Global Business Mobility Visa

Global Business Mobility Visa

The Global Business Mobility (GBM) visa serves as a comprehensive framework for international businesses seeking to establish or expand their presence in the UK. This specialised visa category encompasses five distinct routes, each designed to facilitate different aspects of corporate mobility and international staff deployment.

What is the Global Business Mobility Visa?

The GBM visa programme enables overseas organisations to:

• Transfer existing employees to UK operations
• Set up new British branches or subsidiaries
• Deploy staff for specific business assignments
• Support strategic UK expansion plans

Each pathway within the GBM framework has unique eligibility criteria and duration limits. Whilst the requirements can be intricate, these visas offer valuable opportunities for international businesses to develop their UK presence effectively.

Sponsorship Requirements

Overseas employers must hold valid sponsorship licences to support GBM visa applications. This ensures compliance with UK immigration regulations whilst facilitating legitimate business mobility needs.

Understanding the specific requirements for each route is crucial for successful applications. Many organisations find that professional guidance helps navigate these pathways effectively, making them an integral part of their UK market entry and talent mobility strategies.

GMB Visa Routes

The Global Business Mobility (GBM) visa programme modernises the UK’s approach to international business migration. Launched to streamline previous work visa categories, it offers five distinct pathways for overseas workers to contribute to UK operations temporarily.

The Five GBM Visa Routes

1. Senior or Specialist Worker
   • Designed for experienced professionals with specialist knowledge
   • Enables transfers to established UK branches
   • Supports high-level expertise deployment
2. Graduate Trainee
   • Facilitates international training programmes
   • Supports graduate development in UK operations
   • Nurtures emerging talent across borders
3. UK Expansion Worker
   • Supports new market entry initiatives
   • Enables establishment of UK business presence
   • Vital for international growth strategies
4. Service Supplier
   • Permits delivery of contracted services to UK clients
   • Supports international service agreements
   • Enables specialist project delivery
5. Secondment Worker
   • Allows temporary UK assignments
   • Facilitates knowledge exchange
   • Supports cross-border collaboration

This visa framework offers greater flexibility for international businesses, each route has specific eligibility criteria and duration limits, designed to match different business needs and scenarios.

Senior or Specialist Employees Visa

This visa replaces the Intra-Company Transfer route

The Global Business Mobility – Senior or Specialist Worker Visa is for senior managers and specialist employees who seek to undertake a temporary work assignment in the UK. The overseas worker must be assigned to a UK business linked to their employer overseas (also known as an intra-company transfer).

The Global Business Mobility – Senior or Specialist Worker route is a non-settlement route. However, you may be able to switch to a settlement route.

To qualify for a Global Business Mobility – Senior or Specialist Worker Visa, you must satisfy UKVI (UK Visas and Immigration) that:

• You must be aged 18 or over.
• You must be currently working for a business or organisation that is linked to your UK sponsor by common ownership or control, or by a JV on which you are sponsored to work.
• You must have worked outside the UK for the linked business or organisation for a cumulative period of at least 12 months, unless you are a high earner earning £73,900 per year or more.
• You must have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship issued by your UK sponsor for the job you are planning to do.
• The job must be genuine.
• The job you are hired for must be at a suitable skill level.
• Your salary must be equal to or exceed both £42,400 per year and the ‘going rate’ for the job.
• You must have enough money to support yourself without relying on public funds.
• You must have a valid TB certificate, if needed.

The exact requirements you will need to meet may vary depending on your circumstances. You should always speak to an immigration lawyer for expert advice.

To discuss your Senior employee Visa application with one of our immigration Expert Solicitors, contact our business immigration team on 0161 504 0084.

Graduate Trainee Visa

This visa replaces the Intra-Company Graduate Trainee route

The Graduate Trainee Visa will be for overseas workers who desire to be transferred to the UK by their employer for a work placement in the UK as a member of a graduate training course eventually leading to a senior managerial or specialist role. This route has replaced Intra-Company Graduate Trainee Visa.

Graduate Trainee Visa applicants will need to be currently working for a business or organisation that is linked to their UK sponsor by shared ownership or control, or by a joint venture on which they are sponsored to work and have worked outside the UK for this same business or organisation for at least 3 months continuously before the date of their visa application.

Applicants will also need to have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship for the job they are planning to do, issued by a Licensed employer. The job will need to be an eligible job at or above a minimum skill level and, in most cases, the applicant will need to be paid a salary which equals or exceeds £23,100 per year and 70% of the pro-rated going rate for the occupation, whichever is higher.

