Global Business Mobility—Specialist or Senior Worker

Table Of Contents:

1. The Specialist or Senior Worker Category
2. Who Can Apply
3. Eligibility
4. How to apply
5. Documents Required
6. How long can you stay
7. What Can You Do on a Specialist or Senior Worker Visa
8. What You Cannot Do
9. Final Thoughts

The Global Business Mobility route lets overseas firms send their staff to their UK branches. It covers six categories:

• Senior or Specialist Worker
• Graduate Trainee
• Service Supplier
• Secondment Worker
• UK Expansion Worker
• Scale-up Worker

The Specialist or Senior Worker Category

The Senior or Specialist Worker visa allows you to work in the UK for an overseas company’s UK branch. UK global business mobility—the specialist or senior worker route has replaced the old intra-company transfer visa, which was previously known as the Tier 2 (Intra-company Transfer) Long-term Staff visa.

You can apply for an extension of your stay in the UK as a specialist or senior worker if you are already here with an intra-company visa or a Tier 2 (Intra-company Transfer) Long-term Staff visa.

If you had a Tier 2 (Intra-company Transfer) Long-term Staff visa before 6 April 2011

You don’t have to meet any salary requirement if you started your stay in the UK from 6 April 2011 on any of the following visas:

• Tier 2 (Intra-company Transfer) Long-term staff visa
• Intra-company Transfer visa
• Global Business Mobility: Senior or Specialist Worker visa

However, you must still be paid the ‘going rate’ for your job.

Who Can Apply?

This category helps firms fill senior roles and specialist roles in their UK offices. A senior worker is a senior manager or specialist who guides teams. On the other hand, a specialist worker is a skilled professional with unique knowledge.

You can apply for global business mobility: senior or specialist worker visa if you:

• Want to come to the UK to work for an overseas company’s UK branch.
• Are in the UK on a different visa (except short-term visas such as UK visitor visas or seasonal worker visas) and want to switch to a Global Business Mobility visa.
• Are being offered a role in the UK branch.
• Hold a senior or specialist position.

Your employer must sponsor you. The UK branch must be part of the same corporate group.

Eligibility

You must meet the following criteria:

Certificate of Sponsorship –

Your employer must have a valid UK sponsor license for GBM. They must issue you a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS). The COS needs to confirm your work, salary, and dates. Your employer must meet their sponsor’s duties, such as keeping records of their employees and reporting changes to UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI). Your role must meet the category rules.

Eligible Job Offer –

You need to have a written job offer from the UK branch. The job offered to you must be an eligible one. You can check whether or not your job is eligible here. For this, you need to know your 4-digit occupation code that will be mentioned on your COS, or you can get it from your employer.

Worked for Your Employer –

You must have worked for your employer outside the UK for at least 1 year if you are earning less than £73,900 a year. If you are earning £73,900 or more a year, there is no minimum time requirement.

Salary –

If you are a specialist or senior worker on the Global Business Mobility route, you must be paid an annual salary of at least £48,500 or the ‘going rate,’ whichever is higher.

Maintenance –

You must show you can support yourself in the UK, or your sponsor does it for you. You must have at least £1,270 as savings in your bank account. If your employer is going to cover your maintenance cost, it must be confirmed on your COS. Your employer must support you up to £1,270 for your first month in the UK.

If you are in the UK on another visa for at least 12 months, you don’t need to show savings of £1,270.

English Language Requirement –

Unless exempt, you must show you can speak, write, read, and understand English. You can meet the requirements in the following ways:

• Pass an approved English test from an approved test provider at CEFR level B1 or above.
• Hold a degree taught in English.
• Be a national of a majority English-speaking country.

How to apply?

You need to follow the below steps to apply for a Global Business Mobility—Specialist or Senior Worker visa:

Get a CoS –

You need to get a certificate of sponsorship from your employer. You need the COS reference number to add to your application.

Prepare Documents –

Gather supporting documents such as passports, CoS, salary proof, and English test certificates.

Apply Online –

You need to apply online, whether you are in the UK or outside the UK, on the UKVI official website, gov.uk. You can apply no more than 3 months before the day you are going to start working in the UK.

Pay Fees –

You need to pay the application fee and Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS). The application fee ranges from £769 to £1,751. You need to pay the immigration health surcharge of £1,035 per year.

Prove Your Identity –

Depending on where you are from and what type of passport you have, you can prove your identity in one of the following ways:

Using the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app to scan your identity document

Enroll your biometric (fingerprints and photo) information at a visa application center in your country (if applying from outside the UK) and a UKVCAS center (if applying to switch from inside the UK).

Wait for a decision –

If you are outside the UK, you should get a decision from the UKVI within 3 weeks, and if you are in the UK, you should get a decision within 8 weeks.

Receive visa –

If approved, you get a digital or stamped Global Business Mobility: specialist or senior worker visa.

Documents Required

You need to gather the following documents:

• Your current passport or other valid document.
• CoS reference number.
• Salary evidence such as pay slips or official letters.
• Your job’s occupation code.
• Your employer’s name and their sponsor license number—this you will get on your COS.
• A letter from your employer confirming your job role and salary.
• English test certificate, if required.
• Documents such as bank statements or the sponsor’s certification to prove that you or your employer will cover your maintenance costs.
• Relationship proof with your spouse and children if they are also applying with you.
• Tuberculosis test certificate if you come from a listed country.
• All documents not in English or Welsh need certified translation.

You may have to provide more documents if the Home Office demands them. For example, if you are being paid less than £73,900 per year, you may be asked to prove that you have worked outside the UK for your employer for at least one year.

For this, you can submit documents such as printed payslips and online payslips with a letter from your sponsor that is signed by a senior staff member.

How long can you stay?

You can stay in the UK with a Global Business Mobility: Specialist or Senior Worker visa for the time length mentioned on your COS and 14 extra days or 5 years, whichever is shorter.

You can also apply for another visa or extend your current visa.

What Can You Do on a Specialist or Senior Worker Visa?

• Work for your sponsor.
• Study part-time or full-time.
• Bring your dependents (spouse/civil partner and children) to the UK.
• Do voluntary work.
• Travel outside the UK and come back.

What You Cannot Do?

• You cannot do the following:
• Cannot claim most public benefits
• Change your job unless you are eligible for it and you update your specialist or senior worker visa.
• Apply for settlement, i.e., indefinite leave to remain.

Final Thoughts

The Senior or Specialist Worker visa under the Global Business Mobility route is for companies sending their key staff to work in their UK branch. It allows businesses to stay flexible and helps experts share their skills.

For a successful application, you need to understand the rules, meet the eligibility criteria, prepare the right documents, and apply on time. This way you can secure your visa and grow your career in the UK. With good planning and care, you can succeed under this route and make the UK your work home.

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