The Global Business Mobility Senior or Specialist Worker visa was previously known as the Intra-Company Transfer (ICT) visa. In 2022, the route was rebranded and grouped together with four other temporary work visas, now known as the Global Business Mobility routes. You can find them in the immigration rules under Appendix Global Business Mobility.
Senior or Specialist Worker Overview
On the grant of a GBM Senior or Specialist Worker visa, the visa-holder will be allowed to come to the UK to undertake the job role for which they’re being sponsored, typically for the duration of that role, plus a period of 14 days.
Even though this visa category is designed for overseas workers undertaking temporary work assignments in the UK, a GBM Senior or Specialist Worker visa-holder will be able to apply to extend this visa from within the UK — provided they continue to meet the Global Business Mobility visa Senior or Specialist Worker eligibility requirements. Existing ICT visa-holders will also be able to apply to extend their stay under the new GBM Senior or Specialist Worker rules, provided they too meet the relevant requirements.
The maximum period of stay in the UK will depend on how much the senior or specialist worker earns. Those who are paid a gross salary of less than £73,900 per year will be able to remain in the UK for up to 5 years in any 6-year period. This will be calculated by looking at the cumulative permission under both the GBM and ICT routes. In contrast, those working in the UK as a 'high earner' (being paid a salary of £73,900 per year or more) will be able to live and work in the UK for up to 9 years in any 10-year period.
The interesting thing about the Senior or Specialist Worker visa is there is no proof of English language ability required. It is useful for businesses that have identified someone who they want to sponsor to work for them in the UK, but that person cannot for any reason meet the English language requirement under the Skilled Worker route.
Who can sponsor a Senior or Specialist Worker?
To be able to sponsor an overseas worker on this route, the UK-based sponsor will first need to secure a Senior or Specialist Worker sponsor licence or add this route to their existing sponsor licence. This is the permission needed from UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) to be able to lawfully employ a transferring senior manager or specialist employee. It is only once UKVI has approved an organisation as a sponsor on the senior or specialist worker route that it can issue a valid Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) to the proposed recruit, enabling that person to apply for a Senior or Specialist Worker visa.
To be eligible to apply for a Senior or Specialist Worker sponsor licence, the sponsor must be operating lawfully in the UK and linked by common ownership or control or, alternatively, by a joint venture agreement with an overseas business. To be linked by common ownership or control to the overseas business, the sponsor must be able to show, for example, that one entity holds sufficient shares in the other to have more than half the voting rights in that other entity or that both entities have a common parent entity. In cases where the link between the overseas business and the proposed sponsor is through a joint venture agreement, UKVI must be satisfied that the worker will be working as part of that agreement before accepting that the applicant can sponsor that worker.
What are the eligibility requirements for senior or specialist workers?
Under the Global Business Mobility Senior or Specialist Worker eligibility requirements, in addition to the sponsorship requirement, to be eligible for a senior or specialist worker visa, the applicant must also meet the following requirements for this route:
• be currently worked for their linked overseas employer and, where applicable, meet the minimum overseas work requirement
• be doing a job that is on the list of UKVI’s eligible occupations
• be paid the minimum eligible salary required for their job role
• be able to support themselves on arrival in the UK, where applicable
• provide a tuberculosis test certificate if from a listed country
• where applicable, an applicant must provide a valid tuberculosis test certificate.
The applicant must also meet the financial requirements. When applying for entry clearance, or where the applicant has been living in the UK for less than 12 months, they must have proof of savings of at least £1,270. This is to show that they can support themselves without relying on public funds. Alternatively, the applicant’s sponsor can certify maintenance and accommodation on their Certificate of Sponsorship up to the end of the first month of employment.
Additionally, to be eligible for a GBM Senior or Specialist Worker visa, an applicant must be awarded 60 points under three main headings: sponsorship (20 points); a job at an appropriate skill level (20 points); and a salary for that job at the required level (20 points).
Contact us today if you think you could be eligible for a Senior or Specialist Worker visa or if your company needs to apply for a sponsor licence.