The UK Expansion Worker visa allows employees of an overseas company that is not currently trading in the UK to establish a branch or subsidiary in the country. It replaced the 'Sole Representative of an Overseas Business visa' as part of the Global Worker Mobility Visa UK's 2022 amendment to the immigration rules.

In order to qualify for the UK Expansion Worker Visa, an applicant must hold a senior manager or specialist job. Nevertheless, this visa should not be confused with the Senior or Specialist Worker Visa under the Global Business Mobility routes. The main difference between the two is that the UK Expansion Worker caters specifically to the establishment of new branches of foreign multinational corporations that have not yet begun operations in the United Kingdom.

The primary difference between the previous Representative of an Overseas Business visa and the new Expansion Worker visa is that applicants must be sponsored by their overseas employer. This indicates that the overseas employer must have a sponsor license in order to offer a Certificate of Sponsorship to the overseas worker who comes to the UK.



Eligibility Requirements for the UK Expansion Worker Visa

There are a few eligibility requirements that must be met for individuals to obtain the UK Expansion Worker Visa, and start setting up a UK branch of their established overseas business, namely:

• Applicants must hold and present a Certificate of Sponsorship from their employer.
• Applicants must have worked for their employing company for no less than 12 months prior to arriving in the UK.
• Applicants must have a profession that is among the list of qualifying professions.
• Applicants must receive the minimum required salary for their position.

Applying for the Sponsor Licence

Businesses of all sizes can benefit from the Global Business Mobility Visa routes if they have an established trade presence outside the United Kingdom and a substantiated connection to a UK-based company.

For a UK company to obtain its Sponsor License and initiate its business plans, it must satisfy the following requirements:

• The company must have an established presence in the UK, wherein the company has a footprint in the United Kingdom that can be demonstrated by a physical location in the UK or a registration number at the Companies House in the UK.
• The company must not engage in business activities in the UK before receiving the Sponsor License. However, it must already be operational and trading overseas for at least three years.
• The company must demonstrate to the Home Office its capabilities to successfully expand its operations into the UK and finance its development by providing a credible business plan reflecting its growth strategy.
• The company must have business connections with an overseas establishment providing in-demand employees.
• The company must hire essential employees who are rightly qualified to manage the Sponsor License.
• The company must be capable of meeting the duties and responsibilities affiliated with the Sponsor License.

Previous Employment Requirement

Applicants must have worked for the overseas company for a minimum of 12 months before the application date unless they are high earners earning at least £73,900 per year. The 12-month period may be accumulated over time if specific requirements are met.

Eligible Occupation requirement

This expansion worker route has a required minimum skill level. Not all positions are eligible for sponsorship. Sponsors will need to consider the occupations of the migrants and whether or not they are listed in Appendix Skilled Occupations for the respective routes. This route has a minimum skill level that must be met. Not every role is eligible for sponsorship.

Minimum Salary requirement

Applicants must demonstrate an annual salary of at least £42,400 or the going rate for the position, whichever is higher. Applicants must consider their occupation code in order to establish the appropriate salary for the route.

The minimum salary for an Expansion Worker Visa is £42,400 or the going rate for their position (whichever is the higher amount). This includes basic salary and any guaranteed additional allowances. The going rate is the average gross salary for the job role in the UK.

No English Language Requirement

There is no English language requirement for the UK Expansion Worker route. 

Financial Requirement

Applicants must demonstrate they have a minimum of £1,270 in their bank accounts to prove they can support themselves upon arrival in the United Kingdom. They must have had these support funds in their bank account for at least 28 days previous to applying. Individuals who have been in the UK for 12 months or longer may not need to meet this requirement.

Dependant family members

As Expansion Worker visa holders, they bring their dependant family members with them to the UK. The dependent family members include their:

• husband, wife, civil partner, or unmarried partner
• child under the age of 18
• child over the age of 18 if they are dependent on them and not living a fully independent life

Expansion Worker Visa extension

The holder of an Expanded Worker visa may extend their stay for an additional 12 months, up to a maximum of 2 years. To be eligible for an extension, applicants must demonstrate they are still in the same position they held when they previously applied for an Expansion Worker Visa (i.e. the same occupation code and employer).

Right to settlement in the UK

There is no direct route from an Expansion Worker visa to settle in the UK. While there is no settlement option for the Global Business Mobility Visa, individuals intending to settle in the UK may apply for a different visa type. Visas leading to ILR include the following:

• Skilled Worker visa
• UK Innovator visa
• UK start-up visa
• Scale-up visa
• Global talent visa
• Family visa (e.g. spouse visa)

After 5 years of residence in the UK, most individuals with a qualifying visa will be eligible to apply for Indefinite Leave (ILR). With visas such as the Global Talent visa, it is possible to get ILR after only 3 years. Once they have ILR, they can then apply for British citizenship after a further 1 year.

UK Expansion Worker is a route for businesses that do not have a person based in the UK who can establish the business and make a sponsor license application. It allows the overseas business to send a worker to the UK to do this. It is open to the UK business, once established, to apply for a Global Business Mobility and Skilled Worker sponsor license to sponsor workers in the UK on a more long-term basis. It is permissible for UK Expansion Workers to switch to become Skilled Workers from within the UK.



For expert advice and assistance in relation to applying for or managing a sponsor license in either the UK Expansion Worker or Skilled Worker route, please contact us at 0203 865 6219 or leave a message.