WH Solicitors
Global Mobility
The Secondment Worker visa is intended for overseas workers who are taking up a temporary work position in the UK as part of a high-value contract, investment, or project. This is a brand-new visa scheme that was launched by the Government alongside reforms to other types of Global Mobility Visa.
There are strict entry requirements for anyone who wishes to apply for a Secondment Worker visa. This makes it even more important to put forward the strongest possible application with supporting evidence to demonstrate exactly why you qualify and how you’ll be an asset to your employer and the organisation you’ll be on secondment to.
This guide explains more about the Global Business Mobility: Secondment Worker visa. Read on to learn more about how the experienced WH Solicitors team could help you to file a successful visa application.
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H2: What is the Global Business Mobility Visa Scheme?
On 15 March 2022, the UK Government launched a new set of visa schemes under the revised points-based immigration system. The Global Mobility visa scheme was established at this time, and provides skilled workers with a variety of routes to enter and work in the UK for a temporary period.
H2: Global Business Mobility Visa –Requirements for Secondment Workers
To qualify for a Global Business Mobility – Secondment Worker Visa, you will need to show that you meet the relevant requirements. You must:
- Get a valid Certificate of Sponsorship from a UK employer with a sponsor licence from the Home Office.
- Have been approved for a secondment to a UK business or organisation that has a contract with your overseas employer for the work that you will do.
- Have worked for your overseas employer, or a member of the same business group, for at least 12 months before making an application.
- Have been sponsored for a job that is on the government’s list of eligible occupations.
- Be paid at least the minimum eligible salary for the role you are taking.
- Be able to show that you have sufficient funds to maintain yourself when you come to the UK.
H2: Getting a Certificate of Sponsorship
To get approved for a Secondment Worker visa, you will need a valid Certificate of Sponsorship from a UK business that has received a sponsorship licence from the Home Office. The sponsorship certificate will provide details of the work that you will do whilst in the UK, and show that your overseas employer is connected to the secondment business by common ownership or control.
In some cases, the Home Office may consider whether there is a genuine need for the job described in the Certificate of Sponsorship. They may also wish to investigate the sponsor’s history with the immigration system to determine whether they are likely to comply with the relevant rules including those relating to pay and working conditions for migrant workers.
H2: Visa Conditions
Once you have been approved for a Secondment Worker visa, you will be able to stay in the UK for the shorter of either a period of 12 months, or for a maximum of 14 days longer than the date shown on your sponsorship certificate.
Whilst in the UK, you will be permitted to work for your sponsor in the job that is described on your certificate of sponsorship, start an educational course and study, bring your dependant partner, spouse or children to the UK if they are eligible, undertake voluntary or charity work, and travel overseas and return to the UK.
Secondment Worker visa holders are not permitted to do the following:
- apply for public funds, most benefits, or the State Pension;
- change to another job without updating their visa;
- take on a second job;
- apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain to stay in the UK permanently.
H2: How We Can Help
WH Solicitors is a specialist immigration law practice that offers expert advice and practical help that allows businesses and individual migrants to navigate the UK legal system. We make it easy for clients to apply for a visa and assist companies as they apply for a sponsorship licence.
For a personal, professional approach to immigration law, contact our expert team today by calling (+44) 01483 608 786 or by emailing contact@whsolicitors.co.uk.
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Secondment Worker Visa
FAQs
Yes, all Global Business Mobility visa routes require sponsorship from an employer with a valid sponsorship licence. You will not be able to gain leave to remain as a secondment worker without a valid certificate of sponsorship.
When applying for a Secondment Worker visa, you will usually need to pay:
- the £259 application fee; and
- the healthcare surcharge for each year of your stay in the UK.
You will also need to show that you have enough money to support yourself and any dependants when you come to the UK.
If you will not be coming to the UK on secondment for a project or major contract, you will need to apply for leave to remain under another visa category and will not be able to attain a valid certificate of sponsorship.
Applications for a Secondment Worker visa can be made up to 3 months before the day you intend to start work in the UK. This date should be listed on your certificate of sponsorship.
Once your application has been submitted, it could take up to three weeks for a decision to be made if you are applying from outside the UK, or 8 weeks if you’re already in the country.
The contents of this webpage are provided for informational purposes only and are not intended to constitute legal advice. All information is correct as of the date of publication, and any individual or organisation should be careful to seek qualified advice from a specialist immigration lawyer before acting on any of the topics referenced by this content.
WH Solicitors
Innovator Founder Visa
Innovator Founder Visa: Who Can Apply and What’s Involved
Want to launch a new business in the UK? An Innovator Founder Visa may be the answer, but the application process is complex. Find out what’s involved here
The Innovator Founder Visa is a visa that provides a legal right of entry for experienced business people and entrepreneurs who want to establish a company in the UK.
