International relocation payments
Updated 5 June 2025
Applies to England
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-relocation-payments/international-relocation-payments
End of the international relocation payment (IRP) pilot
The 2-year IRP pilot which ran from 1 September 2023 to 31 May 2025 has ended and will not be extended.
No new applications will be accepted for teachers starting a qualifying teaching role in England from 1 June 2025.
If you are a teacher who started a qualifying role between 1 March 2024 and 31 May 2025, you must apply for your first instalment of IRP before the window closes on 30 June 2025.
Teachers who have received their first instalment will still be able to apply for their second instalment from September 2025.
The IRP application window that will be open from September 2025 to June 2026 will only be open to teachers who both:
- are applying for their second £5,000 payment
- have already applied for and received their initial first year £5,000 payment
If you have questions about this change or you miss the application window, email international.relocationpayment@education.gov.uk.
The IRP is worth a total of £10,000 and is available to eligible non-UK teachers of languages and physics.
The payment is designed to cover:
- the costs of visas
- the immigration health surcharge
- other relocation expenses
The IRP offers financial support to teachers from all over the world who wish to come and work in English schools. It will not need to be repaid.
We are running the IRP as a pilot in the 2023 to 2024 and 2024 to 2025 academic years.
Eligibility
To be eligible, teachers must:
- be employed to teach physics or languages in an English state school
- be coming to England to work in the 2023 to 2024 or 2024 to 2025 academic years
- have moved to the UK no more than 3 months before the start of their job
Check Get into Teaching for full details of the eligibility requirements for teachers.
How teachers will be paid
Teachers can apply for the IRP by visiting Get into Teaching.
Eligible teachers who apply from September 2024 and those who start their teaching job in the 2024 to 2025 academic year will receive two payments of £5,000 each.
Teachers can apply for the first payment at the start of their first year of employment and the second at the start of their second year.
Employment and immigration checks
Before any payments are released, DfE will:
- work with the Home Office to check all visa and immigration requirements
- contact the employing school of teachers who have applied to check their:
- employment status
- teaching subject
Contact us
If you have questions about the IRP, email international.relocationpayment@education.gov.uk.