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Written question asked by Baroness Coussins (Crossbench) on Tuesday, 13 January 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 27 January 2026. It was answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern (Labour) on Tuesday, 27 January 2026 on behalf of the Department for Education.

Languages: Teachers

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have for (1) issuing revised and streamlined guidance to schools about sponsoring visas for overseas teachers of modern foreign languages, and (2) making the process of sponsoring those visas cost-free for schools, colleges and other educational establishments.

Answer

The department is continuing to look at how best to support schools to navigate the visa sponsorship processes to ensure that high quality international teachers can train and work as teachers in England. We have dedicated, school specific guidance to support schools that would like to employ international teachers. We regularly review this guidance to ensure it provides accurate, up to date and clear information. We have tested the content with schools and continue to engage with the sector for further feedback. The guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/recruit-teachers-from-overseas.

The costs of sponsoring a visa are charged at the same level across professions. There are no plans to introduce any new sector-based exemptions from these costs, or to provide funding to cover the cost of any processes related to domestic or international teacher recruitment, but there are lower rates for smaller employers.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL13527
Session
2024-26
Subjects
Languages Visas Teachers
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk