International business mobility

Global Business Mobility Visa Solicitors

Practical UK immigration advice for overseas businesses, senior staff and specialist workers using the Global Business Mobility routes. We help with route choice, sponsorship requirements and UK expansion planning.

Route selectionSponsor dutiesSenior staff transfersUK expansion planning

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Quick answer: what are the Global Business Mobility routes?

Global Business Mobility is a group of UK work routes for overseas businesses and workers, including senior or specialist workers, graduate trainees, secondment workers and service suppliers.

NA Law Solicitors can help with: route selection, sponsor licence strategy, business evidence, worker applications and compliance planning. Related advice: HNW immigration, Global Talent, Innovator Founder and Global Business Mobility.

What is the Global Business Mobility Route?

This new route opened on 11 April 2022 and has been created to enable overseas businesses to temporarily send workers to the UK, to set up and further develop their businesses.

The Global Business Mobility Route comprises five sponsored visa options, which either replace or expand on other business visa routes.

The five visa options are as follows:

1. Senior or Specialist Worker Visa
This visa replaces the existing Intra-Company Transfer route and is specifically for senior managers and specialist employees who wish to undertake a temporary work assignment in the UK.

2. Graduate Trainee Visa
This visa replaces the existing Intra-Company Graduate Trainee visa and is for overseas workers who wish to be transferred to the UK by their employer for a work placement in the UK as part of a graduate training course leading to a senior managerial or specialist role.

3. UK Expansion Worker Visa
This visa replaces the UK Expansion Worker route and will sit in its own Appendix of the Immigration Rules. The UK Expansion Worker Visa will be for senior managers and specialist employees who wish to be assigned to the UK temporarily, specifically to undertake work related to the expansion of an overseas business in the UK.

4. The Secondment Worker Visa
This is an entirely new immigration route designed for overseas workers who wish to be temporarily seconded to the UK by their overseas employer as part of a high-value contract or investment.

5. Service Supplier Visa
This visa replaces the contractual service supplier and independent professional provisions in the Temporary Work – International Agreement route. The Service Supplier Visa is for overseas workers who are either contractual service suppliers employed by an overseas service provider
or a self-employed independent professionals based overseas, who need to undertake a temporary assignment in the UK to provide services covered by one of the UK’s international trade commitments.

What is the Eligibility Criteria for the Global Business Mobility route?

There is not one set criteria for the Global Business Mobility Route; depending on the visa option you desire the requirements that need to be met will vary.

Eligibility Criteria:

Senior or Specialist Worker Visa

Unless you are a high earner earning £73,900 per year or more, you must have worked for a business or organisation that is linked to your UK sponsor for a cumulative period of at least 12 months.
Applicants need to have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship for the job they are planning to do, issued by an employer that is authorised by the Home Office to sponsor a Senior or Specialist Worker who has paid the complete immigration skills fee.
Applicants will not be required to satisfy an English language requirement.
Must be sponsored for a position that offers a minimum of £42,400 per annum or the ‘going rate’ for that profession.
The job offer must be for a business or organisation that is linked to your UK sponsor.

Graduate Trainee Visa

Applicants will need to be working for a business/organisation that is linked to their UK sponsor by common ownership or control and have worked outside the UK for at least three months before the date of visa application.
Applicants will need to have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship for the job they are planning to do, issued by an employer that is authorised by the Home Office to sponsor a Graduate Trainee.
Your sponsorship must be for a company that offers a basic annual salary of at least £23,100 per year for the current job role or whatever the current ‘going rate’ is for that position.
Applicants will not be required to satisfy an English language requirement.
You must already be an employee of the organisation by which you have been sponsored at the time of application, and have worked for that company outside of the UK for a minimum of 3 months before the application deadline.

UK Expansion Worker Visa

Applicants will need to have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship for the job they are planning to do, issued by an employer that is authorised by the Home Office to sponsor a UK Expansion Worker.
Applicants must have worked for their employer outside of the UK for at least 12 months unless they are earning £73,900 per year or they are a Japanese national working for a Japanese company that is expanding to the UK.
Work in a job role that is on the list of eligible occupations – you will need to know the 4-digit occupation code for your job to determine eligibility. This can be found on your certificate of sponsorship or given to you by your employer.
You must be paid a minimum of £42,400 per annum, or the ‘going rate’ for your job. See more information about going rates in our FAQs section below.
Applicants will not need to satisfy an English language requirement.

