The Global Business Mobility visa is intended for individuals employed by an international business that has a connection with their UK sponsor. This includes senior or skilled employees, trainees, expansion workers, service providers, independent professionals, and secondment workers.
This global business mobility visa offers sponsored routes for foreign businesses that want to set up operations in the UK or transfer employees for specific business reasons.
To obtain a Global Business Mobility visa, an applicant must be sponsored by a Home Office-approved employer who is authorized to sponsor their category of worker. There are five subcategories within this visa, and each requires a valid Certificate of Sponsorship.
Global Business Mobility visa routes
Five separate global business mobility routes are:
- Senior or Specialist Worker route
- Graduate Trainee route
- UK Expansion Worker route
- Service Supplier route
- Secondment Worker route
Each route has specific eligibility requirements that applicants must meet, such as financial criteria and providing a valid tuberculosis certificate if applicable. Below we will provide a detailed overview of the specific requirements for each route.
Senior or Specialist Worker route
The Senior or Specialist Worker route is meant for senior managers and specialized employees who are being assigned to a UK business connected to their foreign employer. This route enables them to take up a temporary assignment in the UK.
In order to qualify for this particular route, applicants must meet the following requirements. To be eligible for employment with the sponsor group in the UK, you must have worked for the group outside the UK for at least 12 months, unless you earn a gross salary of £73,900 or more per year. As a Senior or Specialist Worker, you will need a valid Certificate of Sponsorship from an employer authorized by the UK Home Office, and the employer must have paid the Immigration Skills Charge in full. The job you are applying for must meet the minimum skill level requirement and have an annual salary of at least £42,400 until April 11, 2024, or £45,800 from April 12, 2024. However, if the ‘going rate’ for the job is higher, that salary will be required instead.
Once the applicant is approved, they will be given permission to work for a duration of either 5 years from the job’s start date listed on their Certificate of Sponsorship, 14 days after the job ends, or until they have worked a total of 5 years in any 6-year period on either the Global Business Mobility or Intra-Company routes. High earners can apply for up to 9 years in any 10-year period. The shortest duration will be granted.
Graduate Trainee route
The Graduate Trainee program is designed for international employees enrolled in a graduate training program that leads to a senior management or specialist position. Their employer requires them to complete a work placement in the UK. This route has replaced the Intra-Company Graduate Trainee program.
To qualify for the Graduate Trainee program in the UK, applicants must have worked for the sponsor group outside the UK for at least 3 months prior to applying. They must also have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship for a job that meets the minimum skill level and pays a salary of at least £23,100 per year (or £24,220 from 12 April 2024) or the going rate for the job, whichever is higher. Additionally, the job must offer clear progression towards a managerial or specialist role within the sponsor organization as part of a structured graduate training program.
Once approved, permission will be given for either one year from the job start date specified in the Certificate of Sponsorship, 14 days after the job’s end date, or the date when the applicant has had cumulative permission on both the Global Business Mobility and Intra-Company routes for five years out of a six-year period—whichever is the briefest.
UK Expansion Worker route
The UK Expansion Worker route is designed for foreign workers who are interested in doing temporary work in the UK. The job roles available are for senior managers or specialized employees who are being sent to the UK to help expand the business. This route has taken over the Representative of an Overseas Business route and is only applicable when the business has not yet commenced trading in the UK. If the business already has a presence in the UK, then workers should apply through the Senior or Specialist Worker route.
To qualify for this specific route, an applicant must meet the following criteria: they must currently be working for the sponsor group and have worked for that group outside the UK for a minimum of 12 months (unless they are a high earner or are an Australian or Japanese national seeking to establish a UK branch or subsidiary under the UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement). Additionally, they must have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship for the job they are proposing to do, issued by a UK Home Office authorized employer. The job must be at or above an appropriate minimum skill level, with a salary of at least £42,400 per year until 11 April 2024 or £45,800 from 12 April 2024, or the ‘going rate’ for the job, whichever is higher.
Once approved, permission will be granted for the shortest of the following periods: 1 year after the start date of the job specified in the Certificate of Sponsorship, 14 days after the job’s end date, when the applicant has had continuous permission as a UK Expansion Worker for 2 years, or when the applicant has had cumulative permission on the Global Business Mobility routes for 5 years within any 6-year period.
Service Supplier route
If you are an overseas service provider or an independent professional based overseas and looking to provide temporary services covered by a UK international trade agreement, the Service Supplier route is for you. This route has replaced the previous provisions for contractual service suppliers and independent professionals under the Temporary Work – International Agreement route.
In order to qualify for this particular route, an individual must meet the following criteria: they must currently work for or as an overseas service provider that will be providing services to a UK sponsor, and must have worked in that capacity outside of the UK for a total of 12 months. Additionally, they must possess a valid Certificate of Sponsorship for the job they are proposing to do, which must be issued by an employer authorized by the UK Home Office to sponsor a Service Supplier and who has a relevant Home Office registered contract with an overseas service provider. The individual must also have sponsorship for a job that is eligible and at or above the appropriate minimum skill level, or alternatively, hold a university degree or equivalent technical qualification and experience. Lastly, the individual must meet the nationality requirement for a Service Supplier.
Once approved, permission will be granted for either 14 days after the job’s end date specified in the Certificate of Sponsorship, or when the applicant has been granted cumulative permission on the Global Business Mobility and Intra-Company routes for a total of 5 years within a 6-year period, or when the applicant has reached the maximum assignment period of either 6 or 12 months (whichever is shorter).
Secondment Worker route
The Secondment Worker route is available for foreign workers who wish to take on short-term projects in the UK. This option is intended for workers who are being sent to the UK by their overseas employer as part of a valuable contract or investment.
In order to qualify for this particular route, the applicant must meet the following criteria: they must currently be employed by a foreign company that has a Home Office approved contract with a UK sponsor, and have worked outside of the UK for a total of 12 months or more. Additionally, they must have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship for the specific job they are proposing to do, which must be issued by an employer authorized by the UK Home Office to sponsor a Secondment Worker, and who has a Home Office approved contract with the overseas business where the applicant will be working. Lastly, the applicant must have sponsorship for a job that meets or exceeds a certain minimum skill level.
Once approved, permission will be granted for the shortest duration of either: 1 year after the start date of the job indicated in the Certificate of Sponsorship; 14 days after the job’s end date; 2 years of continuous permission as a Secondment Worker; or 5 years of cumulative permission on the Global Business Mobility and Intra-Company routes within any 6-year period.
