The Global Business Mobility visa category is a sponsored route for businesses seeking to either establish a presence in the UK or to transfer staff to the UK.

There are 5 separate global business mobility routes:

Senior or Specialist Worker route

(Replaces the Intra-Company Transfer route)

The Senior or Specialist Worker route is for senior managers or specialist employees being temporarily assigned to the UK.

UK Expansion Worker route

(Replaces the Representative of an Overseas Business)

The UK Expansion worker route is for senior managers or specialist employees who are being assigned to the UK for the organisation’s expansion.

 Graduate Trainee route

The Graduate Trainee route is for overseas workers who are on a graduate training course leading to a senior management or specialist position and they are being temporarily assigned to the UK.

Service Supplier route

The Service Supplier route is for overseas workers who are contractual service suppliers employed by an overseas service provider, or self-employed independent professionals based overseas, who need to be in the UK to provide services covered by one of the UK’s international trade commitments.

Secondment Worker route

The Secondment Worker visa is for overseas workers who will be temporarily seconded to the UK by their overseas employer as part of a high value contract or investment.

A migrant worker will need to be sponsored by a business that has the requisite Global Business Mobility sponsor licence.

Each global business mobility visa route has its own eligibility requirements that need to be met for a visa to be granted. The following are the general requirements:

Sponsorship

The applicant must have a valid certificate of sponsorship for the job they are

planning to do. The business sponsoring the applicant should hold a valid Global Business Mobility sponsor licence for the route they are sponsoring the applicant in.

Overseas Work

The applicant must be applying to work for the sponsor or a business linked to the sponsor and they must have a required amount of experience working for that business outside the UK for 12 months (unless a Graduate Trainee, Secondment Worker or high earner being paid a salary of £73,900 or more per year).

Appropriate level of skill and salary

The applicant should be sponsored to carry out a job at the appropriate skill level and should receive a salary at the appropriate level as follows:

Financial Requirement

You must also satisfy the financial requirement by showing funds of at least £1,270 for a 28-day period, unless the applicant is applying for permission to stay and has lawfully been in the UK for 12 months at the date of application.

How long will the Global Business Mobility visa be granted for?

The length of your stay the applicant will be granted varies between the Global Business Mobility visa sub-categories

Can the Global Business Mobility visa be extended?

The Global Business Mobility visa is for overseas workers undertaking temporary work assignments in the UK. However an applicant can still extend their visa from within the UK up to the maximum length of time permitted under each route.

None of these routes lead directly to settlement however applicants can switch into a different category provided they meet the requirements of other visa routes.

What happens if the application for a Global Business Mobility Visa is refused?

You may be able to challenge the decision by Administrative Review. See Challenge a Home Office decision.