On 8 June 2009, BUNAC started accepting applications for their new Blue Card Internship programme, which enables US university students and recent graduates to come to the UK to take part in 6-month internships.

Under this new scheme, BUNAC acts as a Tier 5 sponsor and will issue Certificates of Sponsorship to interns for pre-approved UK internships.

Who can apply?

Applicants must:

  • Be over 18
  • Have a valid US passport or Green Card and be currently resident in the US
  • Be a full-time degree or diploma level student, or a graduate intending to begin the internship no more than 12 months beyond the end of study
  • Hold an acceptable internship offer in the UK for up to 6 months
  • Have sufficient support funds (a minimum of $1500 is required)
  • Have sufficient medical insurance for the duration of their stay

Restrictions - employers

All internship offers must be approved by BUNAC and employers will be asked to enter into an agreement with BUNAC to ensure their responsibilities as sponsor are met. Interns must not fill vacancies in the UK workforce and must do work that is additional to the employer's normal staffing requirements. The internship must not be an unskilled position and should be for a minimum 25 hours a week. Interns must be paid at least the national minimum wage and therefore cannot use this type of placement to undertake voluntary work.

Restrictions - interns

Interns will only be allowed one 6-month internship and must leave the UK on the date of expiry on their visa. Dependants cannot accompany the intern and the visa is only valid for the pre-approved employment, therefore, once in the UK, interns cannot find alternative employment. Applicants must apply for a visa as well as obtaining BUNAC approval.

Benefits to employers

Since the Points Based System has come into effect in the UK, employers wishing to hire interns have had little option but to do so under the Tier 2 Sponsored Skilled Workers arrangements (unless the applicant is a Bulgarian or Romanian national). This requires the employer to be licensed as a Sponsor in the UK and there are qualification and earnings requirements, as well as onerous advertising requirements.

This scheme provides a useful alternative to those wishing to employ interns in the UK, but only for US interns. It is hoped that more organisations, like BUNAC, will be licenced in due course to provide further options for employers and interns alike.

This article was written for Law-Now, CMS Cameron McKenna's free online information service. To register for Law-Now, please go to www.law-now.com/law-now/mondaq

Law-Now information is for general purposes and guidance only. The information and opinions expressed in all Law-Now articles are not necessarily comprehensive and do not purport to give professional or legal advice. All Law-Now information relates to circumstances prevailing at the date of its original publication and may not have been updated to reflect subsequent developments.

The original publication date for this article was 17/06/2009.