UK Tier 2 (Intra-Company Transfer) Visa Solicitors

The Intra-company Transfer visa is now closed to new applications. It has been replaced by the Senior or Specialist Worker visa (Global Business Mobility).

If you are in the UK on an Intra-company Transfer visa, you may be able to renew your visa, switch to a different type of visa or apply for indefinite leave to remain in the UK (if you qualify).

Please contact our award-winning immigration lawyers in London to discuss your options by calling 0203 959 9123 or using our simple online enquiries form.

Read about the Intra-company Transfer visa

The following information is now out-of-date and retained for general information purposes only.

Our immigration solicitors understand the UK Visas and Immigration office requirements for obtaining a Tier 2 (Intra-Company Transfer) visa.  We know that international corporations often need to move swiftly to transfer employees to the UK, whether it be to set up a new branch or oversee a specific project.

If you need an efficient, effective immigration law service, our immigration lawyers will provide it.

The immigration team at OTS Solicitors is led by Teni Shahiean, who has been recognised in the Legal 500 and by the Law Society of England and Wales for her in-depth knowledge of both Employment and Immigration law.

At OTS Solicitors, we listen to our clients.  We want to understand the commercial ambitions and objectives of your organisation, so we can support your Tier 2 (Intra-Company Transfer) visa applicant and get them into the UK so they can hit the ground running.

By engaging our immigration lawyers, you can be assured of top-quality service, tailored to your organisation’s requirements.

All about the UK Tier 2 (Intra-Company Transfer) visa

There are four types of intra-company transfer visas:

• Long-term staff – for those who will be transferred for more than 12 months to fulfil a position in the UK that cannot be done by a UK resident
• Short-term staff – for placements of less than 12 months, where the job cannot be fulfilled by a new UK staff member
• Graduate trainee - for transfers into graduate trainee programmes for specialist roles
• Skills transfer -  for transfers that allow people to gain skills and knowledge needed to perform their role overseas, or to pass on their skills to UK colleagues

To be eligible for an intra-company transfer, you will need to have a Certificate of Sponsorship from a licensed sponsor.  You will also need to be offered an ‘appropriate’ salary and have £945 in savings.

If the organisation sponsoring you has an A-rated Sponsorship Licence you will be exempt from the savings requirement.

Appropriate salary

Applicants must prove to UK Visas and Immigration that they will be paid an appropriate salary by their employer.  As of August 2016 the rates were as follows:

• Long-term Staff applicants - at least £41,500 or the ‘appropriate rate’ for the role (whichever is higher)
• Short-term Staff, Graduate Trainee or Skills Transfer applicants - at least £24,800 or the ‘appropriate rate’ (whichever is higher)
• staff already in the UK on a Tier 2 (Intra-company Transfer) visa or work permit issued before 6 April 2011 - at least the ‘appropriate rate’, which will depend on the particular sector applicable to the position

The ‘Genuine Vacancy’ test – what employers need to know

From 6 November 2014, applications for leave to enter and remain in the Tier 2 (General) and Tier 2 (Intra-Company Transfer) categories have been subject to several subjective genuineness tests.

UK Visas and Immigration officials have the power to refuse entry clearance to Tier 2 (Intra-Company Transfer) visa applicants if:

• the role is not a genuine vacancy (unless the applicant is applying in the Graduate Trainee or Skills Transfer sub-categories)
• the applicant is not appropriately qualified to do the job in question

If UK Visas and Immigration has doubts about the genuineness of the vacancy or the applicant’s qualifications to do the job, they may request that the sponsor provide additional information to quell their concerns.

Our immigration lawyers will assist you at the beginning of the application to ensure that the process for applying for an intra-company transfer visa is not delayed due to questions surrounding ‘genuineness’.

Bringing family members to the UK on a Tier 2 (Intra-Company Transfer) visa

You can bring your spouse or partner with you to the UK along with any children under 18 years.

Unless you have an A-rated sponsor who states that they will support you for the first month you are in the UK, you will need to show evidence of at least £630 in savings for each of your dependents.  These funds need to be present in your bank account at least 90 days before you arrive in the country.

Let our immigration lawyers help you

Teni and her team are committed to assisting individuals and organisations with the movement of staff between different company locations.  We understand how important it is for successful businesses to have the freedom to transport skills and labour to the UK when it is needed, and the advantages in terms of skills transfer and being able to place the right staff in the right positions.

Let our immigration solicitors assist you with applying for a Tier 2 (Intra-Company Transfer) visa.  We make the process easy and cost-effective, so you can get on with business.

To discuss applying for a Tier 2 (Intra-Company Transfer) visa, please feel free to contact our UK immigration solicitors on 0203 959 9123. We will gladly assist you in your application and dealings with UK Visas and Immigration.