Global Business Mobility — Senior or Specialist Worker

The Global Business Mobility - Senior or Specialist Worker route is the UK's intra-company transfer visa, replacing the old Intra-Company Transfer route in 2022. It lets multinational employers move existing staff into a linked UK branch, subsidiary or group entity to fill a senior managerial or specialist role.

Unlike the Skilled Worker visa, this route is built for established employees rather than external hires. You must already work for the overseas business, and the UK entity must hold a Global Business Mobility sponsor licence. It does not lead directly to settlement, which makes it distinct from sponsored work routes - though time spent here can later be combined with a Skilled Worker visa.

In the 2026 landscape, the route remains the standard mechanism for global firms staffing UK projects, banking secondments and technology rollouts. The minimum salary threshold is £48,500 or the going rate for the occupation, whichever is higher. Assignments can run up to five years (nine years for high earners), giving companies a flexible tool to deploy talent without competing in the resident labour market.

You must have worked for the overseas linked business for at least 12 months before transfer, unless you earn £73,900 or more, in which case the 12-month requirement is waived. The role must sit at job skill level RQF 6 (graduate level) or above and appear on the eligible occupation list.

The sponsoring UK entity must hold a valid Global Business Mobility licence and be genuinely linked to your overseas employer by common ownership or control. Salary must meet £48,500 or the occupational going rate. You also need to prove you can support yourself with at least £1,270 in savings, unless your sponsor certifies maintenance, and meet standard tuberculosis testing and criminal record requirements depending on nationality.

Step 1: Confirm your UK group entity holds a Global Business Mobility sponsor licence and that your role qualifies as senior or specialist.

Step 2: Your UK sponsor assigns you a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) through the Sponsorship Management System. This electronic record contains your job details, salary and assignment dates, and has a unique reference number.

Step 3: Within three months of the CoS being assigned, complete the online application on GOV.UK, selecting the Senior or Specialist Worker route. Pay the application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge.

Step 4: Verify your identity - most applicants use the UK Immigration: ID Check smartphone app to scan their passport, while others attend a visa application centre to give biometrics.

Step 5: Upload supporting documents: proof of 12 months' overseas employment, evidence of the corporate link, and savings evidence if maintenance is not certified.

Step 6: Await a decision. Once approved, collect your visa and access your digital immigration status (eVisa) before travelling. Register with the Police only if your visa vignette instructs it.

Expect the application fee of around £719 for assignments up to three years and £1,420 for longer assignments, charged per applicant. The Immigration Health Surcharge is £1,035 per year of visa validity, payable upfront. Sponsors pay a separate licence fee but, importantly, the Immigration Skills Charge does not apply to Senior or Specialist Worker transfers - a meaningful saving compared with the Skilled Worker route. Budget for the optional priority service (£500), document translation, and tuberculosis testing where required. A five-year assignment for one person can therefore exceed £6,500 in Home Office charges alone.

Applications made from outside the UK are typically decided within three weeks once biometrics are provided. In-country extensions and switches usually take up to eight weeks under standard service. A priority service can compress this to five working days, and a super-priority service to one working day, subject to availability. Processing can slow if documents proving the corporate link or overseas employment history are incomplete, so front-loading evidence is the single best way to avoid delays.

On arrival you may work only for your sponsoring employer in the role described on your Certificate of Sponsorship. You can take supplementary employment of up to 20 hours a week in an eligible occupation and do voluntary work. You may bring dependent partners and children, and they can work and study.

Crucially, time on this route does not count towards Indefinite Leave to Remain. If settlement is your goal, you must switch into the Skilled Worker visa, which is permitted from within the UK. Under the 2026 Immigration White Paper proposals, the qualifying period for settlement is set to extend from five to ten years for most routes, so plan your switch and timeline carefully with your employer.