Global Business Mobility Routes

The combined category of five distinct routes known as “Global Business Mobility” provides opportunities for foreign companies to deploy employees to the UK on a temporary basis or to establish a commercial presence in the UK.

These immigration categories require the UK-based entity to apply for a sponsor licence before it can sponsor workers.

There is no pathway to UK settlement from any of the categories of Global Business Mobility. There is a time restriction with any visa granted under any of the five route. Workers may, however, change their immigration status while still in the UK to become skilled workers or to fall under another category that grants them indefinite leave of remain (settlement/permanent residence).

The five visa categories are :

UK Expansion Worker Route

Through this procedure, foreign businesses can establish a trading presence in the United Kingdom. This is the only route that necessitates the foreign company to act as the seconded employee’s sponsor. In addition, the employee who was seconded might be designated as the Authorising Officer, a Level 1 user of the Sponsor Management system, and could issue sponsorship certificates for themselves and up to four colleagues on the same route.

The general requirements are as follows :

• The overseas business must be trading for at least 3 years or registered on the stock exchange. Please note there are exceptions.
• There must be a sponsorship licence in place for the UK employer to then issue a certificate of sponsorship.
• With the job you will do in the UK, the job must be on the Home Office Appendix Skilled Occupations list and you must be offered the relevant salary for your UK job
• You would need to have worked for the overseas company for at least 12 months OR if it is for a shorter period then his salary needs to be at least £73,900.00 gross salary per year
• You will be given the responsibility of opening the UK branch and leading the operations

The visa is granted for one year, this is renewable for another year. This route does not lead to settlement in the UK. Once the UK company is established, it can apply for a Skilled Worker sponsorship licence and transfer their Expansion Workers onto this route.

Senior or Specialist Worker Route

Through the Senior or Specialist Worker route, a senior or specialist employee of the overseas branch may be sponsored by the UK branch of the firm to serve a temporary assignment in the UK.

Unless they are high earners with an annual salary of at least £73,900, the sponsored worker must have worked for the sponsor or a connected foreign business for at least 12 months prior to the date of application in order to be eligible for this type of visa.

For this route, the general wage threshold is £45,800 annually. The work must be at RQF level 6 and fall under one of the skilled occupations listed in Appendix A of the Immigration Rules. In addition to the sponsored task, the employee is not permitted to take up any other jobs.

The Senior or Specialist worker’s UK sponsor pays £199 to assign the worker a certificate of sponsorship in addition to the Immigration Skills Charge, which is £1000 for large businesses and £364 for small and medium-sized businesses annually.

A visa for a senior or specialist worker may be issued for a maximum of five years. It can be extended to a total of nine years for high-income earners.

UK Service Supplier Visa

Service suppliers are described as independent contractors based abroad or contractual service providers hired by a foreign company.

In accordance with the rules, the general requirements are for Applicants to:

• Possess a sponsorship certificate from a company allowed to operate in this category, stating that they will receive at least the minimum pay in the country
• Possess a university degree or a comparable technical qualification, with certain restrictions, or be employed in a profession that is eligible for the GBM pathways under Appendix Skilled Occupations;
• Possess a minimum of 12 months of cumulative work experience outside of the UK when employed as or for the foreign service provider at the time of application;
• Typically have a minimum of three years’ worth of professional experience in the field in which they will be employed
• Fulfil specific conditions pertaining to being a citizen or long-term resident of the country in which they are based in

 

The visa is granted for a period of up to 6 or 12 months depending on the nature of the contract as a longer period is granted if the contract is covered under the UK-EU Trade Cooperation Agreement or the Swiss Agreement.

Secondment Worker

An additional means of obtaining services from abroad is through the employment of secondment workers. If a contract satisfies the financial scale requirements—that is, it must be valued at least £10 million annually and not less than £50 million overall—it falls into this category even if it is not covered by an international trade agreement.

Similar to the Service Supplier route, the Home Office must approve each contract.

For the employees covered under the Secondment Worker route, there are no residency or nationality requirements.

The same requirements for skill levels apply to secondment workers. A technical qualification or a university degree authorised for the proposed occupation is required, or the job must be included in Appendix Skilled Occupations.

A secondment worker visa can be granted for up to 1 year and can be extended to a maximum continuous period of two years.

Graduate Trainee Route

The UK company may give sponsorship to a worker in the Graduate Trainee category if the person is enrolled in a structured graduate training programme that will lead to a senior management or specialty role within a linked foreign business.

The minimum salary threshold is £24,220 per year and there is an applicable going rate for the occupation code which applies at 70% of the standard rate where it is above the general threshold.

The duration of a Graduate Trainee visa is up to one year. The duration of time spent in the UK as a Graduate Trainee contributes to the total maximum period allowed by the Global Business Mobility routes.

If the graduate trainee wants to stay in the UK and work for the same sponsor, they can switch to the skilled worker path in the UK.

There is no Immigration Skills fee associated with this method; instead, the business, or sponsor, covers the cost of providing the Graduate Trainee with a certificate of sponsorship.

The Applicant must have worked consistently for the foreign company for at least three months prior to the application date in order to be eligible for the Graduate Trainee visa. In the UK, work completed on behalf of the employer is not eligible.

 

If you wish to apply for any of the above visa applications, please contact us via phone/email/online form or chat with us to discuss your case.