This page covers the following topics

Introduction

  • The UK Home Office launched a few new visas under a special category called the ‘Global Business Mobility’ which came into effect from 11th April, 2022.
  • This category has 5 visas under it, that cater to business owners in the UK, overseas companies, and overseas skilled professionals.
  • Get in touch with SmartMove Immigration, either call us on +44 203 773 2948 or drop an email at [email protected] to know about the Global Business Mobility route in detail.
  • As a Secondment Worker visa consultant in India, we accurately guide clients on the eligibility criteria, requirements, and application process for a Secondment Worker visa.

Secondment Worker visa – Overview

  • The Secondment Worker visa is for overseas professionals who are undertaking temporary work assignments in the UK.
  • The overseas professional must be seconded to the UK as part of a high-value contract or investment by their overseas employer.
  • This means the applicant can only apply for this visa if their overseas employer is transferring them to the UK to do an eligible job for a different organisation.
  • A partner and children (under 18 years) can accompany the main applicant to the UK on a Secondment Worker visa.
    However, applicants must note that the UK Secondment Worker visa does not permit settlement in the UK.
Eligibility Criteria List of Documents
The applicant must:

  1. Have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship.
  2. Have worked for an overseas employer, for a period of 12 months.
  3. Do a job that is on the list of eligible occupations.
  4. Be an existing employee of an overseas organisation that has a high-value contract with the UK sponsor.
 The applicant will need:

  1. A Certificate of Sponsorship.
  2. A valid passport to prove identity, with enough blank pages.
  3. The job title, job occupation code, and annual salary.
  4. The name of the UK employer and their Sponsor Licence number – is mentioned on the Certificate of Sponsorship.
  5. To evidence that they have enough personal savings to support their stay in the UK. For example, bank statements.
  6. Proof of relationship – partner or children (if they are applying along with the main applicant).
  7. Tuberculosis test results (if required).

Certificate of Sponsorship for a Secondment Worker visa

  • The UK-based employer – also known as a ‘Sponsor’ – must provide the applicant with a ‘Certificate of Sponsorship’ stating all the information with regards to the job role for which the applicant is employed in the UK.
    It’s an e-Certificate and not a paper document.
  • The applicant will need the reference number from the Certificate of Sponsorship to apply for the visa.
  • The applicant is required to apply for the visa within 3 months of getting the Certificate of Sponsorship.
You MUST know this!
A Secondment Worker visa applicant does not need to meet the English language requirement.

Permitted and not permitted activities in the UK on a Secondment Worker visa

The applicant is permitted to:

  • Work for their sponsor for the job role described on their Certificate of Sponsorship.
    Study.
  • Bring partner and children as ‘dependants’, if they’re eligible.
  • Do voluntary work.
  • Travel abroad and return to the UK.

The applicant is not permitted to:

  • Apply for most benefits (public funds), or the State Pension.
  • Change jobs, unless the applicant updates their visa.
  • Have a second job.
  • Apply to settle permanently in the UK (known as Indefinite Leave to Remain).

People also ask

How to apply for a Secondment Worker visa?

The applicant must apply for a Secondment Worker visa online.

Depending on the following circumstances the applicant can apply from:

  • Outside the UK to come to the UK.
  • Inside the UK and extend the current visa.
  • Inside the UK and switch from a different visa.
  • The applicant can include a partner and children (under 18 years) in the application to stay in the UK if they are eligible.

With a Secondment Worker visa, the applicant can stay in the UK for whichever is the shortest duration:

  • The time mentioned on their Certificate of Sponsorship, plus 14 days.
  • 12 months after the start date of the job role mentioned on the applicant’s Certificate of Sponsorship.
  • If the applicant plans to stay longer in the UK, they can extend their visa by 12 months.
  • The maximum time the applicant can stay in the UK on a Secondment Worker visa is 2 years.

If the applicant has spent time in the UK on a Secondment Worker visa or another visa before, they can only stay in the UK for a maximum of 5 years in any 6-year period if they have spent time on any of these visas:

  • Intra-Company Graduate Trainee visa.
  • Intra-Company Transfer visa.
  • Graduate Trainee visa (Global Business Mobility).
  • Secondment Worker visa (Global Business Mobility).
  • Senior or Specialist Worker visa (Global Business Mobility).
  • Service Supplier visa (Global Business Mobility).
  • UK Expansion Worker visa (Global Business Mobility).

The applicant can apply to extend the Secondment Worker visa if all of the following apply:

  • The applicant is still working for the employer who gave them their current Certificate of Sponsorship.
  • The applicant is still working on the same contract that the employer has with their sponsor.
  • The applicant has not reached the maximum total stay.
  • The applicant must not travel outside of the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man until a decision is received. If done so, the application will be withdrawn.
  • If the applicant changes their job/employer, it is then mandatory to apply to update the visa instead.

The applicant might be able to apply to switch to a Secondment Worker visa if they are already in the UK on a different type of visa. However, the eligibility requirements must be met.

Who cannot apply to switch?

Individuals who are currently in the UK:

  • On a Visit visa.
  • On a Short-Term Student visa.
  • On a Parent of a Child Student visa.
  • On a Seasonal Worker visa.
  • On a Domestic Worker in a Private Household visa.
  • On immigration bail.
  • Permitted to stay outside the immigration rules, for example on compassionate grounds.

The applicant is required to leave the UK and apply for a Secondment Worker visa from outside of the UK if they come under any one of these categories.

While applying for a Secondment Worker visa, the applicant will have to:

  • Pay the £259 Application fee.
  • Pay the Healthcare surcharge – this is usually £624 per year.
  • Support themselves after arriving in the UK – the applicant will need to have at least £1,270 in their bank account.

After applying online, submitting identity proofs, and providing all relevant documents, the decision will usually take:

  • 3 weeks, if applied from outside the UK.
  • 8 weeks, if applied from inside the UK.

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