Explore the UK’s Global Business Mobility Visa, designed to cater to distinct work pathways for various professionals. Though the regulations may seem intricate, with expert guidance, these pathways can significantly contribute to an organization’s global mobility strategy and the expansion of operations in the UK through the mobility of essential talent.
Within this guide, we outline the essence of the Global Business Mobility visa, detailing eligibility criteria and the duration of stay for each subcategory. Additionally, we examine the potential for settlement through this visa and explore the eligibility of dependents within this immigration route.
What does the Global Business Mobility visa entail?
This visa encompasses five sponsored work routes tailored for international businesses aiming to initiate, enhance, or assist operations based in the UK.
The GBM visas represent a revision and extension of past UK work and business visa programs, designed to facilitate the temporary deployment of specific personnel from non-UK organizations to the United Kingdom.
Global Business Mobility Visa Routes
The Global Business Mobility visa encompasses five distinct routes tailored to various types of temporary work assignments:
- Senior or Specialist Worker route
- Graduate Trainee route
- UK Expansion Worker route
- Service Supplier route
- Secondment Worker route
Each route has specific eligibility criteria, including financial requirements and, if applicable, the submission of a valid tuberculosis certificate. Below, we delve into the detailed requirements for each specific route.
Route for Senior or Specialist Workers
The Senior or Specialist Worker pathway is tailored for executives and specialized staff members relocating to a UK company linked with their international employer aiming to take on a temporary role in the UK. This route replaced the Intra Company Transfer pathway in April 2022.
To be eligible for this pathway candidates must;
- Be employed by the sponsoring organization and possess a combined work experience of at least 12 months with that organization outside the UK unless they are high earners earning a gross salary of £73,900 or more annually in the UK.
- Possess a Certificate of Sponsorship for the proposed position, issued by an employer authorized by the UK Home Office to sponsor Senior or Specialist Workers having settled any necessary Immigration Skills Charge fees in full.
- Hold sponsorship for a job at or above an appropriate minimum skill level with an annual salary of at least £42,400 until April 11 2023 or £45,800 from April 12 2023 onwards; alternatively meeting the ‘going rate’, for that position – whichever is higher.If the application gets approved you will be allowed to stay for either 5 years from when your job begins as mentioned in the Certificate of Sponsorship 14 days after your job ends or when you reach a total of 5 years of permission on the Global Business Mobility and Intra Company routes within any 6 year period (or 9 years, within any 10 year period if you are considered an earner). Whichever comes first.
Graduate Trainee Route
The Graduate Trainee route caters to international workers enrolled in a graduate training program leading to a senior management or specialist position, as mandated by their employer for a UK work placement. This route took over from the Intra-Company Graduate Trainee route.
To qualify for this specific route, applicants must:
- Currently work for the sponsor group at the time of application, having a continuous work history of at least 3 months with that group outside the UK before the application date.
- To be eligible for the proposed position you must hold a Certificate of Sponsorship from a UK Home Office approved employer for Graduate Trainees.
- The job should be at or above a skill level and offer a salary of at least £23,100 annually until April 11 2023 or £24,220 starting from April 12 2023. Additionally the salary should meet the ‘going rate’ for that position—whichever’s higher. The role should also include a path towards advancing to a managerial or specialized position, within the sponsoring organization as part of a structured graduate training program.
If the application is successful, permission will be granted for either 1 year from the job’s start date stated in the Certificate of Sponsorship, 14 days after the job’s end date, or the date when the applicant accumulates 5 years of permission on the Global Business Mobility and Intra-Company routes within any 6-year period — whichever is the shortest.