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Business Visa

Business Visas - Global Business Mobility Visas

The Global Business Mobility visas are a combined category of five sponsored work routes for overseas businesses looking to establish, develop, or support UK-based operations.

The Global Business Mobility visas replace, iterate, and expands on previous UK business visas, to allow non-UK organisations to deploy certain personnel to the UK on a temporary basis.

The main purpose of the new Global Business Mobility visa scheme is to make it easier for organisations outside the UK to do business here.

What are the sub-categories of the Global Business Mobility route?

i. Senior or Specialist Worker Visa

This route replaces the previous Intra-Company Transfer route closed on 11 April 2022. This route is aimed at senior managers and specialist employees who will be undertaking a temporary work assignment in the UK.

The worker will need to be working for an overseas company that is linked by common ownership or control with the UK company holding a Sponsor Licence – this link must be approved by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) before applying under this category. At the time of the application, the worker must be working for the overseas company for at least 12 months unless they are a ‘high earner’ i.e. those earning at least £73,900 or above per annum.

In order to qualify for a Senior or Specialist Worker visa, the worker must score a total of 60 points – the Certificate of Sponsorship must confirm the job they will be sponsored for, and the role must be eligible for sponsorship under Appendix Skilled Occupation. The individual must be paid a salary of at least £45,800 or the going rate for the occupation, which is higher.

The maximum time allowed on the Global Business Mobility – Senior or Specialist Worker route will be 5 years in any 6 years. Individuals are not required to satisfy the English language requirement. This route does not lead to settlement however individuals may be permitted to switch to a visa category that does lead to settlement should they meet the criteria.

ii. Graduate Trainee Visa

This route is aimed at workers who are being transferred to the UK by their overseas employer as part of a structured graduate training programme which will eventually lead to a managerial or specialist role within the organisation. As with the Senior or Specialist Worker visa, the overseas company must be linked by common ownership or control to the UK company and this must be approved by UKVI, either at the time the licence was approved or at a later date.

The individual must be an existing employee of the overseas company and has worked for the sponsor outside the UK for at least 3 months immediately before the application date. The individual needs to have a Certificate of Sponsorship which confirms the individual work in a job that is on the list of eligible occupations and will be paid at least £ 24,220 per year.

Individuals are not required to satisfy the English language requirement. Successful applicants will be issued with a 12-month visa.

iii. UK Expansion Worker Visa

A UK Expansion Worker visa allows one to come to the UK to set up a branch of an overseas business that has not started trading in the UK yet.

The individual must already work for the overseas business as either a senior manager or specialist employee.

An individual needs to have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship from his/her employer, has worked at least 12 months for the employer outside the UK before the application date, unless the applicant earns £73,900 a year or more, or the individual a Japanese national working for a Japanese company that is expanding to the UK.

The applicant needs to be paid at least £45,800 per year or the ‘going rate’ for his/her job – whichever is higher.

The UK Expansion Worker visa will allow the individual to stay in the UK for either 12 months or the period given on their certificate of sponsorship plus 14 days, whichever is shorter. The individual may extend their visa by another 12 months if necessary, though the maximum time the individual can spend on this visa is 2 years.

iv. Service Supplier Visa

A Service Supplier visa allows employees of overseas companies or self-employed professionals to come to the UK and carry out services covered by a UK international trade agreement.

In order to be eligible for this visa, the applicant must have a valid certificate of sponsorship from the UK-based organisation that’s a registered sponsor authorised by the Home Office and be an employee of an overseas business, or a self-employed service provider based overseas who is providing a service under a contract that is covered by a valid international trade agreement. The individual must have been working for their employer outside the UK for at least 12 months, or have at least 12 months of professional experience if self-employed and work an eligible job with an appropriate occupation code, or prove that the individual has relevant qualifications or experience.

The UK Service Supplier visa will allow you to stay in the UK for either 6 months or 12 months, or the period given on your certificate of sponsorship plus 14 days, whichever of these is shorter.

v. Secondment Worker Visa

The UK Secondment Worker Visa allows overseas businesses to transfer staff to work in a different company in the UK to fulfill a high-value contract.

To be eligible for a Secondment Worker visa, the individual must be an existing employee of an overseas organisation that has a high-value contract with their UK sponsor that has been approved by the Home Office and has worked for your overseas employer for at least 12 months outside the UK. The individual needs to have a Certificate of Sponsorship from the sponsor with information about the work you will do in the UK. The job of the individual must be a job in the UK that’s on the list of eligible occupations.

An individual can stay in the UK with a Secondment Worker visa for whichever is shorter of:

12 months after the start date of the job detailed in your certificate of sponsorship or the time given on your certificate of sponsorship plus 14 days. If the worker wants to stay longer in the UK, the worker can extend the visa by 12 months. The maximum time a worker can stay in the UK on a Secondment Worker visa is 2 years.

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