• Recent graduates, especially those who gained their degrees in the United Kingdom, would not normally qualify.
• Postgraduate researchers entering the United Kingdom to study for an accredited United Kingdom academic qualification (rather than for the purpose of academic research work that does not lead to a UK academic qualification) should enter as students if they meet the relevant requirements of the Immigration Rules. If they do not meet the student rules then they will need to meet the requirements of Tier 2 of the Points Based System.
• Lecturers : A person who wishes to come to the United Kingdom solely to undertake a series of lectures for which they will receive a fee will normally be required to seek entry under Tier 2 of the Points Based System. Academics may, however, be eligible to enter as a mainstream business visitor for a maximum of 6 months if they are coming to participate in a conference or seminar where it is a single or occasional event, and the event is not a commercial venture.
• Those who are on sabbatical leave from private research companies are not eligible for leave under the academic visitor provisions.
• Sponsored researchers : A sponsored researcher is a person who wishes to come to the UK to lead or to take part in any formal research project. Formal research projects are those hosted but not necessarily funded by a UK research institution including universities, non-commercial research organisations, charitable organisations and national research councils (such as the Medical Research Council). The sponsored researcher fills a research post and works under the full or partial control of the institution, which will itself benefit from the research. Sponsored researchers can be funded from sources in the UK or overseas.

Sponsored researchers should enter the UK under the Tier 5, Government Authorised Exchange, of the Points Based System. However those academics who want to come to the UK simply to share knowledge or experience or to hold informal discussions with their UK counterparts may qualify as an academic under the Business Visitors route. This category may also be suitable for those  who intend to conduct research for their own private purposes - such as to do research for a book - and are funded from a UK source (some fellowships exist to facilitate such research).