Ensured visa-free entry for workers across complex group of companies

This case study explores how Latitude Law prepared and managed a high volume of business visitor submissions for UK in-bound workers across a complicated set of inter-connected European-based companies.

The Challenges Faced

The Spanish and Slovakian based group of companies were sub-contracted by their UK branch as part of a wider scheme to build two different installations in the UK. The complex issue was whether the workers would be able to satisfy the requirements of the business visitor rules, specifically in relation to Permitted Activities – ‘Manufacturing and Supplying of Goods’ to a UK based company. This is less straightforward where the overseas entity is the supplier but not the manufacturer of the equipment being installed.

How Latitude Law Helped

Having reviewed the contracts for each project between the linked companies (sub-contractors), the contractor (non-UK based company) and the beneficiary of the project (UK based company), our legal arguments were focused on the fact that the European Economic Area (EEA) national workers would satisfy the business visitor rules because the ‘manufacture’ and ‘supply’ of services by the Spanish & Slovakian companies was for the overall benefit of a UK based company.

The Outcome

Latitude Law assisted Spanish & Slovakian business entities linked to our UK corporate client in relation to their EEA employees entering the UK as business visitors to undertake permitted activities. As such, groups of employees have been able to enter the UK without difficulty at the border. The client has peace of mind in relation to potential reputational, as well as operational, risks of such visa-free entry.