Senior or Specialist Worker Visa: It gives your staff wings
Are you looking to transfer key personnel to the UK efficiently and lawfully? The Senior or Specialist Worker (Global Business Mobility) visa may be your solution. This visa is specifically designed for businesses that need to relocate employees for roles vital to the success of their UK operations, making it an ideal choice for those looking to scale their UK presence strategically.
Key Feature of the Senior or Specialist Worker Visa
Replacing the former Tier 2 (Intra-company Transfer) visa, the Senior or Specialist Worker visa is available to employees of organisations approved by the Home Office as sponsors. The UK sponsor licence holder must ensure that they are linked to the employer overseas by common ownership and control or by a joint venture agreement to an overseas business. For a complete list of licensed sponsors meeting this requirement, you can visit the GOV.UK website.
Why Choose the Senior or Specialist Worker Visa?
Numerous factors make this visa route a preferred choice for companies:
- Broad Spectrum of Eligible Roles: This route accommodates a range of employment types, including senior managerial and specialist positions. This flexibility is particularly beneficial for international companies looking to move essential talent into their UK operations.
- Retaining Key Employees: By offering relocation opportunities to staff who already understand the company culture, employers are more likely to retain these valued employees, enhancing workforce stability and overall employee satisfaction.
- Streamlined Administrative Process: The Senior or Specialist Worker visa offers a more efficient visa application process for multinational corporations, thereby reducing administrative burdens and expediting timelines.
Eligibility Criteria for Employees
To qualify for a Senior or Specialist Worker visa, the following conditions must be met:
- Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS): You must issue a CoS via your Sponsor Licence, detailing the work the employee will perform in the UK.
- Eligible Occupations: The employee’s job must be listed among eligible occupations.
- Salary Requirements: The employee must earn at least £48,500 or the ‘going rate’ for the job—whichever is higher. Notably, if the employee’s salary in the UK is under £73,900 annually, they must have worked for your company outside the UK for at least 12 months.
Key Points to Consider
- Family friendly route: Partners and children will be able to apply to join employees in the UK as dependants. Separate applications must be made for each accompanying dependant. Family members will usually be granted a visa which will expire on the same date as the assignee’s visa.
- English Language Requirements: Applicants under the Senior or Specialist Worker route do not need to prove their English language proficiency unless they plan to switch to another visa category, such as the Skilled Worker route, which may require an English language test.
- Limited Pathway to Permanent Residency: Importantly, this visa does not lead to permanent residency in the UK. If the salary is below £73,900, the maximum total stay allowed is five years within any six-year period. Employees should be informed of this limitation before relocating. However, there is the possibility to switch into the Skilled Worker route (or various other immigration routes that lead to settlement) whilst still in the UK if they meet the necessary criteria.
Budgetary Considerations
UK employers are likely familiar with the increasing fees associated with Home Office immigration application routes. Key costs to be aware of for the Senior or Specialist Worker visa include:
- Immigration Skills Charge (ISC): Employers must pay this charge each time they sponsor a worker, with limited exemptions. The ISC is currently £1,000 per worker for sponsorship of up to one year by medium or large sponsors.
- Application Fee: Ranges from £769 to £1,751, depending on specific circumstances.
- Healthcare Surcharge: Typically amounts to £1,035 annually.
It is essential to note that sponsors cannot pass certain costs onto their sponsored workers, including the CoS fee and the ISC.
Interested in Learning More?
For further information on the Senior or Specialist Worker route for both applicants and employers, please visit the GOV.UK website.
Alternatively, Smith Stone Walters is on hand to answer any questions you may have. Our company is now part of Envoy Global. The leading corporate immigration services provider committed to delivering a better way for companies to manage global immigration.
Our immigration experts can assess your assignees’ eligibility for this visa and guide them individually through the entire application process. To find out how we can help, please contact us today.