The Secondment Worker Visa

Applicants will need to be currently working for an overseas business that has a contract with their UK sponsor that has been registered with the Home Office by the UK sponsor and have worked outside the UK for that overseas business for a cumulative period of at least 12 months.
Applicants will need to have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship for the job they are planning to do, issued by an employer that is authorised by the Home Office to sponsor a Secondment Worker. The job will need to be an eligible job at or above a minimum skill level but applicants will not need to satisfy a salary requirement.
Secondment Worker visa applicants will also not need to satisfy an English language requirement.

The Service Supplier Visa

Applicants will need to be currently working as or for an overseas service provider that will provide services to their UK sponsor and have worked as or for the overseas service provider outside the UK for a cumulative period of 12 months.
Applicants must have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship for the job they are planning to do, issued by an employer that is authorised by the Home Office to sponsor a Service Supplier.
Their UK sponsor must have a contract with an overseas service provider, where that contract has been registered with the Home Office, and on which the applicant, as a Service Supplier, will work.
The job will need to be an eligible job at or above a minimum skill level but applicants will not need to satisfy a salary requirement.
Service Supplier applicants will also not need to satisfy an English language requirement, but they will need to satisfy a nationality requirement.

Settlement on the Global Business Mobility Visa Route

It is important to note that the Global Business Mobility Route visas do not lead directly to settlement. However, subject to meeting the eligibility requirements, Global Business Mobility visa holders may be able to apply from within the UK to switch to another immigration route which does.

How can NA Law Solicitors help?

The UK has implemented a points-based system for the Global Business Mobility routes that allows existing overseas workers to enter or remain in the UK to work. This system allows businesses to send workers to the UK for temporary assignments and can be granted for up to five years, with the possibility of an extended period of up to nine years for high-earners. The five routes available are the Senior or Specialist Worker Visa, the Graduate Trainee Visa, the UK Expansion Worker Visa, the Service Supplier Visa, and the Secondment Worker Visa. Each route has different minimum skill levels and pay requirements, and can be used to facilitate the establishment of a UK presence and provide services in line with trade agreements.

As we have outlined above, numerous visa options are available on the Global Business Mobility route. If you are struggling to decide which visa route is appropriate for you, it is advisable to get in touch with an expert immigration solicitor to ensure that you select the best visa category for you and your family. We can assist you in making a suitable application based on your circumstances and gather the necessary documents to ensure that your application is successful. Contact us today!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Eligible occupations for the Global Business Mobility routes include Senior or Specialist Worker, Graduate Trainee, UK Expansion Worker, Secondment Worker, and Service Supplier.

Senior or Specialist Worker Visa – Yes this can be extended. The maximum extension is 5 years in any 6 years if your salary is less than £73,900 per year; or 9 years in any 10 years if your salary is £73,900 or more per annum.
Graduate Trainee Visa – No this cannot be extended. However, you can apply for another Graduate Trainee visa from outside the UK.
UK Expansion Worker Visa – Yes this can be extended. The maximum extension is 12 months. However, if you’ve spent time in the UK before on this or another visa, you may not be able to extend. You cannot stay in the UK on a UK Expansion Worker visa for more than 2 years.
Secondment Worker Visa – Yes this can be extended. The maximum extension is 12 months. However, if you’ve spent time in the UK before on this or another visa, you may not be able to extend. You cannot stay in the UK on a Secondment Worker visa for more than 2 years.
Service Supplier Visa – Yes this can be extended. The Maximum extension is either 6 or 12 months depending on the type of trade agreement you’re providing services under.

For detailed information about going rates for eligible occupations, please see the GOV.UK website, or contact NA Law Solicitors for further information.

You cannot switch from another visa to a Graduate Trainee visa. However, it is possible to switch to a Senior or Specialist Worker visa, UK Expansion Worker visa, Secondment Worker or Service Supplier visa. However, this will depend on whether you meet the eligibility requirements and also depends upon the type of visa you currently have, as certain visas cannot be switched to a Global
Business Mobility Route visa once you are in the UK.

All Global Business Mobility route visas take up to 3 weeks to be approved or disapproved if you are outside the UK, and up to 8 weeks if you are inside the UK.

Yes, you can bring dependants. Dependants under this route are defined as either your partner or children. However, evidence of their relationship to you would need to be provided. Additionally, they must meet the eligibility financial criterion. If your child is 16 or over there are also additional requirements which must be satisfied. Contact us today for further information.

Current Global Business Mobility checks

Global Business Mobility routes should be assessed against the current Home Office framework, including sponsorship, role, salary, overseas employment and route-specific requirements. See Appendix Global Business Mobility routes.

Last reviewed: May 2026. Global Business Mobility requirements can change and should be checked before applying.

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