker Visa.
The UKVI will consider each case on its own situation. If the UKVI consider that it is possible for the applicant to obtain a certificate from the relevant countries, but they have failed to do so, their application is likely to be refused.
