For many entrepreneurs looking to scale their businesses into the UK market, the UK Expansion Worker visa is a popular option. It is a type of UK Global Business Mobility visa and it allows employees of overseas companies to come to the UK in order to set up a UK branch.
With the help of this visa, you can ensure that your company’s expansion into the UK market is overseen by your company’s top talent, regardless of their nationality. Here are some tips on how the UK Expansion Worker visa works and how it can help scale your business into the UK.
What is the UK Expansion Worker Visa?
The UK Expansion Worker visa allows overseas companies to send senior managers or specialist employees over to the UK in order to set up a UK branch of the company. It generally allows the employee to stay in the country for up to 12 months and can be renewed upon expiry if the eligibility conditions continue to be met.
In order to be eligible, the employee in question will need to satisfy a number of eligibility criteria, including:
- Have a certificate of sponsorship from their employer. This means that your company will need to register with the UK Home Office as a licensed sponsor of UK Work visas.
- Have worked for the company for at least 12 months, except in certain limited circumstances (such as if they earn over £73,900 or if they’re a Japanese national and the company in question is Japanese)
- Earn at least £48,500, or the salary which is considered normal for the role in question
- The job must fall within an eligible category. The jobs which are eligible vary across industries but will generally need to be managerial
This visa also allows the employee’s immediate family members to join them in the UK. In particular, it should be possible for the partner’s spouse and minor or dependant children to join them as part of their application.
The UK Expansion Worker visa is one of the UK’s Global Business Mobility visas, a category which also includes visas like the Graduate Trainee visa and the Senior or Specialist Worker visa.
How Do You Apply?
If you want to send employees to the UK via this route, there are a number of steps which will need to be completed. First, your company will need to register with the UK Home Office as a licenced sponsor in order to provide the employee with a certificate of sponsorship. This means that your company will be licensed to sponsor Uk Work visa applications.
The employee themselves will also need to complete a number of steps. They can submit their application online, along with all the necessary documents. They will also need to prove their identity, either using the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app or in person at a UK visa application center (these can be found in numerous global locations). If the applicant does attend an appointment at a visa application center, they will need to give their biometric information (their photo and their fingerprints).
What Documents Are Required?
There are a number of documents which applicants will need to provide when they submit their applications online, including:
- A certificate of sponsorship
- A valid passport
- Information on the role, such as the job title and the annual salary
- The occupation code for the job
- The sponsor license number of the employer (located on the certificate of sponsorship)
- Evidence of sufficient personal savings
The success of the application will depend on the applicant’s ability to provide all of the required documents. When selecting employees for this route, it is essential that you ensure that they satisfy all of the eligibility criteria and are able to provide all of the required documentation.
How Long Will it Take and How Much Will it Cost?
In general, applicants who apply via this route should hear back within 3 weeks. In some cases, this may take longer, for example if the applicant needs to attend an interview or if further information is requested as part of the application. In some cases, it’s possible to fast-track the application for an additional fee.
The application cost for this visa is £298. There are also numerous other costs associated with this visa type: applicants will need to pay the health surcharge which allows them to access the UK’s National Health Service (generally £1,035 a year) and show that they have the financial means to support themselves during their time in the UK (generally around £1,270 in savings, and higher if the applicant is being joined by any family members).
Key Points to Remember
The UK Expansion Worker visa is an excellent tool for overseas businesses looking to expand into the UK market. It allows senior or managerial workers to move to the UK in order to help with the expansion efforts.
It is also one of a number of other Global Business Mobility visas. The other visas in this category might also be helpful for overseas businesses operating in the UK market, once the UK branch is more established. For example, the Senior or Specialist Worker visa allows employees with specialist knowledge to move to the UK branch of an overseas company.
There are a number of steps involved in hiring workers via the Expansion visa route. If your business is looking to expand into the UK market and wants to send employees to the UK with the help of this visa, you must make sure that your company is registered with the UK Home Office as a licenced sponsor. You will also need to make sure that the employee in question satisfies all of the eligibility criteria.
In general, this visa is a fantastic resource for companies expanding into the UK. It helps ensure that you can smoothly expand your company across borders and into the UK market, aided by your company’s top talent, regardless of their nationality. .