The UK Expansion Worker Visa is part of the UK’s Global Business Mobility routes, designed to help overseas companies expand their business into the UK. It enables senior or specialist employees to set up and manage the UK branch before full trading begins.Previously known as the Sole Representative Visa, this visa now requires sponsorship and is often referred to as the UK Business Expansion Visa or Business Expansion Worker Visa. It is the ideal route for companies looking to bring their key staff to the UK to set up business operations.
The main requirements to be met are as follows:
- Unlike the previous sole representative of an overseas business route, the individual being deployed to the UK must be sponsored by the business, and complete the said job in the UK, per their Certificate of Sponsorship.
- Such individuals must be senior personnel of the business and must be working for the business overseas.
- The individual must be paid the minimum eligible salary required for the job.
- The business must not be trading in the UK prior to the individual being deployed. If the business does have UK presence and is already trading in the UK, the business should consider alternative routes such as the Senior or Specialist Worker route.
Understanding the Global Business Mobility Route
The UK Expansion Worker Visa falls under the broader Global Business Mobility framework, a set of sponsored visa routes that support international businesses looking to expand into the UK.
This route is ideal for companies without a current UK presence that want to deploy senior staff or specialists. If you're exploring UK immigration services for business expansion, or planning to expand internationally, this visa pathway can help accelerate that transition.
Hudson McKenzie assists clients with every stage - from eligibility assessment to preparing sponsor licences and compliance documentation.
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