SECONDMENT WORKER — BENEFITS AND LIMITATIONS

Secondment Worker Visa: Practical Benefits and Important Limits

The Secondment Worker route can enable a specialist overseas employee to work temporarily for a UK organisation under a qualifying high-value contract or investment. It can be valuable for a defined project, but it is not a general intra-company transfer route, does not permit a second job and does not lead directly to settlement.

For the full contract, sponsorship and applicant requirements, use our Secondment Worker visa service guide.

Practical benefits

• Supports a qualifying cross-border project: the route is designed for temporary assignments connected to a registered, high-value contract or investment.
• No separate route salary threshold: unlike Senior or Specialist Worker, Secondment Worker does not require the general salary and occupation going-rate points. Pay must still comply with National Minimum Wage and working-time law.
• No separate English-language requirement: the route does not require English-language points.
• Eligible dependants: a partner and children can apply if they meet the dependant rules.
• Extension within the route: an eligible worker can extend, subject to the continuous two-year maximum and cumulative GBM time limit.

Important limits

• The UK sponsor and overseas business need an eligible contract worth at least £10 million per year and no less than £50 million overall.
• The contract must be registered with the Home Office and the worker must work on that specific contract.
• The employee normally needs six months’ qualifying overseas work for an application made on or after 8 April 2026.
• The job must normally be in an eligible occupation at RQF level 6 or above.
• The worker can remain for no more than two continuous years on this route and is also subject to the wider GBM cumulative limit.
• The holder cannot take a second job and the route does not lead directly to settlement.

When is another route more appropriate?

The route will not fit an ordinary group-company transfer to a linked UK branch, a contract below the value threshold, a permanent vacancy or an assignment unrelated to the registered contract. Depending on the business relationship, proposed job and long-term plan, another sponsored route may need to be assessed.

Frequently asked questions

Is this route for transfers between branches of the same company?

Not ordinarily. It is for a secondment from an overseas business to a different UK organisation under a qualifying contract or investment. Group-company transfers are generally assessed under a different GBM route.

Is there an English-language test?

No separate English-language points requirement applies to the Secondment Worker route.

Can the employee bring family members?

Yes. An eligible partner and children can apply as dependants.

Can the employee remain permanently?

Not through this route. It is temporary and does not lead directly to settlement.

Need to test whether a proposed assignment qualifies? Read the full Secondment Worker guide, then call 0203 524 5439 or use the enquiry form.

Last reviewed: August 2026. General information only; the facts of the contract, sponsor and worker must be assessed against current rules.