Secondment Worker Visa

The Secondment Worker visa (Global Business Mobility) is a type of visa that allows skilled workers to work in the UK for a temporary period. This visa is designed for individuals who are being seconded by an overseas employer to work for a UK-based company or organisation on a temporary basis.

 

Are your eligible?

To be eligible for a Secondment Worker visa, you must:

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• be an existing employee of an overseas organisation that has a high-value contract with your UK sponsor that has been approved by the Home Office

• have worked for your overseas employer for at least 12 months outside the UK

• have a ‘certificate of sponsorship’ from your sponsor with information about the work you will do in the UK

• do a job in the UK that’s on the list of eligible occupations

 

How long you can stay

You can stay in the UK with a Secondment Worker visa for whichever is shorter of:

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• 12 months after the start date of the job detailed in your certificate of sponsorship

• the time given on your certificate of sponsorship, plus 14 days

 

If you want to stay longer in the UK, you can extend your visa by 12 months. The maximum time you can stay in the UK on a Secondment Worker visa is 2 years.

 

What you can and cannot do

With a Secondment Worker visa you can:

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• work for your sponsor in the job described in your certificate of sponsorship

• study

• bring your partner and children with you as your ‘dependents’, if they’re eligible

• do voluntary work

• travel abroad and return to the UK

 

You cannot:

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• apply for most benefits (public funds), or the State Pension

• change jobs unless you update your visa

• apply to settle permanently in the UK (also known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’)

• do a second job