Fragomen's International Internship Scheme – Temporary Worker Government Authorised Exchange
Formerly Tier 5
Carmita Alonso
Naomi Goldshtein
Pina Mistry
Audrea Golding
Related Contacts
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Carmita Alonso
Partner
Carmita is a Partner at Fragomen’s New York office and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. She also serves as Co-Chair of the firm’s Global Diversity & Inclusion Committee, which provides guidance and makes recommendations to actively enhance diversity, inclusion and belonging throughout the firm.
Carmita has built a strong practice while serving in a leadership capacity ...
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Bo Cooper
Partner
Bo is a Partner in the firm’s Washington, DC office. He leads the firm’s Government Strategies and Compliance Group and is a member of Fragomen’s Executive Committee. Bo provides strategic immigration advice to corporations, nonprofit organizations, hospitals and research institutions, universities, trade associations, international media outlets and individuals facing complex immigration problems.
Before entering private practice, Bo served as General Counsel of the U.S. ...
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K. Edward Raleigh
Partner
As one of the firm’s go-to lawyers when a client needs a courtroom attorney, Eddie’s practice focuses on cross-border investigations, U.S. immigration disputes and programmatic immigration advice. He has spent more than a decade counseling individuals and companies in highly regulated communities, such as securities, healthcare, tax, federal contracting and technology.
He advises some of the world’s largest and most valuable companies on complex areas of global mobility, including how to navigate some of the most complex questions of immigration program management.
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Audrea Golding
Partner
Currently, Audrea is a partner in our firm’s Silicon Valley office and represents multinational corporations in the information technology, engineering, financial services and professional services industries.
Audrea serves as Co-Chair of the firm’s Global Diversity & Inclusion Committee, which provides guidance and makes recommendations to actively enhance diversity, inclusion and belonging throughout the firm.
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About the team
Staffed by UK qualified solicitors and paralegals located in Fragomen’s London and Sheffield offices, Fragomen’s dedicated internship team has combined 60+ years of UK immigration expertise and knowledge. Our dedicated service helps interns and employers navigate through the UK visa application process.
Our support includes:
Stay ahead of curve
Understand your options
Move forward
Understand your options
When paradigms shift and impact immigration and global mobility, we provide customized, actionable and insight-driven options.
Move forward
Working closely with clients, we help you craft strategies so that you can move forward.
Internship Programme Management
Pre-screening and initial assessment
Completion of full end-to-end TW GAE application
Right to work guidance and support
On-going compliance support and advice
Mitigate risks
Adjust to new realities
Capture opportunities
Initial Response Assessment and Mobilization Plans (iRAMP)
Mobility Assurance Playbooks
Policy and Advocacy Support
What we do
Whether creating a custom client product or seeking a policy change, the Center will use the four step process to move from assessing to addressing an immigration issue ripe for enhancement.
Problem/Solution
Only UK law firm to hold a TW GAE Sponsor Licence
Identify
Sponsored over 5,000 interns in the last 11 years
Leverage
Enabling young leaders and future business leaders from outside of the UK to gain experience of working for UK companies
Promote
Can support one off or more established internship programmes
Refine
Whether you are a business looking to employ an intern in the UK as part of your internship programme or are an individual looking to secure an internship in the UK, we can help you to achieve your goals.
As an overarching body, Fragomen is able to sponsor foreign nationals who wish to undertake an internship in the UK. For over 13 years we have sponsored internships in a variety of sectors including the consulting, engineering, financial services, healthcare, fashion and technology sectors to name a few.
Successfully sponsor or secure an internship in the UK
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
For many UK employers, internships play a key part in your annual recruitment strategy. But the Home Office has several criteria you’ll need to fulfil should you wish to offer places to international candidates. Your programme must comply with UK immigration law and your interns need to have sponsorship and Temporary Worker Government Authorised Exchange (GAE) visas.
In contrast to the Skilled Worker category, employers cannot directly apply for a sponsor licence in this visa category and must partner with a licenced overarching sponsor.
That’s where Fragomen comes in. As part of our Scheme, Fragomen works with start-ups, SME’s and global companies from a range of sectors as an overarching sponsor. This means we’re able to use our licence to sponsor promising students and recent graduates to come to the UK and experience working life at your business.
Our Internship Scheme helps attract emerging talent across the globe, building a pipeline of future skills and investment into the UK. Since its launch, we have provided young people and future business leaders with an opportunity to enhance their skills and careers, helping to forge international partnerships with UK companies and leading universities at home and abroad.
Achieve your internship goals
Only UK law firm to hold a TW GAE Sponsor licence
Benefit 1
Can support one off or more established internship programmes
Benefit 3
Enabling young people and future business leaders from outside of the UK to gain experience of working for UK companies
Benefit 4
Work directly with employers or internship partners
Benefit 5
Sectors include: Financial services, legal, media, fashion, science, technology, education, e-commerce, and healthcare
Benefit 5
What we do
Sponsored over 5,000 interns in the last 11 years
Benefit 1
Our offering is unique. Fragomen is the only law firm approved by the Home Office as an overarching sponsor and we’ve been doing it successfully for over 13 years.
