The Service Supplier Visa falls under the broader category of ‘Global Business Mobility’ Visa. It allows UK businesses to employ overseas service providers and self-employed independent professionals to come to the UK to complete temporary work assignments as part of a qualifying service contract.
* The Service Supplier Visa replaces the Contractual Service Suppliers and Independent Professionals routes under the temporary worker – international agreement category.
A service supplier visa is a form of work visa which allows overseas providers to enter the UK on a temporary basis to complete a work contract with a licensed UK based company. This contract must fall under one of the UK’s international trade agreements. This visa route does not lead to permanent residence (settlement) in the United Kingdom; permission is typically given for 12 months.
To qualify, you must be either self employed or working for an overseas service provider, and you may need to demonstrate that you have the financial means to support yourself (assuming your sponsor is not covering maintenance costs).
Your service supplier visa can be granted for the duration of your certificate of sponsorship plus 14 days, or for a maximum of 12 months.
To be eligible to apply for a business visa under the Service Supplier route, applicants must:
In addition to the above requirements, jobs that qualify for a Service Supplier Visa must be skilled at a minimum of RQF Level 6 and are identified as eligible for global business mobility. The Home Office provides a list of eligible occupations for a global business mobility visa. If your role is not listed, it may still be possible to apply in this route. A degree or equivalent technical qualification is normally required, alongside at least 3 years’ relevant work experience. However, in some sectors the rules are different. Notably:
Under the Service Supplier Visa, visa holders will not be permitted to take a second job in the UK. They can undertake voluntary work or a course of study and are able to travel to and from the UK during their granted leave.
If an application is successful, the contractual service supplier will be able to enter the UK initially for up to a year initially,, with the option to extend their stay by a further year. However, a visa holder can only stay in the UK under this visa for a maximum of 5 years in any 6-year period.
You’ll need to provide certain documentation through your online service supplier visa application. To begin with, there are some primary documents you’ll need every time:
On top of that, there are some other supporting documents you might need in some cases:
To apply for a UK service supplier visa, you first need to ensure you meet all eligibility requirements and that you’ll be able to gather all the necessary documents. These documents include your certificate of sponsorship, valid passport, job details and proof of employment.
From here, you can choose to work with expert immigration solicitors to assist and manage the application process, increasing your chances of success drastically.
In terms of the actual application, you should use the online service supplier visa application.
The service supplier visa application fee is £319, and you’ll also need to pay for the ‘Immigration Health Surcharge, which is £1035 per year.’
Whilst not direct application fees, you’ll also need to demonstrate that you have sufficient funds to support yourself during your stay in the UK.
Service Supplier Visa can initially be granted for a period of between 6 and 12 months, depending on the trade agreement that is relevant to the visa.
Yes, you are able to extend your leave under the Service Supplier Visa route. You can extend under this route for a further route between 6 and 12 months. However, you are subject to a maximum cumulative period of 5 years in any 6 year period.
There may be an option to request a review of a refusal to grant a Service Supplier visa. Such reviews may take some time to be decided, so it is worth contacting an immigration expert, such as Latitude Law to discuss your options.
The Senior or Specialist Worker visa is not a route to settlement. You are able to switch to other visa routes, such as Skilled Worker, that can lead to settlement from within the UK.
The Service Supplier visa permits an applicant to bring their dependent partner and children as part of this visa. A partner or any children would be granted leave as a dependent, and their leave would be granted leave in-line with the main applicant.
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Our immigration solicitors can assist and manage the visa and immigration process for overseas service suppliers to ensure they are able to undertake a temporary assignment in the UK. We can also help UK employers to obtain the right sponsor licence, maintain their licence and comply with their sponsor duties.
Our team of business immigration solicitors has assisted many employers and sponsored workers across a variety of industries to gain permission to work in the UK through Global Business Mobility routes.
This includes helping UK employers to obtain a Home Office sponsor licence, and maintain their licence by ensuring compliance with the strict requirements, duties and responsibilities as a sponsor licence holder. Our approach is to understand your business needs and ensure you have the right immigration procedures in place.
Thanks to our extensive knowledge of immigration rules, we are able to provide pragmatic advice and meet our clients’ needs. We have connections with the Home Office and other immigration authorities so we can advise you with confidence, and ensure the entire immigration procedure runs smoothly and efficiently for you.
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Call us today on 0300 131 6767 or fill out our enquiry form and we will get straight back to you. Let our legal experts take the uncertainty out of your Service Supplier visa application so you can start your successful immigration journey today.
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Our commitment to client care is reflected in over 200 five-star Google reviews, showcasing the trust and satisfaction of those we've helped. Whether you're navigating a challenging immigration matter or seeking strategic legal advice, you can be confident you're in expert hands.
As the requirements for a Service Supplier visa are complex, to ensure success, you should seek specialist advice from an immigration solicitor before you proceed with an application. Latitude Law’s specialist lawyers can advise you about your individual requirements and ensure that the conditions of your sponsored work are compliant with the very latest immigration rules.
Get in touch with our legal team today on 0300 131 6767 or fill out our enquiry form and we will get straight back to you. Face your future knowing you have the dedicated support of one of our expert lawyers.
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The Secondment Worker visa permits overseas workers to take up temporary work assignments in the UK where the employee is being seconded to the country as part of a high-value contract or investment by their overseas employer.
The Business Visitor visa is for individuals who wish to enter the UK in order to undertake permitted short-term business-related activities. As the business visitor visa route falls within the standard visitor visa category, business visitors will only be permitted to travel to the UK for short periods e.g. a maximum period of 6 months.
A Skilled Worker visa is open to individuals wanting to work in the UK who have been offered an eligible job by an employer with an approved Sponsor Licence.
