Governing Body Endorsement

The government's Points Based Managed Migration system means that cricket clubs will need to obtain a sponsor licence from the UK Borders Agency in order to bring cricketers and coaches from outside the EU into the country.

As part of this process, clubs must obtain from the ECB a Governing Body Endorsement BOTH for their sponsor licence and for individual players and coaches.

Following UKBA's approval of ECB's Governing Body Endorsement requirement process, the guidance document, together with application forms to be used when applying for these endorsements, are found at the foot of this page.

Please note that the ECB will accept electronic submissions, but please note that applications will not be processed until a non-refundable cheque has arrived.

For further information on the Points Based Managed Migration System, please see the UK Border Agency website.

• Annexes 1, 4, 5 and 6 below are for use for First Class Endorsement applications.

• Annexes 2, 5 and 6 are for use for County Cricket Boards Endorsement applications.

• Annexes 3, 7 and 8 are for use for (Non First Class Endorsement applications.

• Annex 9 is for use in all relevant applications.

Please note that the ECB cannot provide advice or guidance on immigration routes, processes or an individual’s status. You will need to contact a registered immigration advisor who is OISC registered or by calling either of the numbers listed in Useful Contacts.

Applications for the 2013 season can be submitted from 1st October 2012. All endorsements for players and player-coaches will be issued with an effective from date of 1st October 2012 to a maximum of 30th September 2013 or to length of contract, whichever date is sooner.

Step by Step Guide: For Non First Class Cricket Clubs via Tier 5 of the UKBA Points Based System

For cricket clubs wishing to “employ” the services of an overseas player-coach or coach only, under the UKBA criteria they must become official UKBA Sponsor, hold a Sponsor Licence and issue Certificates of Sponsorship for every overseas person they wish to employ.

The process for being able to issue Certificates of Sponsorship is as follows:

1) Club request endorsement as sponsor – ECB Annex 3 application form. If criteria are satisfied ECB will issue Club with unique sponsor endorsement number

2) Club applies to UKBA to become registered as an official Sponsor Application to be completed online and evidence submitted - click here

3) Club obtains Sponsor Licence from UKBA with SLN reference code

4) For each player-coach or coach only, Club completes ECB Annex 7, 9 or 8 and sends, with supporting evidence, vetting/police check to ECB

5) If criteria are satisfied, ECB then sends Club a Governing Body Endorsement for that individual - with an endorsement number unique to that individual

6) Club then uses this individual endorsement and enters details in online Sponsor Management System and issues Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) for individual player-coach. End date must not exceed CoS end date.

7) Player-coach then takes Certificate of Sponsorship reference number and applies for Entry Clearance/visa via online visa application system or UK High Commission in whichever country they are in.

Current processing times for endorsement applications are as follows:

• Sponsor Licence endorsements - seven working days from receipt
• Migrant endorsements - 14 working days from receipt

Documents:

• Governing Body Criteria Including County Boards 2013 (154 KB)
• Non UK Residents Vetting Form 2013 (29 KB)
• Annex 1 (28 KB)
• Annex 2 (37 KB)
• Annex 3 (37 KB)
• Annex 4 (39 KB)
• Annex 5 (39 KB)
• Annex 6 (39 KB)
• Annex 7 (40 KB)
• Annex 8 (39 KB)
• Annex 9 (42 KB)
• Review Process For Governing Body Endorsements Criteria (26 KB)
• Additional address sheet for overseas vetting form (168 KB)

Additional information:

• List of coaching qualifications accepted under Tier 5 as equivalent to UKC2 (13 KB)
• List of immigration categories abolished since Nov 2008 (18 KB)
• Sports Visitor Visa (SVV) Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS) (22 KB)
• Overseas Police checks (16 KB)
• Responsibility of Cricket Clubs (11 KB)
• Supplementary work for the 2013 season (10 KB)
• Visa refusal on grounds of Criminal conviction (19 KB)
• Tier 5 - three month Concession (9 KB)
• Sri Lanka – Police check application form (48 KB)
• ECB Health Safety Pack 2012 (3.5 MB)
• How to renew your Sponsor Licence (11 KB)

Applications made under COACH ONLY will only permit a person to coach for the club and not to play.

All organisations that successfully register with UKBA as sponsors will be published on UKBA website which can be found here

Useful contacts:

• ECB Governing Body Endorsements: Emma Davis - 0207 4321210 or emma.davis-bidgood@ecb.co.uk
• Sponsor & Employer Enquiries: 0300 123 4699 or sponsorshipPBSenquiries@ukba.gsi.gov.uk
• Immigration Enquiry Bureau: 0870 606 7766 or UKBApublicenquiries@ukba.gsi.gov.uk

The ECB is not registered to give advice on immigration. Information on aspects of immigration policy and law can be found on the UK Border Agency website.

Clubs are advised to allow sufficient time for entry clearance to be granted. The time needed to obtain entry clearance may vary depending upon where the player is applying. Service standards for each post are set out on the UKBA website.

This site also contains a guide to Visa processing times for specific overseas posts.