Can I Apply for A UK Secondment Worker Visa?

The Secondment Worker Visa lets an employee of an overseas business come to the UK temporarily to work on a high-value contract or investment between their employer and a UK business. This guide explains who qualifies, what the UK sponsor needs, the costs, how to apply and how long you can stay.

Overview of The UK Secondment Worker Visa

The Secondment Worker visa is one of the five Global Business Mobility (GBM) routes, alongside Senior or Specialist Worker, Graduate Trainee, UK Expansion Worker and Service Supplier. The GBM routes are for overseas workers coming to the UK on a temporary work assignment. None of them lead to settlement.

What Is The Secondment Worker Visa?

The route is for workers who are being seconded to the UK as part of a high-value contract for goods or investment between their overseas employer and a UK business. Unlike the Senior or Specialist Worker route (which replaced the Intra-Company Transfer route), the UK business and the overseas employer do not have to be part of the same corporate group; the contract links them.

The rules are in Appendix Global Business Mobility – Secondment Worker of the Immigration Rules. A dependent partner and children can apply to come with you.

Who Is It For?

It is for existing employees of an overseas business that has an eligible contract with the UK sponsor, where the employee needs to work in the UK on that contract. For example, an engineer employed by an overseas manufacturer might be seconded to the UK customer that is buying equipment under a qualifying contract.

Key Differences from Other UK Work Visas

This table compares the Secondment Worker visa with two other common sponsored routes, using figures from GOV.UK and the Home Office sponsor guidance.

If you want to stay longer or change employer, you may be able to switch from inside the UK to another route, such as Skilled Worker, if you meet all of that route's requirements.

Basic Eligibility Requirements

To qualify you must be sponsored by a licensed UK sponsor, work in an eligible job, meet the overseas work requirement and show that you can support yourself.

Nationality and Location Restrictions

There is no nationality restriction. If you are outside the UK you must get entry clearance before you travel. You can apply from inside the UK to switch into this route, unless you are in the UK as a Visitor, Short-term Student, Parent of a Child Student, Seasonal Worker or Domestic Worker in a Private Household, or with permission granted outside the Immigration Rules.

Age and Qualification Criteria

You must be aged 18 or over. There is no set qualification requirement. The job must instead be in an occupation code that is eligible for the Global Business Mobility routes (in most cases this means graduate level, RQF level 6). The sponsor must choose the most appropriate occupation code, and the caseworker can consider whether you have the skills and experience to do the job.

English Language Proficiency

There is no English language requirement for the Secondment Worker visa.

Sponsor and Employment Conditions

Your UK employer must hold a sponsor licence for the Secondment Worker route and assign you a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS).

Requirements for The UK Sponsor

The sponsor must be licensed for the Secondment Worker route and must be A-rated on the register of licensed sponsors (unless you are extending your stay with the same sponsor). Since April 2024, sponsor licences no longer need to be renewed.

The sponsor must register the qualifying contract with the Home Office and can only assign a CoS to workers coming to fulfil that specific contract. New contracts must be approved by the Home Office before any CoS is assigned in connection with them.

The High-Value Contract or Investment

The contract for goods or investment between the UK sponsor and the overseas business must be worth at least £10 million per year and no less than £50 million overall. In practice:

• a contract lasting less than 5 years must be worth at least £50 million;
• a contract of 5 years or more must be worth at least £10 million per year;
• a contract with no end date must be worth at least £50 million over its first five years.

The job must not amount to hiring you out to a third party, or to doing an ongoing routine role or service for a third party.

Minimum Employment Period with Overseas Employer

You must currently work for the overseas business that holds the registered contract, and you must have worked for it outside the UK for a cumulative period of at least 6 months. The 6 months can be built up over any period, provided you have worked for that business continuously since the start of it. Breaks for statutory family leave, sick leave, jury service and a few other listed reasons are allowed.

You do not need to meet this requirement again if you are extending your stay with the same sponsor.

Job and Salary Requirements

Eligible Job Roles and Skill Level

The job must be in an occupation code listed as eligible for the Global Business Mobility routes in Appendix Skilled Occupations. The Home Office publishes a table of eligible occupations and codes on GOV.UK. Your sponsor should check the code with you before assigning the CoS.

Salary Requirements

Unlike the Skilled Worker and Senior or Specialist Worker routes, there is no general salary threshold or going rate for the Secondment Worker route. Your pay must comply with the National Minimum Wage and the Working Time Regulations.

Genuine Vacancy Requirement

The Home Office must be satisfied that the job exists, is not a sham and has not been created mainly so that you can get a visa. You must genuinely intend, and be able, to do the role.

Application Process Overview

You apply online on GOV.UK once your sponsor has assigned your CoS.

Where and How to Apply

1. Get your CoS reference number from your sponsor. You must apply within 3 months of the CoS being assigned, and the job start date must be no more than 3 months after you apply.
2. Complete the online Global Business Mobility application form and pay the fees.
3. Prove your identity, either using the UK Immigration: ID Check app or by giving your fingerprints and photo at a visa application centre, depending on your nationality and passport.
4. Upload or provide your supporting documents.

Fees

• Application fee: £340 per person.
• Immigration Health Surcharge: usually £1,035 per year. It is not payable for a visa of 6 months or less applied for from outside the UK.

Timeline for Decisions

You can apply up to 3 months before your job starts. Decisions are usually made within 3 weeks if you apply from outside the UK and 8 weeks from inside the UK. You may be able to pay for a faster decision.

If your application is approved, you will get an eVisa, which you access through your UKVI account. Physical biometric residence permits are no longer issued. If your application is refused, you can apply for an administrative review.

Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) Details

The CoS must confirm your name, that you are being sponsored as a Secondment Worker, the details of the job and which of the sponsor's registered contracts you will work on. It must not have been used in a previous application that was granted or refused, or have been withdrawn or cancelled.

Required Documents and Evidence

You will usually need:

• a valid passport or travel document;
• your CoS reference number;
• evidence that you have held at least £1,270 for 28 consecutive days, ending no more than 31 days before you apply, unless your A-rated sponsor confirms on the CoS that it will maintain you up to that amount, or you have been in the UK with permission for 12 months or more;
• a tuberculosis test certificate if you are applying from a country where the test is required;
• an ATAS certificate, if your CoS says one is needed;
• evidence of your relationship to any partner or children applying with you.

The Home Office may also ask for evidence of your employment with the overseas business, such as payslips. Documents not in English or Welsh need a certified translation.

Visa Duration, Extensions, and Settlement

Initial Stay Length and Extensions

Permission is granted for the shortest of:

• 12 months from the job start date on your CoS;
• 14 days after the job end date on your CoS;
• the date you reach 2 years' continuous permission as a Secondment Worker;
• the date you reach 5 years' permission on the Global Business Mobility and Intra-Company routes in any 6-year period.

You can extend by up to a further 12 months, to a maximum of 2 years on this route. You must apply before your current permission expires, with a new CoS.

What You Can and Cannot Do

You can work in the job you are sponsored for, do voluntary work and study (subject to ATAS). You cannot take a second job, change jobs without a new application, claim public funds or apply for settlement on this route.

Family Members

Your partner and children under 18 can apply as your dependants. Unless an exemption applies, they must show funds of £285 for a partner, £315 for the first child and £200 for each additional child, in addition to your own £1,270.