The Global Mobility visa is your business’ chance to set up a branch in the UK if it hasn’t done so already or run a branch already in the UK.
As with any visa, attaining a Global Mobility visa requires you to prove to British visa authorities that you fit the stringent requirements. Get assistance from immigration services like Immigration Advice Service to improve your chances of success.
What is the Global Mobility Visa?
The Global Mobility visa opened in April 2022 to help businesses with intra-company transfer (ICT) into the UK for the purpose of starting to trade in the country or to run your existing operations. In most cases, you will need to give workers applying for the visa a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) for their application to be successful.
The UK Expansion Worker visa was established to gather multiple visas relating to bringing workers to the UK to start trading under a single umbrella. As such, the visa has five primary Global Business Mobility routes, meaning it applies to multiple different use cases for your business. You will need to select the correct route when applying for the visa. These routes are as follows:
- Senior or Specialist Worker visa.
- Graduate Trainee visa.
- UK Expansion Worker visa.
- Secondment Worker visa.
- Service Supplier visa.
Each of these routes applies to different circumstances and comes with differing requirements. The sections below unpack everything your business needs to know about each of the routes.
Senior or Specialist Worker Visa
This visa route is for your business’ highest-value workers to enhance your operations in the UK. It will allow them to remain in the UK for five years or nine years, depending on how much they will earn while in the role.
As there is an expectation that those coming to the UK under the Senior or Specialist Worker visa will be particularly highly qualified or experienced, there are high requirements relating to the required salary. Prior to coming to the UK, the applicant must have worked for the company for at least 12 months, or earn a salary over £73,900. Once in the UK, they must earn £48,4500 or the ‘going rate’ for the role or industry, whichever is higher.
Graduate Trainee Visa
At the other end of the experience spectrum is the Graduate Trainee visa, which your business can use to bring new graduate employees into the UK for training purposes. This is usually for a traineeship in management or specialist roles. The initial eligibility is usually 12 months, but it can be extended to up to five years in any six-year period.
The Graduate Trainee visa can support your business to bring up-and-coming but low-wage workers to the UK. This is because the minimum income requirement is just £25,410.
UK Expansion Worker Visa
In 2024, the UK had the highest gross domestic product (GDP) in Europe, surpassed only by Germany. This means that many international businesses want to start operations in Britain. The UK Expansion Worker visa is designed with this purpose in mind. It allows you to bring pre-existing workers to the UK to start trading there.
Like the Senior or Specialist worker visa, the UK Expansion Worker visa is targeted at the highly skilled and experienced with the same salary requirements. The only difference is that the applicant does not need to have been working for the company for over 12 months if it is a Japanese company.
Secondment Worker Visa
International companies may place their workers in secondment to the UK if they have a high-value contract in the country but no permanent branch there. This can be a great way for your business to start operating in the UK without requiring hefty start-up costs or a permanent headquarters.
As such, the main requirement is on the contract rather than the worker. It must be worth at least £50 million.
Service Supplier Visa
The final route for the Global Mobility visa is similar to the Secondment Worker visa. It allows your employees, or self-employed professionals working for your business, to come to the UK. This applies if they are carrying out services covered by a UK international trade agreement.
Applying for a Global Mobility Visa
Regardless of what Global Mobility visa route you pursue, your workers will need to make their applications online via the UK government website. Here, they can submit their application form and supporting documents. Your business or the applicant must also pay the application fee, ranging from £298 to £1,636 depending on the route, alongside the standard £1,035 immigration healthcare surcharge.
The applicant will then need to prove their identity by supplying their biometric information. This can be done by making an appointment at a visa application centre or by using the UK Immigration: ID Check app so that fingerprints and a biometric photograph can be taken.
Once this application process has been completed, you will need to wait for the processing time. This is usually three weeks for applications outside the UK or eight weeks inside the UK. Please note that the processing time can be substantially longer if the immigration authorities are dealing with a backlog or there are issues with the application.
How Can IAS Help?
The fact there are multiple types of Global Mobility visas, each with different purposes and application requirements, presents a complexity that some businesses struggle to understand. This can cause them to have applications rejected or apply for the wrong route.
Many international businesses get help from immigration lawyers and advisers, such as the Immigration Advice Service. Their expert team can help you understand which route is right for your team and guide you through the application process as quickly as possible, helping you rapidly gain all the benefits of the Global Mobility visa.
