Under the Global Business Mobility Route, the Senior or Specialist Worker Visa allows qualifying workers to come to the United Kingdom temporarily. If you are a senior or specialist worker within an overseas company and seek to come to the UK to develop your career and connections, you may be eligible for this new visa.
In this guide to the GBM Senior or Specialist Worker Visa, we explain the permitted activities under this visa and the eligibility and sponsorship criteria for applicants. We also detail how to apply for the Senior or Specialist Worker Visa, including application fees, processing times, bringing dependents to the United Kingdom, and settlement.
What is the Global Business Mobility Route?
The Global Business Mobility (GBM) Route is a new set of work and business visas that accommodates people seeking to work and live in the United Kingdom on a temporary basis. It has been designed to meet post-Brexit employment demands with greater flexibility in mind. The Global Business Mobility Route provides a broad range of options to establish trading or move global staff to British offices or branches. All GBM visas are intended for individuals who do not seek to settle in the United Kindom long-term but seek to work on a temporary basis with specific aims in mind. If you know from the offset that you want to apply for permanent residence in the United Kingdom in the future, you may want to consider an alternative immigration route to suit this need.
What is the Senior or Specialist Worker Visa?
Under the Global Business Mobility Route, the Senior or Specialist Worker Visa permits overseas employees to live and work in the United Kingdom with a British branch of an existing employer. This is a temporary visa intended for companies that seek to shift senior and specialist staff to a UK office for a specific purpose.
The Senior or Specialist Worker Visa has replaced the Intra-Company Transfer (ICT) Visa for both short-term and long-term staff placements. If you are currently on an Intra-Company Transfer Visa, your current visa will not be affected. However, the ICT Visa is no longer open for new applications.
Who is eligible for the Senior or Specialist Worker Visa?
Individuals who hold a senior or specialist role within an existing company or organisation may be eligible for this visa. You must have worked for your company or organisation for at least 12 months in most situations. Individuals who make more than £73,900 per year can apply for the Senior or Specialist Worker Visa within any time frame after commencing work with an overseas company.
What activities are permitted on the Senior or Specialist Worker Visa? What activities are not allowed on the Senior or Specialist Worker Visa?
As per the conditions of your Senior or Specialist Worker Visa, you can do the following activities while living in the United Kingdom:
- You can work for the employer listed in your Certificate of Sponsorship
- You can study
- You can bring your children and spouse or partner as dependent family members if they are eligible
- You can volunteer
- You can travel overseas and return to the United Kingdom freely
Conversely, you cannot do the following activities while living in the United Kingdom:
- You cannot change jobs to work with a different employer or different job unless you meet eligibility criteria and apply to update your visa
- You cannot have a second job in the United Kingdom unless you previously worked in the UK under a Tier 2 (ICT) Long Term Staff Visa or ICT Visa
- You cannot apply for public funds, most benefits, or a State Pension
- You cannot apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain in the United Kingdom, sometimes known as permanent residence or settlement
What are the eligibility requirements for the Senior or Specialist Worker Visa?
Before you apply for the Senior or Specialist Worker Visa, you must ensure that you meet all eligibility criteria. If you do not meet the eligibility criteria, the Home Office will refuse your visa application. You must meet all of the following eligibility requirements:
- Your job in the United Kingdom must be on the Home Office’s eligible occupation list
- Your job in the United Kingdom must offer an appropriate salary based on the kind of work you will do
- Your company must have employed you for at least 12 months. The only exception to this requirement is that individuals who make more than £73,900 per year can apply for the Senior or Specialist Worker Visa within any time frame after commencing work with an overseas company
- You will need to have at least £1,270 in savings at the time of submitting your application. The only exception to this requirement is if you are explicitly exempt
What are the sponsorship requirements for the Senior or Specialist Worker Visa?
Before you apply for the Senior or Specialist Worker Visa, you must ensure that your sponsor meets all eligibility criteria. If you have doubts about the validity of your sponsor, you should discuss your concerns before submitting your application. If your employer does not meet all of the sponsorship criteria, the Home Office will refuse your visa application. Your employer must meet all of the following sponsorship requirements:
- Your employer will need need to issue you a Certificate of Sponsorship (COS). This Certificate of Sponsorship will include information such as how long you are eligible to work in the United Kingdom
- Your employer must have an up-to-date sponsorship licence with an A-rating
How long can I stay in the United Kingdom on a Senior or Specialist Worker Visa?
The length of your Senior or Specialist Worker Visa will depend on the information included on your Certificate of Sponsorship. You should discuss with your employer to determine how long you will live and work in the United Kingdom. The Home Office will grant your visa length accordingly. In general, you will be eligible to live and work in the UK on this visa type for either the length of time noted on your COS plus an additional 14 days or up to 5 years. The shorter of these two lengths will be the length of time you can stay in the UK. You may be able to extend your Senior or Specialist Worker Visa if you continue to meet eligibility requirements.
How do I apply for the Senior or Specialist Worker Visa?
Before applying for your Senior or Specialist Worker Visa, you will first need to ensure that you meet all eligibility and sponsorship requirements. If you do not meet the requirements, your application will be refused by the Home Office. If you meet all requirements, you can begin to prepare the required documents.
