Appointment of External Examiners for Research Awards

External Examiners

Introduction

Please read the University's Criteria for the Selection and Appointment of Examiners for Research Awards alongside this information.

Once an external examiner has been proposed by a student's supervisor, the School Research Office will request from the named academic, the necessary information required to ensure that the proposed examiner meets the criteria laid out in the above policy, through the completion of the Proposed External Examiner (Research) Profile and Declaration Form. This includes providing a full CV and confirmation of their eligibility to work in the UK which is required by the UK Visas and Immigration service.

Once all the paperwork has been received and processed by the School, this will then be forwarded to Registry for presentation and review by University Research Committee.

If approved, the examination team will be contacted to confirm their appointment.

Proof of Eligibility for Employment

We are required, by the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) rules, to verify the 'right to work' of any person who undertakes any work at the University of Huddersfield. This is irrespective of the length or nature of the employment or the fact that the individual is already employed in another Higher Education institution. The University is therefore legally required to show evidence that it has checked and retained the relevant documentation of every person appointed to work for the University to establish their right to work in the UK.

We must verify your eligibility to work in the UK by sight of appropriate, original documents or via the Home Office Online Service before you commence your duties as an external examiner. We appreciate this does require additional input from you as an examiner, but the University of Huddersfield is grateful for your willingness to provide the documentation to allow us to undertake our duties to comply with the UKVI rules.

Most UK nationals working as external examiners find it easiest to use their UK passport as evidence of their entitlement to work in the UK. If you are not a UK national or if you do not have a current UK passport for any other reason a full list of all documentation that can be used to evidence your right to work in the UK is provided below.

Where original documentation must be presented and verified, there are two ways in which this can be done, and your preference should be indicated when completing the External examiner's profile and declaration.

EEA Nationals

Freedom of movement between the UK and EU has now ended. If you are a national of the EU, EEA or Switzerland and have obtained pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme you will need to evidence your right to work using the Home Office Online Service.

EU, EEA or Swiss nationals who have not applied under the EU Settlement Scheme will require a visa to work in the UK.

Option 1: Verification of original eligibility to work in the UK documentation by your home institution prior to the examination

Please note that this option is compulsory for MA/ MSc/ MEnt/ MRes awards.

The verification of the original version of your eligibility to work in the UK documentation may be done at your Institution by your HR department. This option will be necessary where you are examining for one of the research awards where an oral examination is not mandatory.

This will involve you taking the original of your eligibility to work in the UK documentation to the appropriate person within your organisation. They will then be required to take a photocopy of the relevant pages, and handwrite and complete the following statement on the photocopy as verification that they have seen the original version:

This is a certified true copy of the original sighted by me.

Name:
Signature:
Home Institution:
Position:
Date:

We would then require whoever has performed the verification to scan and email this document direct to the school administrator at the University of Huddersfield that has requested it as part of the external examiner appointment process, or alternatively it may be posted to them. If you prefer to use this option, there will be no requirement for you to bring the original documentation on the day of the viva.

Option 2: Provision of copy of eligibility to work in the UK documentation on the day of the oral examination

Alternatively you can bring the original of your eligibility to work in the UK documentation with you on the day of the viva. If you prefer this option, in the first instance please attach a photocopy of the relevant documentation you will be presenting to the External examiner's profile and declaration when you return it with your CV to the School.

Once your appointment as external examiner has been approved, arrangements will then be made for the School to do the necessary verifications on the day of the viva - the exact details of this will be confirmed to you as part of the appointment process.

Online Right to Work Check

Where you are able to evidence your right to work via the online service, you will need to provide a share code and your date of birth which will enable us to check your Home Office immigration status via the online service.

Please be aware that the University is unable to pay the examination fee where the original eligibility documentation has not been provided or an online right to work check has not been undertaken.

Eligibility to Work in the UK Documetation

The Home Office sets out documents you can provide to demonstrate your right to work in the UK in two lists that are provided in the Right to Work Checklist:

List A contains documents which an individual with a permanent right to work in the UK can provide (such as UK nationals and those with Indefinite leave to remain).
List B contains documents which may be accepted for individuals with a temporary right to work in the UK.

Only one option needs to be provided from either List A or List B.

Tier 2/Skilled Worker Visa Holders

Those who hold a Tier 2/Skilled Worker visa can undertake work as an external examiner under the current Supplementary Employment rules in the Skilled Worker (formerly Tier 2) guidance. Supplementary employment must be:

in the same profession and at the same professional level as the work for which your Certificate of Sponsorship was assigned;
be for no more than 20 hours a week; and
be outside of the normal working hours for which the Certificate of Sponsorship was assigned.

You will need to provide a letter from your Sponsor to confirm your current job title, working hours and Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code so we can confirm that you are able to use your current Tier 2/Skilled Worker visa to evidence your right to work in UK as an external examiner.

Permitted Paid Engagement Route

The Permitted Paid Engagement route allows employers to invite visitors to undertake a short-term, fee-paid permitted engagement, which falls under a permissible activity.

External examiners and assessors fall under the category of a permissible activity, which allows employers to invite external examiners to visit the UK to examine students for up to a period of one month and to receive payment.

The individual must be highly qualified in their own field of expertise and be formally invited by the University of Huddersfield. The formal invitation must show that the engagement relates to the individual’s expertise and/or qualifications and their main job in their home country.

Further guidance on the Permitted Paid Engagement visa, including further eligibility criteria, can be found on the Gov.uk website.