Global Business Mobility Visas
Overview
The following new Global Business Mobility visas opened in the UK on 11th April 2022:
- Senior or Specialist Worker route
- Graduate Trainee route
- UK Expansion Worker route
- Service Supplier Worker route
- Secondment Worker route
On 30th May 2022 the High Potential Individual visa route will open.
On 22nd August 2022 the Scale-up visa route will open.
What are the requirements for the Global Business Mobility routes?
Each of the Global Business Mobility visas will allow businesses operating outside of the UK to temporarily bring staff to work in the UK to do a role that cannot be done by a British or settled person.
Applicants must be sponsored by a company that has a UK sponsor licence. To prove this, the applicant will be issued a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) and will need to provide this as part of their application.
For each Global Business Mobility visa route, the following requirements must be met:
- The applicant worker must be an existing employee of the sponsoring organisation.
- The employee must work in a job role that is listed on the Home Office list of approved occupations.
- The applicant must earn the appropriate required salary for the job.
- Applicants will need to show that they have funds of at least £1,270 that they have kept in their bank account for at least 28 days (unless the applicant has already been in the UK with leave for 12 months).
Here are the specific requirements in outline for each visa route under the Global Business Mobility scheme:
Senior or Specialist Worker route
This route has replaced the intra-company transfer or ICT visa and is for people who work overseas as senior managers or specialist employees and are to be assigned to a linked entity in the UK. Individuals can stay in the UK for up to 5 years on this visa (unless they are a ‘high earner’ earning at least £73,900 a year in which case they can stay of a maximum of 9 years in any 10 years).
- The worker must have worked overseas for their employer for at least 12 months continuously, unless they are a ‘high earner’.
- The role must be in a ‘skilled’ occupation, i.e. at least RQF level 6.
- Applicants must earn an annual salary of at least £42,400 and the going rate for the applicable occupation code.
There is no English language requirement. Applicants can bring dependent family members.
Graduate Trainee route
This route has replaced the intra-company transfer – graduate trainee or ICT visa and is for overseas workers that are temporarily in the UK for a graduate training course that includes a UK based placement. The course must lead to a senior management or specialist role within the sponsor company. Individuals can stay in the UK for up to 12 months on this visa. There is no English language requirement. Applicants can bring dependent family members.
- The applicant must have worked for the sponsoring employer overseas for a minimum of 3 months before making the visa application.
- The role must be in a ‘skilled’ occupation, i.e. at least RQF level 6.
- Graduate workers must earn a salary of at least £23,100 per year and at least 70% of the “going rate” for the appropriate occupational code.
- If the applicant is a health or education worker, the salary requirement is 100% of the going rate for the applicable occupation code.
To calculate 70% of the “going rate” for a particular occupational code, you must do the following calculation:
0.7 x (the suggested salary for the occupation known as the “going rate”) x (the number of weekly working hours that are required by the sponsor) ÷ 39
To calculate 100% of the “going rate” for a particular occupational code, you must do the following calculation:
1 x (the suggested salary for the occupation known as the “going rate”) x (the number of weekly working hours that are required by the sponsor) ÷ 39
UK Expansion Worker route
This route has replaced the Sole Representative visa and is for overseas senior managers or specialist workers that work for a company that has not yet started trading in the UK. Up to five workers may be assigned to the UK at the same time. The worker must be needed to expand the business to the UK. The maximum stay on this visa is 2 years, when the applicant must either switch into another route, such as Skilled Worker, or leave the UK.
- The worker must have worked overseas for their employer for at least 12 months continuously.
- The role must be in a ‘skilled’ occupation, i.e. at least RQF level 6.
- Expansion workers must earn a salary of at least £42,400 per year and 100% of the going rate for the applicable occupation code.
There is no English language requirement. Applicants can bring dependent family members.
Service Supplier Worker route
This visa is for overseas contractual service suppliers or self-employed independent professionals that are providing services as part of one of the UK’s international trade agreements. The role must be in a ‘skilled’ occupation, i.e. at least RQF level 6 or the applicant must have a university degree and at least three years’ experience. Individuals can stay for 6 months or 12 months depending on the trade agreement. There is no English language requirement. Applicants can bring dependent family members.
Where the role is not at or above RQF level 6, the service supplier worker must have a university degree or equivalent technical qualification unless they are employed by one of the following:
- Fashion and modelling service providers
- Chef de cuisine service providers
- Entertainment services
- Management consulting services and services related to management consulting permitted
- Advertising or translation
- Technical testing and analysis service providers
Servicer suppliers must generally have 3 years of experience in their industry unless they are providing chef de cuisine services or are self-employed, when they will need 6 years of relevant experience.
Secondment Worker route
This route is for overseas workers that have been temporarily seconded to the UK as part of a high-value contract or investment. The role must be in a ‘skilled’ occupation, i.e. at least RQF level 6. There is no salary requirement for this visa and the maximum stay is 2 years. There is no English language requirement. Applicants can bring dependent family members.
High Potential Individual visa
This visa is for people who have graduated from an eligible non-UK university in the last five years and wish to work or seek work in the UK. The visa will be granted for 2 years if the applicant has a Bachelors or Masters or 3 years if they have a PhD.
- Applicants must have a qualification that is equivalent to a UK Bachelors, Masters or PhD from an eligible international university, included in the Global Universities List which was awarded no more than 5-years prior to applying for the visa.
- They must have passed an approved English language test at level B1 CEFR, or otherwise be able to satisfy the English language requirement.
- High potential individuals will need to show that they have funds of at least £1,270 that they have kept in their bank account for at least 28 days (unless the applicant has already been in the UK with leave for 12 months).
Applicants can bring dependent family members. This route does not lead to settlement but applicants can potentially switch into another long term route in the UK.
Scale-up visa
This visa allows high-growth businesses to sponsor highly ‘skilled’ individuals to work for them. The visa will be granted for a period of 2 years initially and can lead to settlement. This route is more flexible than other sponsored routes because it requires individuals to be sponsored for just 6 months and after this time, they can work for other companies unsponsored. In order to work unsponsored, they would first need to make an unsponsored application for leave and show they had earned at least £33,000 a year for at least half of their time already spent in the route.
- Applicants must have a job offer and a Certificate of Sponsorship from a licenced sponsor in the UK and must work for them for at least 6 months.
- The role must be in a ‘skilled’ occupation, i.e. at least RQF level 6.
- Scale-up workers must earn an annual salary of at least £33,000 and the going rate for the occupational code (whichever is higher).
- Workers must have passed an approved English language test at level B1 CEFR, or otherwise be able to satisfy the English language requirement.
- Applicants will need to show that they have at least £1,270 that they have kept in their bank account for a minimum of 28 days (unless the applicant has already been in the UK with leave for 12 months).
Visa fees
All Global Business Mobility visa routes cost £259 for the application fee plus £624 per year for the healthcare surcharge, except the Senior or Specialist Worker visa route which costs from £625 to £1,423 depending on the applicant’s circumstances.The Home Office visa fees for the Scale-up and High Potential Individual visa routes are £715.
This is only a simple outline of the new immigration routes and we would be happy to advise in the circumstances of your case.