Global Business Mobility Sponsor Licences
If your business wants to hire overseas talent under one of the 5 global business mobility routes your company will need a global business mobility sponsor licence to sponsor the workers.
UK Online and London-Based Immigration Solicitors and Sponsorship Licence Lawyers
For advice on global business mobility sponsor licences call the expert London immigration lawyers at OTS Solicitors on 0203 959 9123 or contact us online.
The global business mobility visa routes
Immigration solicitors advise that all 5 of the global business mobility visas are sponsored routes. The 5 visa options are:
1. The senior or specialist worker visa – this visa is for overseas-based employees who want to temporarily work in a UK company that is linked to their overseas-based employer. The visa used to be called the intra-company transfer visa. The new name emphasises the visa is for the benefit of senior employees or specialist workers
2. The UK expansion worker visa – this visa is for overseas-based companies who want to set up a UK branch of their business. The UK organisation needs to have a footprint in the UK so it can apply for the sponsor licence with the intention that the sponsored expansion workers will then expand the business in the UK. This visa used to be called the sole representative visa. However, the UK expansion worker visa has some significant differences
3. The graduate trainee visa – for overseas graduates on training programmes but the visa is akin to the senior or specialist worker visa
4. The service supplier visa
5. The secondment worker visa
Does your business meet the general eligibility criteria for a global business mobility sponsor licence?
The general eligibility criteria for a global business mobility sponsor licence are the same as for a skilled worker sponsor licence, namely:
· Your business is a genuine trading organisation
· Your business is operating in the UK (or for the UK expansion workerv1 has a footprint in the UK)
· The business has genuine vacancies that meet the relevant work visa criteria
· Your business has systems in place to manage the Home Office imposed sponsor licence duties
· The business and the owners, directors and key personnel are honest, dependable and reliable
· The business is not a threat to UK immigration control
In addition, if your business needs permission to operate the business from its trading premises then the company needs to have secured the required local authority planning approval before it applies for its sponsor licence.
Your business will not need to satisfy any minimum turnover criteria to apply for a sponsor licence. Furthermore, there is no requirement to be a registered company. Partnerships, limited liability partnerships and sole traders can apply for a sponsor licence.
If your business is international in nature, the UK branch needs to apply for the sponsor licence as the applicant must be based and operating in the UK. If your business is in the tech or digital sector with much of your operation conducted virtually then speak to our Sponsorship Licence lawyers about whether your business meets the general eligibility criteria to apply for a UK global business mobility sponsor licence.
The global business mobility sponsor licence eligibility criteria
In addition to the general sponsor licence eligibility criteria, there are some specific criteria depending on the types of workers your business plans to sponsor.
For sponsorship of all the global business mobility visa routes your business needs to be able to offer employment to sponsored workers that meet the skill-level and minimum salary threshold requirement for the specific global business mobility visa and is genuine employment.
If you are applying for a sponsor licence to sponsor a UK expansion worker then you also need to be able to show that your business has:
- A footprint in the UK
- An overseas trading presence
- The UK expansion plan is credible
- The business will be able to establish a UK presence within a 2-year timeframe
Documents needed for a global business mobility sponsor licence application
The documents needed for a global business mobility sponsor licence application depend on the type of worker your business wants to sponsor and the nature of your business.
The immigration rules and ‘Workers, Temporary Workers and Students: guidance for sponsors Appendix A’ sets out the requirements for supporting documents for sponsor licence applications and details the mandatory paperwork needed for some routes.
Applying for a global business mobility sponsor licence
Applying for a global business mobility visa sponsor licence involves the completion of an online application form and payment of the application fee. If your business wants the application to be processed quickly by a Home Office official you can also pay the Home Office an additional priority fee so your licence application is dealt with within a matter of days rather than weeks or months.
Sponsorship Licence lawyers recommend that you discuss your planned application for a sponsor licence with an immigration solicitor to obtain expert advice on the documents you will need to support your application and whether the use of the priority service will be in the best interests of the business.
The application must be supported by relevant documents. The immigration rules say that they must be provided within 5 working days of the submission of the online application. If the documents supplied are not correct then this could lead to a refusal or a delay in the application being determined.
Once the sponsor licence has been granted by the Home Office it is valid for 4 years. It is important to diary up a renewal application as without a valid sponsor licence your business cannot continue to sponsor workers on the global business mobility routes.
After the grant of the global business mobility sponsor licence, your company can apply to extend the sponsor licence to sponsor skilled workers on the skilled worker visa. This type of step is often undertaken by those applying for a licence to sponsor a UK expansion worker. That’s because once the UK expansion worker has established the company base in the UK, they then want to recruit specialist workers from overseas on a skilled worker visa or to transfer existing employees of the overseas parent company to the UK branch on senior or specialist worker visas.
How OTS Solicitors business immigration lawyers can help
At OTS Solicitors our business immigration lawyers don’t just know all about business immigration and sponsor licence law. We provide practical advice and sponsor licence management solutions. Call us to understand how we can help your business.
UK Online and London-Based Immigration Solicitors and Sponsorship Licence Lawyers
For advice on global business mobility sponsor licences call the expert London immigration lawyers at OTS Solicitors on 0203 959 9123 or contact us online.
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