Second, you will collect all required supporting documentation for your Senior or Specialist Worker Visa application. You will need to include the following supporting documentation with your application:
- Your valid passport or travel document
- Your Certificate of Sponsorship (COS) including the reference number – you can get your COS from your employer
- Information about your job in the United Kingdom, including your job title, annual salary, the occupation code associated with your job, your employer’s name, and the sponsor licence number of your employer
- Your bank statements, demonstrating that you have sufficient savings to support yourself within the United Kingdom without relying on public funds
- If you seek to bring dependents – documents showing your relationships with your spouse or partner and children, such as marriage certificates and birth certificates
- If you are from a listed country – Tuberculosis Screening certificate
- Documents demonstrating how long you have worked for your current employer
If you are missing any of the required documentation, you should wait to submit your online application until you have all of the supporting documents in hand.
Third, you can now begin the online application for your Senior or Specialist Worker Visa. The online application form is on the Home Office website. You should fill out the online application form carefully and thoroughly. If you have any questions about the application form, you should ask your employer for advice. Once you have finished the online application form, you will need to pay the application fee and Immigration Health Surcharge fee. Your online application is submitted to the Home Office after paying the fees.
Fourth, you will need to upload all of your supporting documents to the Home Office. You can choose to upload these documents yourself or have them scanned for you at a visa application centre. You will also need to prove your identity and biometric details to the Home Office. Depending on where you submitted the online application, you will either do this with the UK Immigration: ID Check mobile phone application or at a visa application centre. Once you have confirmed your identity and provided all required supporting documentation, your Senior or Specialist Worker Visa application is forwarded to the Home Office for consideration. You will need to wait to receive a decision on your application before travelling to the United Kingdom. If your application for a Senior or Specialist Worker Visa is granted, you will receive Entry Clearance in your passport to travel to the United Kingdom with a start date. You will then obtain your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) once you arrive in the United Kingdom.
Senior or Specialist Worker Visa application fee
The application fee for your Senior or Specialist Worker Visa will depend on the period identified in your Certificate of Sponsorship. If your employer issued your Certificate of Sponsorship for less than 3 years, you will be required to pay an application fee of £625. If your employer issued your certificate of Sponsorship for more than 3 years, you will be required to pay an application fee of £1,235. You will also need to pay the entire Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) fee when you submit your application. The IHS fee currently stands at £624 per year of your intended visa. For a 5 year Senior or Specialist Worker Visa, the IHS fee will be a total of £3,120 plus the relevant application fee. These application fees and Immigration Health Surcharge fees will significantly increase if you seek to bring dependent family members with you to the United Kingdom.
What are the current processing times for the Senior or Specialist Worker Visa?
The current processing times for your Senior or Specialist Worker Visa will depend on where you submitted your application. If you submitted your Senior or Specialist Worker Visa application from inside the United Kingdom, you will usually be issued with a decision on your application within 2 months (8 weeks) of submitting the online portion of your application. If you submitted your Senior or Specialist Worker Visa application from abroad, you will usually be issued with a decision on your application after attending an appointment at an overseas visa application centre or providing the required information on the UK Immigration: ID Check mobile phone application within 3 weeks.
Can I bring dependents to the United Kingdom on a Senior or Specialist Worker Visa?
If you are considering a move to the United Kingdom on a Senior or Specialist Worker Visa, it is understandable that you would want to bring your spouse or partner and children with you abroad. Your family members may be eligible to move to or join you in the United Kingdom based on your relationship with them. Each individual needs to submit a separate PBS Dependent Visa application based on their relationship with the main applicant as a spouse or partner and child. Each application will be charged an application fee in line with the application fee for the main applicant. For a Senior or Specialist Worker Visa, each dependent will be charged an application fee of £625 per person plus the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) fee. For a family of four to come to the United Kingdom for 5 years with a main applicant, spouse, and two minor children, the application fees and IHS fees will come to a total of £14,065. You will need to pay all fees at the point of application.
If you want to bring your family members with you to the United Kingdom, you will also need to demonstrate that you have sufficient savings to support your family in the UK, in addition to the £1,270 required for a single applicant. The required sufficient savings are as follows:
- Your spouse or partner – £285
- Your first child – £315
- Each additional child after your first child – £200
For a family of four people to come to the United Kingdom with a main applicant, spouse, and two minor children, you will need to demonstrate evidence of a minimum of £2,070 in savings.
Can I apply for permanent residence in the United Kingdom with a Senior or Specialist Worker Visa?
The Senior or Specialist Worker Visa under the Global Mobility Business Route is a temporary visa intended for individuals who seek to return to their home country after living in the United Kingdom. As such, you cannot apply for permanent residence in the UK with this visa, even if you stay in the country for five years or more. Permanent residence is sometimes known as settlement or Indefinite Leave to Remain.
However, you may be able to switch from the Senior or Specialist Worker Visa to an alternative visa while living in the UK that could allow for a route to permanent residence. The Skilled Worker Visa allows for in-country switch applications. You would need to live in the UK for at least 5 additional years on an eligible settlement route before applying for Indefinite Leave to Remain. If you know that you would like to have the option of permanent residence in the UK at this point, you may consider applying for the Skilled Worker Visa from the offset.
Senior or Specialist Worker Visa FAQs
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Legal disclaimer
The matters contained in this article are intended to be for general information purposes only. This article does not constitute legal advice, nor is it a complete or authoritative statement of the law, and should not be treated as such. Whilst every effort is made to ensure that the information is correct, no warranty, express or implied, is given as to its accuracy and no liability is accepted for any error or omission. Before acting on any of the information contained herein, expert legal advice should be sought.
Author
Gill Laing is a qualified Legal Researcher & Analyst with niche specialisms in Law, Tax, Human Resources, Immigration & Employment Law.
Gill is a Multiple Business Owner and the Managing Director of Prof Services - a Marketing & Content Agency for the Professional Services Sector.