If the applicant is being sponsored for a job in one of the health or education occupation codes, the going rate requirement will be 100% of the pro-rated going rate. Applicants will not be needed to satisfy an English language requirement.

Permission to enter will be granted for either 1 year from the start date of the job, it will be stated in the Certificate of Sponsorship, the time given on the Certificate of Sponsorship plus 14 days or the date at which the applicant will have had cumulative permission in the Global Business Mobility routes and Intra-Company routes totaling 5 years in any 6-year period, whichever is shorter.

To discuss your Graduate Trainee Visa application with one of our immigration Expert Solicitors, contact our business immigration team on 0161 504 0084. or complete our enquiry form.

UK Expansion Worker Visa

This visa replaces the Sole Representative of an Overseas Business route

The UK Expansion Worker Visa is for senior managers and specialist employees who wish to be moved to the UK temporarily to undertake work related to the expansion of an overseas business in the UK. This route has replaced the Sole Representative of an Overseas Business Visa.

• You must be above 18.
• They must have worked outside the UK for the linked business or organisation for a cumulative period of at least 12 months, unless they are a high earner earning £73,900 per year or more.
• Applicants will also need to have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship for the job they are planning to do, issued by a Licensed employer
• The job will need to be an eligible job at or above a minimum skill level
• The applicant will need to be paid a salary which equals or exceeds £42,400 per year and 100% of the pro-rated going rate for the occupation, whichever is higher.
• Applicants will not need to satisfy an English language requirement.
• Permission will be granted for either 1 year after the start date of the job detailed in the applicant’s Certificate of Sponsorship, the time given on the Certificate of Sponsorship plus 14 days, the date on which the applicant will have had continuous permission as a UK Expansion Worker totaling 2 years or the date on which they will have had cumulative permission in the Global Business Mobility routes totaling 5 years in any 6-year period, whichever is shorter.

Global Business Mobility – UK Expansion Worker Visa holders will be allowed to work for their sponsor in the job described on their Certificate of Sponsorship.

To discuss your UK expansion Visa application with one of our immigration Expert Solicitors, contact our business immigration team on 0161 504 0084. or complete our enquiry form.

Secondment Worker Visa

New Route

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

• Second Worker Visa must be working for a licensed employer for a cumulative period of at least 12 months.
• Applicants will also need to have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship for the job they are planning to do, issued by a licensed employer.
• The job will need to be an eligible job at or above a minimum skill level, but applicants will not need to satisfy a salary requirement.
• Secondment Worker Visa applicants will also not need to satisfy an English language requirement.
• Permission will be granted for either 1 year from the start date of the job detailed in the Certificate of Sponsorship, the time given on the Certificate of Sponsorship plus 14 days, the date on which the applicant will have had continuous permission as a Secondment Worker totalling 2 years, or the length of time that will take them to the largest period allowed in the category, whichever is shorter.
• The maximum time allowed in the category is 5 years in any 6-year period.

Global Business Mobility – Secondment Worker Visa holders will be allowed to work for their sponsor in the job described on their Certificate of Sponsorship.

To discuss your Secondment Visa application with one of our immigration Expert Solicitors, contact our business immigration team on 0161 504 0084. or complete our enquiry form.

Service Supplier Visa

This visa category replaces Temporary Worker – International Agreement route

The UK Global Business Mobility – Service Supplier Visa is for foreign workers who are either a contractual service supplier employed by an overseas service provider, or a self-employed independent professional based overseas, who need to undertake a temporary assignment in the UK to provide services covered by one of the UK’s international trade commitments. 

• You are 18 years of age or over.
• You must be currently working as or for an overseas service provider that will service your UK sponsor.
• You must have worked as or for the overseas service provider outside the UK for a cumulative period of 12 months.
• Your UK sponsor must have a contract with an overseas service provider, where that contract has been registered with the Home Office, and on which you as a Service Supplier will work.
• You must have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship issued by your UK sponsor for the job you are planning to do.
• The job you are planning to do must be genuine.
• The job you are planning to do must be at a suitable skill level.
• You must have enough money to support yourself without relying on public funds.
• You must provide a valid TB certificate if needed.

The exact requirements you will need to satisfy may vary depending on your circumstances. You may want to speak to an immigration lawyer for expert advice.

To discuss your Service supplier Visa application with one of our immigration Expert Solicitors, contact our business immigration team on 0161 504 0084, or complete our enquiry form.

Under the Global Business Mobility visa, employers will still be required to have a sponsorship licence to sponsor workers to come to the UK for specific work purposes.