Guidance for Christmas Closure 2024

Payday is Friday 20th December and payslips will be available to view on Thursday 19th December.

For current staff with time-limited visas expiring  

The Staff Compliance Team will:

• Send Right to Work (RTW) visa expiry reminders as normal (at approximately 4 months, and 2 weeks prior to visa expiry), except for those whose visas expire between 20 December – 5 January, who will be contacted additionally in advance of the Christmas Closure.
• Review and approve contract extension requests (CCR) in the HR Portal (FreshService) regularly in the weeks leading up to the Christmas Closure.

Please would departments assist by:

• Making requests for Global Talent Visa support or Skilled Worker/Temporary Worker contract extensions/Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) extensions (including VCCs) as early as possible.
• Highlighting urgent requests due to imminent visa expiry over the Christmas Closure period to the relevant approvers and the Recruitment/Staff Hub, so that ticket approvals/processing can be prioritised.
• Being mindful that the Staff Compliance Team will need to prioritise work related to immediately urgent visa expiries and January 2025 new starters, and this may impact upon email responses/request processing for later start dates and visa expiries.

Please would staff assist by:

• Responding to visa expiry reminders, submitting and providing evidence of corresponding visa applications, and providing permission to use the Employers Checking Service (ECS) to the Staff Compliance Team as early as possible, to ensure that Imperial holds suitable evidence of continuing right to work.
• If applying for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) following a Tier 2/Skilled Worker visa, requesting a support letter from the Staff Compliance Team as early as possible, ensuring that your Teamseer record is up to date, and attaching a list of any other absences/overseas work not recorded in Teamseer; or
• If applying for ILR after holding another visa category or applying for a Global Talent Visa extension, requesting an employment confirmation letter from the Staff Hub as early as possible.

Please note that staff with pending visa applications should not travel outside the UK until they receive a decision on their application / online status confirming successful outcome. Leaving the UK will have the effect of both withdrawing the pending visa application and/or ending the individual’s right to work permission in the UK where this is based on in-time application and ‘3C Leave’.

For new staff holding or requiring time-limited visas

For new staff with start dates 16-20 December 2024 and 2-5 January 2025, the Staff Compliance Team will:

• Liaise with individuals prior to their work start date to check progress with visa application / relocation to UK and update hiring departments as required.
• Undertake pre-employment RTW checks as normal once the contract is issued and the individual holds the required UK visa status and is present in the UK.
• Confirm to the new employee and hiring department once checks are complete and the individual can start work.

Please would departments assist by:

• Making new hire/contract requests and/or providing any completed assessment forms/supporting documents for Global Talent Visa support or Skilled Worker/Temporary Worker CoS (including VCCs) as early as possible.
• Not allowing induction/work starts before receipt of confirmation that pre-employment checks are completed.
• Ensuring that work start dates are not set during the Christmas Closure period.

Please note that we continue to experience significant delays with ATAS certificate applications and visa application processing can take longer during the holiday season. If it is not feasible to meet a proposed start date due to visa processing/RTW check delays, the team will advise accordingly. Please refer to (and bookmark) our UKVI visa, ATAS processing and RTW Check updates page for regular updates.

Overseas working requests submitted by Friday 13 December 2024 will be reviewed by the International Mobility Team (IMT) as normal the following week. However, requests received after this date will not be considered until Imperial reopens in January after the Christmas Closure.

If you are considering making an overseas working request, please first review our guidance.

If you wish to submit a request, please follow the process for making a request to employ staff to work overseas, complete the Overseas Working Request Form and obtain authorisation from both Line Manager and Head of Department prior to submission to the IMT.

Please note where insufficient notice is provided of proposed start dates, or additional information is required to progress requests, the IMT is unlikely to be able to carry out a full assessment or ensure arrangements are in place until after the Christmas Closure. 

Where essential DBS checks need to be in place for the Christmas Closure, please would departments and staff assist by making requests for DBS checks, submitting online applications and completing ID verification by Friday 13 December 2024.

The Payroll deadline for December 2024 is Friday 29 November 2024. Please ensure any requests for additional payments, contractual changes, parental leave, unpaid leave and leavers for the month of December 2024 are approved and received before 5pm on this date. 

Any requests received after this date will be processed for payment in time for the January 2025 pay run. 

Please also note that any new starter contract requests which have a proposed start date between 1 and 10 January 2025 must be submitted to the HR Staff Hub with all the necessary pre-employment information/documentation and approvals required no later than Friday 6 December 2024 so they can be processed before the Christmas Closure. 

The last Job Evaluation panel for 2024 will take place on Tuesday 10 December 2024 and the deadline to submit papers for this will be 5pm on Friday 6 December 2024.

The first Job Evaluation panel for 2025 will take place on 14 January 2025 and the deadline for submissions will be midday on Friday 10 January 2025.

If you require a job to be advertised or employment contracts issued before the Christmas Closure, please contact the Recruitment Hub before 18:00 on Friday 6^th December 2024. This will allow us enough time to process your request without being impacted by external deadlines e.g., media, payroll cut off, university closure.

Please note that incomplete requisitions (without a full Job Description, advert and other necessary information) will not be processed, and they will be closed. Please kindly plan your activities before the deadline and contact the Recruitment Hub in advance if you need any additional information.

To ensure the best possible response for your recruitment advertising we strongly recommend that vacant roles are live until Tuesday 7^th January 2025.

Please remember it is not possible to issue backdated contracts of employment and it is a legal requirement that all employees must receive a contract of employment before their start date with Imperial.

Casual Worker Payments

The payroll deadline is 17:00 on Friday 6 December 2024. All timesheets must be Level 1 and 2 approved in the Casual Worker App before this deadline to be paid in December. Payday will be on Friday 20 December.

Casual Worker Requests

Please send Requirement Schedule entries for new Casual Workers by Tuesday 17 December at the latest, for work beginning in the January return.

As usual, Casual Worker setup is subject to the individual booking a Right to Work check with our team. We will endeavour to contact all individuals submitted in Requirement Schedules before the University’s closure period.