Eligibility & Requirements
To be eligible to join HM Treasury you’ll need to meet the following criteria:
- Achieved or be on track for a minimum of a 2.2 in your undergraduate degree in any degree subject
- Civil Service Nationality Rules mean we may only accept applications from European Economic Area (EEA) nationals (including British citizens), Commonwealth citizens, Swiss and Turkish nationals
- You must have the right to work in the UK, without the need for employer sponsorship
- You’ll normally need to have lived in the UK for at least three out of the last five years, in order to be eligible for the necessary security clearance
Please see more details on immigration, nationality and UK residence below.
More information about nationality
HM Treasury accepts applications from European Economic Area (EEA) nationals (including British citizens), Commonwealth citizens, Swiss and Turkish nationals. This requirement is determined by the Civil Service Nationality Rules. If you hold dual nationality (i.e. you’re a British citizen and are also a national of another country) you should still be able to join us. In your application, you’ll be asked about your nationality at birth, whether you’ve ever had any other nationality or citizenship, whether you’re subject to immigration control and whether there are any restrictions on your continued residence or employment in the UK. Please be aware that a lack of sufficient background information may preclude you from being granted the security clearance necessary for employment with HM Treasury.
More information about immigration
As well as meeting the Civil Service Nationality Rules, you must comply with UK immigration legislation. It’s possible to meet our nationality requirements but still not be legally entitled to work in the UK. If this applies to you, we won’tbe able to offer you a job at HM Treasury even if your application is successful. You can find information on the UK immigration system here and we strongly recommend that you clarify your legal right to work in the UK before applying. It’s your responsibility to determine whether and how you’re affected by immigration regulations. HM Treasury cannot advise on or enter into correspondence about individual cases.
For this programme, HM Treasury is not able to sponsor Tier 2 visas and unfortunately due to the nature and requirements of the Policy Adviser role we are also unable to accept those with a Tier 4 (Student) visa due to the restrictions that would be placed on your employment.
In all cases, employment will depend on your continuing right to live and work in the UK. Your employment will be terminated if that right expires.
You should ensure you’re aware of changes to the immigration rules that may affect you. Our policy may change in response to any changes to the legal basis on which employment in the Civil Service rests. If you’re affected by changes to the UK immigration system during the application process, we’ll contact you, if successful, to discuss your status. Such cases will be assessed on an individual basis, but any offer of employment will depend on the legislation in force at the time.
Please also note that the HM Treasury selection process requires you to be physically present in the UK on at least one occasion. If you travel to the UK to attend the selection process, HM Treasury cannot reimburse any travel expenses from abroad.
More information about UK residency and security checks
HM Treasury requires all staff to be security cleared. For meaningful checks to be carried out, applicants will normally need to have lived in the UK for at least three out of the last five years and have a UK address.
Having lived abroad for more than two out of the last five years isn’t always a bar to a security clearance, for example if you’ve served overseas with HM Forces or in some other official capacity as a representative of Her Majesty’s Government. However, HM Treasury will need information about where you’ve been living during the last five years, so please provide all the information requested on the application form.
There are two stages of security checks that you’ll have to pass:
- We’ll do an initial screen after you submit your application but before invitations are issued for the assessment centre, to assess whether you’re likely to meet the criteria for security clearance. If you don’t meet the criteria, we’ll let you know that your application can’t proceed for this reason.
- After making a verbal job offer, full pre-employment and security clearance checks will commence to ensure you are eligible to join HM Treasury and that you’re suitable for employment as a civil servant.
You’ll be asked the following:
- Verify your identity
- Provide evidence to account for your whereabouts during the last 3 years.
- Complete an online security clearance application.
All job offers are conditional on obtaining security clearance and passing the initial screen (point one) isn’t a guarantee that security clearance will be granted. We’ll give you more information about these and other necessary checks if your application is successful.
Security-related eligibility is considered on a case by case basis.
