Graduate Trainee visa
The Graduate Trainee visa route is for overseas workers who are undertaking temporary work assignments in the UK for a graduate training course that will lead to a senior managerial or specialist role.
The Senior or Specialist Worker visa (Global Business Mobility route) enables businesses with linked entities overseas to transfer existing employees to the UK for a specified period of time. The employee will need to be assigned to a UK business that is linked to their employer overseas to be considered for this type of visa.
The Senior or Specialist Worker visa is a category under the UK’s points-based immigration system that replaces the Intra-Company Transfer (ICT) Visa. Applications for ICT Visas are no longer accepted; however, existing ICT Visa holders are not affected. If you have questions about how this change will affect your existing visa, please contact our team.
To speak to one of our solicitors about the Global Business Mobility Senior or Specialist Worker visa route, including which option is best for your business and how to make a successful application.
This route is for senior management or specialist workers looking to transfer to a UK branch or subsidiary of their overseas employer.
To be eligible to apply for this visa, you must meet the following requirements:
Senior or specialist workers will only be able to stay in the UK for up to five years in any six-year period unless they are a high earner, in which case they can spend up to nine years in any 10-year period.
Note that this cap on UK residence includes time spent in the UK holding permission to enter or remain under a previous Intra-Company Transfer Visa.
The exact requirements you will be required to satisfy may vary depending on your circumstances, so you should speak to an immigration lawyer from the team at Latitude Law for advice.
Once an applicant is issued with a Certificate of Sponsorship by their employer, they must apply within three months for a Senior or Specialist Worker Visa. An application must be made on a specified online form.
The documents required for a UK Senior or Specialist Worker visa application include:
A granted Senior or Specialist Worker visa permits the applicant to work in the UK in the job for which they have been sponsored. Under this route, those granted permission to enter or remain from 11th April 2022 will no longer be able to undertake supplementary employment. They are permitted to undertake voluntary work and, subject to certain conditions, study in the UK.
Who's Who Legal 2024Gary McIndoe of Latitude Law "always considers all options, and makes strong recommendations so our business gets the right outcome".
Our team of business immigration solicitors has assisted many employers and skilled 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 associated with acting as a sponsor licence holder.
Thanks to our extensive knowledge of the UK’s 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.
Our team of business immigration solicitors has assisted many employers and skilled 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.
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.
Working with a law firm can be a big decision, which is why we ensure that our clients are at the heart of everything we do. We are proud to serve every client with the highest standards of professionalism.
As a boutique law firm specialising in UK-inbound immigration, our experts understand the complexity and uncertainty that constantly shifting visa and residence policies create for senior or specialist workers. Our lawyers can provide up-to-the-minute legal advice on how any changes will impact your application.
We are pleased to be recognised as a leading law firm by the following independent bodies: The Times Best Law Firms 2024, Chambers & Partners 2024, Legal 500 2024 and Who'sWhoLegal 2024. These endorsements from the international legal directories demonstrate our integrity and success in dealing with difficult cases. We are also proud of our 5-star Google reviews from over 150 satisfied clients.
As the requirements for a Senior or Specialist Worker 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 skilled 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.
Senior or specialist workers will only be able to stay in the UK for up to five years in any six-year period. If they are a high earner, they can spend up to nine years in any ten-year period.
Yes, you are able to extend your leave under this route. Howver, this is only for the maximum amount of stay permitted for your circumstances. These are for up to five years in any six-year period, or up to nine years in any ten-year period if a high-earner.
There may be an option to request a review of a refusal to grant a Senior or Specialist Worker visa. Such reviews may take some time to be decided, so it is wort contacting an immigration expert 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 that can lea to settlement form within the UK.
The Senior or Specialist Worker visa permits an applicant to bring their dependant partner and children as part of this visa. A partner or any children would be granted leave as a dependant, and their leave would be granted leave in-line with the main applicant.
It is possible to switch to another visa category form the Senior or Specialist Worker visa route. This may be a preferred option if looking to reach settlement. There may still be other options for reaching settlement if you have resided in the UK prior to moving to the Senior or Specialist Worker visa route, so you should consider contacting an immigration expert to discuss your options.
The Graduate Trainee visa route is for overseas workers who are undertaking temporary work assignments in the UK for a graduate training course that will lead to a senior managerial or specialist role.
The Expansion Worker visa route allows senior or specialist employees to temporarily work in, and expand a business’s presence to the UK. A Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) from a licensed sponsor is required to permit overseas workers to enter the UK as expansion workers.
The Service Supplier visa permits overseas workers to undertake temporary work assignments in the UK under a qualifying service contract.
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.
