Can I Apply for A UK Service Supplier Visa?

The UK Service Supplier Visa allows employees of overseas service providers, and self-employed professionals based overseas, to come to the UK temporarily to deliver a service contract covered by one of the UK's international trade agreements. This guide explains who is eligible, what the UK sponsor needs, the documents, the application steps and the fees.

What Is The UK Service Supplier Visa?

The Service Supplier visa is one of the Global Business Mobility (GBM) routes. It replaced the contractual service supplier and independent professional parts of the old Tier 5 (Temporary Worker – International Agreement) route in April 2022. It is a sponsored route: the UK business receiving the service must hold a sponsor licence and assign you a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS).

Overview of The Visa Category

There are two types of applicant:

• Contractual service suppliers: employees of an overseas service provider that has a contract to supply services to the UK sponsor;
• Independent professionals: self-employed service providers based overseas.

Depending on the trade agreement, you can stay for up to 6 or 12 months per assignment. The route does not lead to settlement.

Legal Basis Under International Agreements

The rules are in Appendix Global Business Mobility – Service Supplier of the Immigration Rules. The service must be covered by a UK trade commitment that is in force or being provisionally applied. These include the World Trade Organization's General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, the UK-Switzerland services mobility agreement, the free trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand, the CARIFORUM-UK Economic Partnership Agreement, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the UK-India Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement. The Home Office publishes a list of eligible trade agreements and service sectors on GOV.UK.

Who Is Eligible to Apply?

Eligibility depends on your nationality or residence, the trade agreement covering the service, your skills and experience, and your UK sponsor.

Nationality and Country Requirements

You must usually be a national of the country where the overseas service provider is based. Some agreements are wider. For example, under the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement any EU national can qualify, and permanent residents of Switzerland, Australia and New Zealand can qualify under those countries' agreements. Under CPTPP, access depends on your nationality and on whether you are a contractual service supplier or an independent professional.

Each agreement only covers certain service sectors, so check the published list with your sponsor before applying. Under the UK-India agreement, visas for Indian traditional chefs, classical musicians and yoga instructors are capped at 1,800 a year.

Skills, Qualifications and Experience

You can meet the skill requirement in one of two ways:

• Option A: the job is in an occupation code listed as eligible for the GBM routes (in most cases graduate level); or
• Option B: you hold a university degree or an equivalent technical qualification (some sectors, such as fashion and modelling or entertainment, have different rules), any professional qualifications or registrations needed to provide the service in the UK, and at least 3 years' professional experience in the sector (6 years if you are self-employed).

You must also be currently working as or for the overseas service provider and have done so outside the UK for a cumulative 12 months. You must be aged 18 or over.

Employer or Sponsor Eligibility

The UK business receiving the service must hold a sponsor licence for the Service Supplier route and be A-rated (unless you are extending with the same sponsor). The contract must be registered with the Home Office, and the sponsor can only assign a CoS to workers coming to fulfil that contract.

According to the Home Office sponsor guidance, the overseas service provider must have no commercial presence in the UK, and the contract must last no more than 12 months and have been awarded through open tendering or another procedure that guarantees it is genuine. The sponsor must be the final consumer of the service; it cannot supply you as labour to another organisation.

Key Eligibility Requirements

Salary

There is no general salary threshold or going rate on this route. Your pay must comply with the National Minimum Wage and the Working Time Regulations.

English Language

There is no English language requirement for the Service Supplier visa.

Maintenance Funds

You must have at least £1,270 in savings, held 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. Dependants need £285 for a partner, £315 for the first child and £200 for each additional child.

Criminal Record and Suitability

The Home Office can refuse your application under Part Suitability of the Immigration Rules, for example for criminal convictions or for giving false information. You must declare any convictions honestly on the application form.

Required Documents for Application

You will usually need:

• a valid passport or travel document;
• your CoS reference number;
• evidence of your nationality or permanent residence where the trade agreement requires it;
• evidence of your qualifications and professional experience if you are relying on Option B;
• evidence of your maintenance funds, unless your sponsor certifies maintenance;
• 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.

Documents not in English or Welsh need a certified translation.

Application Process Step-by-Step

1. Your sponsor registers the contract with the Home Office (if it has not already done so) and assigns you a CoS.
2. Apply online on GOV.UK using the Global Business Mobility form, within 3 months of the CoS being assigned. The job start date must be no more than 3 months after you apply.
3. Pay the application fee and Immigration Health Surcharge (if it applies).
4. Prove your identity, either with the UK Immigration: ID Check app or at a visa application centre, and upload your documents.

You will usually get a decision within 3 weeks outside the UK and 8 weeks inside the UK. You may be able to pay for a faster decision. If you are successful you will get an eVisa, which you access through your UKVI account. If you are refused, you can apply for an administrative review.

Visa Fees and Additional Costs

Faster decision services are available in some locations for an extra fee. Check the current fees on GOV.UK before you apply.

How Long You Can Stay

You can stay for up to 12 months if you are covered by a relevant commitment in the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, the UK-Switzerland agreement, the UK-Australia agreement, CPTPP or the UK-India agreement, and up to 6 months in all other cases. Your permission will not go beyond 14 days after the job end date on your CoS.

You can return for further assignments, but your total time on the Global Business Mobility and Intra-Company routes cannot exceed 5 years in any 6-year period. You can work only for your sponsor on the registered contract (plus voluntary work), and you cannot take a second job, claim public funds or apply for settlement on this route. Your partner and children can apply to join you.