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The UK has recently introduced a new Business Immigration route which replaces and supersedes some of the previous categories, including Sole Representative of an Oversee Business and Intra Company Transfer (ICT).
From April 11, 2022, Global Business Mobility has been implemented, consisting of five subcategories. It is the perfect route for business immigration.
The recently revised Immigration Rules have differing requirements for individuals depending on their tasks. This could encompass;
The Global Business Mobility – UK Expansion Worker Visa is the ideal solution for international companies that wish to temporarily assign key personnel or specialists to the UK for expansion purposes. Companies may send up to 5 individuals at once.
Suppose the UK-based business has already established operations. In that case, you should consider applying for a Global Business Mobility – Senior or Specialist Worker Visa instead of utilising the UK Expansion Worker route. However, this route is ideal if the business has not entered trading activities.
The Global Business Mobility – UK Expansion Worker Visa does not facilitate permanent residence in the UK. However, it is possible to switch to another immigration pathway that allows for permanent settlement. Family members such as partners and children of the applicant may be eligible to join them.
To successfully obtain a Global Business Mobility – UK Expansion Worker Visa, applicants must demonstrate to UK Visas and Immigration that they meet specific criteria;
Should your application for the UK Expansion Worker Visa be successful, you’ll receive entry clearance for either 14 days longer than the job start date in your Certificate of Sponsorship or for a period of 1 year starting from the date mentioned in your Certificate of Sponsorship, whichever is shorter.
The UK Expansion Worker Visa allows foreign nationals to stay in the UK for up to 2 years. To extend their visa, they can apply for a 12 months extension if they need to stay longer.
The Global Business Mobility Visa: UK Expansion Worker Visa does not provide a path to permanent residence in the UK. It is designed for those seeking short-term employment opportunities in the country. Suppose you have already arrived in the UK. In that case, you may be able to switch to another immigration path which leads to settlement opportunities, including the Skilled Worker Scheme and a combination of the Startup & Innovator routes.
To extend your immigration status, you must fulfil the criteria of the immigration route you desire. All main immigration routes and their corresponding settlement opportunities are provided on our website for reference.
Under the UK Expansion Worker Visa, those with Global Business Mobility have the privilege of being accompanied by an adult partner over 18 and dependent children under 18.
Regardless of size, UK businesses can now take advantage of the Global Business Mobility program, so long as they have existing trading activities overseas and a visible connection to a UK-based company.
To have an official Global Business Mobility sponsor licence, the UK firm offering employment to the worker must fulfil certain conditions. These include:
(UK Expansion Worker sponsor), the UK business must provide credible evidence that it intends and can establish a new UK branch or a wholly-owned subsidiary of an established overseas business. The overseas company must typically have been trading overseas for at least 3 years (although there are some exceptions to this requirement).
Businesses that wish to apply for a UK Expansion Worker sponsor licence must have a UK footprint rather than a trading presence. This means that they should be able to provide evidence of either a UK premises or Companies House Registration, but they should not yet have begun trading in the UK.
The overseas business must also satisfy the Home Office to expand into the UK successfully. It must provide a credible business plan for expansion and demonstrate that it can finance it. The Home Office will typically expect the overseas business to be stable or growing, undertaking preparatory work towards expansion plans.
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The Senior or Specialist Worker (SSW) strand of the GBM routes reforms and replaces the Intra-Company Transferee (ICT) route. It is designed for senior managers and specialist employees of an international group business who are being transferred to one of the group’s UK businesses.
Many of the ICT route elements are carried over from ICT, including that the minimum skill level is Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) Level 6 (graduate level equivalent) and that there is no English language requirement. SSWs must be working for the sponsor group at the time of application and have worked for the group abroad for at least 12 months unless they are a high earner.
Although applicants under these codes can extend their stay under transitional arrangements, new applicants must use either the Skilled Worker or Temporary Work – Creative Worker routes instead. This will require their sponsor to have a sponsor licence under the relevant route.
The maximum grant of immigration permission under this strand is five years after the start date of the UK assignment and is subject to the overall maximum grant periods for the GBM routes.
The new Graduate Trainee provisions reform and replace the Intra-Company Transfer Graduate Trainee route for work placements in the UK as part of a graduate training course leading to a senior management or specialist position within an international business. The minimum salary requirement is raised from £23,000 to £23,100. The salary must also be above 70% of the going rate for the relevant occupation, and the occupation must be listed as an eligible occupation for the GBM routes.
Graduate Trainees must have worked for the sponsor group for at least three months immediately before the date of application.
The maximum grant of immigration permission under this strand is one year after the start date of the UK assignment and is subject to the overall maximum grant periods for the GBM routes.
This strand reforms the Temporary Work – International Agreement provisions for service suppliers coming to the UK to provide services in line with one of the international trade agreements the UK is a party.
‘Service suppliers’ are contractual service suppliers employed by an overseas business or self-employed independent professionals based overseas.
Under the new provisions, applicants must:
Immigration permission under this strand will be granted for up to 12 months if the relevant international agreement being relied on is the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement or the UK-Swiss trade agreement, or up to six months in all other cases.
The Secondment Worker strand covers individuals being seconded to the UK as part of a ‘high-value contract or investment by their overseas employer’.
Sponsorship must be provided by the UK business involved in the transaction, and the relevant contract must be registered with the Home Office. It is anticipated that the Home Office will assess the value of the contract at that stage.
A secondment worker also must:
Immigration permission may be granted for up to one year initially and extended up to a maximum of two years.
Dependants may accompany Secondment Workers, whereas the dependants of secondee visitors were previously granted leave outside the Immigration Rules.
The secondee visitor provisions currently covering secondees from clients of UK export companies are not deleted under the Statement of Changes. So, for the time being, these are still available for use where they are met.
