There are a lot of changes to the official visa routes and options for any business planning to venture into the UK and set up its own branch. However, you can still find several types of visa applications for a Global Business Mobility visa . The requirements and criteria for eligibility may vary depending on the nature of the worker and the duration of the visa need. Getting the right visa is one of the key factors that enable your business and employees to trade and work in the UK. Therefore, professional legal advice is the right course of action for the UK business immigration process.
Let us guide you through the eligibility requirements of different business visas and an alternate self-sponsor visa in the UK.
What is a Global Business Mobility Visa?
The UK Global Business Mobility visa is for overseas businesses that intend to create a branch or affiliate or transfer employees to the UK. This route was announced on 11 April 2022. The new route merges several existing business visa programs, such as the Intra-Company Transfer (ICT Visa), Intra-Company Graduate Trainee Visa, Representative of an Overseas Business Visa, and the International Agreement Visa .
Certain visas under this new route are for overseas companies that already have an establishment in the UK while others are for overseas companies without any presence in the UK. The purpose of the proposed new scheme is to allow overseas companies to bring their personnel to the UK for a particular company need where that role cannot be done by a worker already present in the UK.
Eligibility Criteria for All Global Business Mobility Visas:
The Global Business Mobility visa provides foreign companies with different opportunities to have either a branch or to transfer employees to the United Kingdom. Since 2022, the Global Business Mobility visa has been launched by forming a multi-category sponsored route that reorganises and extends the capacity of previous business visas. Under this category, the following are the different visa types and their requirements:
1. Senior or Specialist Worker Visa
The Senior or Specialist Worker visa allows senior managers and employees from other countries who have essential specialist skills to work in the UK temporarily. The applicant should be employed by an overseas business or an organisation which is affiliated to the UK business sponsoring him or her, either by share ownership or management control or as a member of a joint venture. This new visa has replaced the previous Intra-Company Transfer Visa (ICT).
Eligibility Requirements for Senior or Specialist Worker Visa:
To be eligible for the Senior or Specialist Worker category, the applicant must work for his/her sponsoring company and must have spent the last 12 months in the UK unless they are paid £73,900 per annum or more. They must have the official Certificate of Sponsorship document from an employer with a license to sponsor them. They must be paid a minimum of £45,800 from 12 April 2023, or the 'going rate' for the profession, as long as it meets the minimum skill level. Successful applicants will get permission to work for up to five years, fourteen days after the job is done or up to five years permission in six years. For high earners, you might also get 9 years within a ten-year period.
2. Graduate Trainee Visa
The Graduate Trainee visa is for overseas workers who want to be transferred by their employer for the purpose of a work placement in the UK as part of graduate training. The training programme should result in a senior managerial or specialist position. This replaced a previous visa type called the Intra-Company Transfer Graduate visa.
Eligibility Requirements for Graduate Trainee Visa:
For one to be eligible for Graduate Trainee, he/she must be an employee of the overseas sponsor and must have worked for them outside the UK for at least 3 consecutive months before applying for the qualification. They require a Certificate of Sponsorship issued by an employer in the UK who holds a Global Business Mobility visa licence. The job must be capable of being done at a minimum skill level and provide a salary of not less than £24,220 (as of 12 April 2023) or the 'market rate' of the role, whichever is higher. The candidate should be part of a progressive graduate training programme for a managerial or technical position.
3. UK Expansion Worker visa
UK Expansion Worker visa replaces the Sole Representative of an Overseas Business Visa and allows workers of businesses that are set up and operating in another country to send an employee to the UK to launch a branch or division. This pathway is for those employees of overseas businesses whose business does not already have trading operations in the United Kingdom.
Eligibility Requirements for UK Expansion Worker Visa:
Any applicant applying for the UK Expansion Worker route needs a valid Certificate of Sponsorship from a licensed sponsor recognised by the UK Home Office. They have to be an employee of that company and must have at least twelve months of overseas employment except for those earning £73,900 per annum in the UK. Japanese nationals setting up UK branches under the UK-Japan CEA are exempt from the 12-month overseas employment rule. The job must be suitable and pay a minimum salary of £42,400 or be equal to the “going rate” of the specified job role.
4. Secondment Worker Visa
A secondment worker visa under the Global Business Mobility visa enables an overseas employer to send a worker to the UK to meet a high-value contract or investment with a UK-sponsored business listed with the home office. Applicants for this type of Global Business Mobility visa must have the skills required for the secondment and have served the overseas business for a minimum of one year or 12 months.
Eligibility Requirements for Secondment Worker Visa:
The first eligibility requirement for this route is that the applicant must be employed by an overseas company that holds the official UK sponsor licence. The applicant must have worked for this company outside the UK for a minimum of 12 months. They should receive their current Certificate of Sponsorship from an employer on the UK Home Office list that sponsors Secondment Workers and holds a contract with the Home Office for the employer's overseas company. Also, the applicant cannot be a candidate for a position that calls for a minimum level of experience or skill.
5. Service Supplier Visa
The Service Supplier visa is aimed at enabling overseas workers to come to the UK for the temporary purpose of work offer if they work for an overseas service supplier or if they are overseas self-employed independent professionals within the service sectors falling under one of the UK's international trade agreements.
Eligibility Requirements for Service Supplier Visa:
For the Service Supplier route, the applicant must be working for or as an overseas service supplier for the UK sponsor for a minimum of 12 years outside the UK at the time of application. They require a Certificate of Sponsorship issued by the UK employer with a Service Supplier sponsor licence, and a valid Home Office registered contract with an overseas service provider.
The Self-Sponsorship Visa Route
Self-sponsorship is a broad term often used to mean a situation where a person acquires a visa or a work permit without being offered by an employer. However, the individual sponsors themselves, in many cases through the creation of the business or investment in a UK business. This self-sponsor visa in the UK can allow businessmen, investors, and other working professionals to obtain a legal permit to live and work in Britain.
It is much more of an advantage for professionals who don't want to depend on the UK employer. It also creates numerous opportunities for high-skilled workers from all around the world to join your business. This visa type is a perfect alternative to the Global Business Mobility Visa because you will have so much control and flexibility in your immigration process to the UK. This visa is also a genuine method of getting permanent residence in the United Kingdom.
Consult an Immigration Professional
Focusing on the above requirements and following them accurately will decide the success of the Global Business Mobility visa application. As a legal immigration firm, AY & J Solicitors offers extensive support throughout your Global Business Mobility visa application and Home Office compliance. We proudly showcase our very high success rate and the speed at which we handle our cases. We are experts in assisting the self-sponsor visa UK for entrepreneurs or business owners who want complete control over their immigration process. We believe in adopting a direct strategy to make sure your application request is approved.
AY & J Solicitors is a specialist immigration law firm with extensive experience with the Global Business Mobility visa. We have an in-depth understanding of immigration law and are professional and results-focused. For assistance with your visa application or any other UK immigration law concerns, please contact us at +44 20 7404 7933. We're here to help!