Register your interest today
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Whether you have been living in Ireland for a number of years or are part of the wider global Irish community, our Dublin-based team has years of experience in helping people become Irish citizens.
How it works
Entry to the UK and Right to Work check
06
Collating documents,
preparation of online application and Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS)
03
Assigning Cos, submission of application and payment of government fees
04
Onboarding
01
Assessing eligibility to our scheme
02
On-going compliance reporting
07
End of internship and departure from the UK
08
Decision
05
Learn More
™
Is Fragomen's Right to Work technology right for your business?
Register your interest
For more information, contact ukinternships@fragomen.com
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Fragomen
The Temporary Worker GAE route allows individuals to come to the UK for a temporary period on an approved scheme.
As an approved GAE licence holder for work experience, Fragomen can sponsor eligible overseas candidates to undertake internships with organisations in the UK for up to 12 months.
Fragomen is unable to sponsor individuals to undertake an internship at Fragomen and can only provide sponsorship for interns placed with other companies.
The Temporary Worker GAE route does not lead to settlement.
Temporary Work Government Authorised Exchange visa
Eligibility criteria for the employer and intern
Requirements of the UK internship position
Case studies
UK Internship arrangements with Fragomen
Temporary Work Government Authorised Exchange visa
Case studies
UK Internship arrangements with Fragomen
Requirements of the UK internship position
Eligibility criteria for the employer and intern
The selection criteria for Fragomen’s International Internship Scheme has two stages and requires both the employer and intern to meet our eligibility criteria.
Employer eligibility criteria
We will assess an employer’s ability to participate in Fragomen’s International Internship Scheme based on the range of criteria, which includes:
• Be an established UK employer either with a valid A rating Sponsor Licence under the Points Based System, or be in a position to apply for one
• Have a genuine internship programme offer
• Adhere to Fragomen’s compliance requirements
Intern eligibility criteria
Fragomen will then assess the eligibility of the intern. The Temporary Worker GAE route applies to both:
• European Economic Area (EEA) nationals who did not arrive in the UK before 11:00 PM GMT on 31 December 2020 and do not hold Pre-Settled/Settled Status under the EU Settlement Scheme
• Non-EEA nationals who apply for entry clearance or permission to stay
The proposed intern must:
• Have at least a Bachelor’s degree or above, completed in the last five years or, alternatively, the individual should currently be enrolled in or about to start a Bachelor’s degree or above
• Be under 35 years old or under 40 years old if changing career
• Speak a sufficient level of English
A dependent partner and/or child can apply as a dependent to join the GAE worker in the UK for the duration of their sponsorship.
Eligibility criteria for the employer and intern
Temporary Work Government Authorised Exchange visa
UK Internship arrangements with Fragomen
Case studies
Requirements of the UK internship position
1. Internship duration to be a maximum of 12 months (no extensions permitted if 12 months is reached)
2. Role should not fill an open position within the UK company
3. Role activities must not be substantive and the business should not derive profits from the intern’s work/deliverables
4. Role must be highly supervised
5. Role must have defined learning goals to enhance an intern’s academic, career and personal development (without the responsibilities of being a permanent employee)
6. Work skill level to be equivalent to National or Scottish vocational qualification (N/SVQ) level 3 or above
To qualify under Fragomen’s Temporary Worker GAE Scheme, the internship arrangement must fall under one of our approved arrangements.
Please contact the team to discuss your proposed internship programme.
UK Internship arrangements with Fragomen
Case studies
Requirements of the UK internship position
Eligibility criteria for the employer and intern
Temporary Work Government Authorised Exchange visa
Case Study Situation 1: An established technology company offers a large summer internship programme for a period of 12 weeks in the UK and candidates apply from all over the world. The company had no UK visa knowledge and were unaware of the Temporary Worker GAE category.
Solution: Our dedicated team worked with the client to navigate the end-to-end sponsorship and visa application process. We provided proactive support and worked with the client to strategise a smooth internship onboarding process. Where unexpected hurdles were encountered, including substantial visa processing delays, Fragomen’s team provided on-demand updates and guidance so that interns could travel to the UK and commence their internship on time.
Case Study Situation 2: As an internship facilitator, our client arranges internships for individuals as part of their studies, or to develop their work experience after graduating from university. As a result of Brexit, they were no longer able to place interns in the UK without immigration permission.
Solution: We built a bespoke model tailored to the client’s needs, allowing them to continue their programme and source internships for both EU and non-EU nationals in the UK.
Case studies
UK Internship arrangements with Fragomen
Requirements of the UK internship position
Eligibility criteria for the employer and intern
Temporary Work Government Authorised Exchange visa