The Eligibility Requirements for an Innovator Founder Visa
Applicants for an Innovator Founder Visa must have a viable, scalable, and original business idea. You don’t need a prescribed level of funds to invest, but the concept must be supported by a business plan that an approved body has endorsed.
In reality, any new business needs the support of investors to get off the starting block, and this provision should appear in the business plan. There are also some personal financial requirements.
Visa applicants must have played a significant role in the creation and development of the idea and plan to have a hands-on role in the day-to-day management of the business.
What are the Specific Application Criteria for an Innovator Founder Visa?
Applicants must be at least eighteen years of age. You must have an endorsement letter from an approved UK endorsing body that has reviewed your business plan and covers specific points. These include: –
- The endorsing body has no concerns over the origin of any funds invested in the business
- There is no evidence to suggest that the applicant or their business may benefit from illicit or unexplained wealth
- There is a business plan in place
- The applicant has either generated the business idea or made a significant contribution to it
- The applicant will have a daily role in starting and developing the business.
- The applicant will have a minimum of two Contact point meetings with the endorsing body at set and regular intervals.
- The applicant either founded the business or is a vital player in the founding team.
- The applicant is a fit and proper person to receive an endorsement as an Innovator Founder.
- The business idea is innovative, viable, and scalable.
The letter of endorsement must not be issued more than three months before the date of the visa application. There are also English language requirements and financial criteria.
If you have been in the UK for under twelve months or are outside the UK, you must have at least £1,270 to support yourself plus other sums for a partner and any children. You may also have to provide a TB test certificate.
Applying for an Innovative Founder Visa
The business must have an established business plan, but it must not be actually trading. If the company is already trading, other visas, like the Skilled Worker Visa or the UK Expansion Worker Visa, may be more appropriate.
Applications are made online, and how you apply depends on whether you are already in the UK.
Are You Thinking About Applying for an Innovator Founder Visa?
The UK is a great place to develop a new business with a dynamic, diverse, and creative commercial sector that happily embraces new ideas and concepts. However, applying for an Innovator Founder visa is complex and challenging, even if you have a good grasp of English.
Navigating the visa regulations in the UK can be daunting. Using an immigration expert takes the strain out of the process, leaving you free to focus on what really matters – the business.
WH Solicitors, the First Choice for Innovator Founder Visas
WH Solicitors are specialists in immigration visas for entry to the UK. Our friendly and approachable team has helped many new start-ups and entrepreneurs enter Britain and gain a foothold on the first rung of the commercial ladder.
Why Use WH Solicitors?
WH Solicitors are experts in immigration into the UK, including Innovator Founder visas and the broader commercial landscape for new businesses arriving in Britain. Our team and approachable, friendly, and speaks a language you’ll understand plus, our fees are transparent, with no hidden extras.
Here’s how we can help.
- Review your circumstances with an initial consultation to check that you can satisfy the general eligibility requirements of the Immigration Rules for an Innovator Founder visa, a stipulation laid down by the endorsing bodies
- Conduct a concept assessment meeting to strength test your business idea and see if it is suitable to go forward to an endorsing body
- Introduce you to one or more of the UK endorsing bodies
- Offer strategic advice and guidance to support the initial consultation with an endorsing body before the proposal is considered in detail
- Prepare the Innovator Founder Visa application with the appropriate evidence and documentation and submit it to the Home Office
- Continue to offer support during the three years after visa approval to the point that you are granted Indefinite Leave to Remain
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can you stay in the UK on an Innovator Founder Visa?
You can stay for three years and bring your partner and children to join you in the UK. Holders of Innovator Founder visas can progress to settlement or Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) once the three years have expired.
What are the English language requirements to apply for an Innovator Founder Visa?
Applicants for an Innovator Founder Visa must be proficient in English to at least CEFR (the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) Level B2.
What are the personal financial requirements to apply for an Innovator Founder Visa?
As well as a sum of £1,270 to support yourself, a requirement if you are outside the UK or have been in the UK for less than twelve months, you will need £285 for a dependent partner and £315 for a first child and £200 for every subsequent child.
What is the application fee for an Innovator Founder Visa?
The current fee is £1,191 if you apply from outside the UK or £1,486 if you switch to this category from within the UK. You will also need to pay the healthcare surcharge and a fee of £1,000 plus VAT to the relevant body to endorse your business plan.
Contact WH Solicitors for expert and practical advice from our friendly and approachable team of immigration experts. As you launch your business in the UK, we are your partner, making the process easy to understand and less daunting. Our rates are affordable and transparent, with no hidden extras.
The contents of this webpage are provided for informational purposes only and are not intended to constitute legal advice. All information is correct as of the date of publication, and any individual or organisation should be careful to seek qualified advice from a specialist immigration lawyer before acting on any of the topics referenced by this content.