UK Expansion Worker Visa Application

What is UK Expansion Worker visa?

The UK Expansion Worker visa is designed for overseas businesses that wish to establish a branch or subsidiary in the United Kingdom. This visa category sits within the Global Business Mobility route.  It allows eligible senior managers or specialist employees to come to the UK temporarily to set up and grow the business. If your business is already trading in the UK, you should apply for a Senior or Specialist Worker visa instead.

Who Can Apply for a UK Expansion Worker visa?

To qualify for a UK Expansion Worker visa, you must:

• Be employed by an overseas business that is planning to expand into the UK.
• Have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship issued by your employer, who must hold a sponsor licence for this route.
• You must be paid at leas t£52,500 per year or the ‘going rate’ for your job, whichever is higher.
• Have worked for your overseas employer for at least 12 months, unless exempt (for example, high earners earning over £73,900 annually or a Japanese national doing work for a Japanese company that is expanding to the UK; or a national or permanent resident of Australia doing work for an Australian company that is expanding to the UK).

How long you can stay in the UK on a UK Expansion Worker visa?

You can apply for the visa up to 3 months before the day you are due to start work in the UK.

You can stay in the UK with a UK Expansion Worker visa for whichever is shorter of:

• 12 months from the start date of the job on your certificate of sponsorship the time given on the certificate of sponsorship plus 14 days.
• If you want to stay longer in the UK, you can extend your visa by 12 months. The maximum time you can stay in the UK on a UK Expansion Worker visa is 2 years.

You can only stay in the UK for a maximum of 5 years in any 6 year period if you have spent time on any of these visas:

• Intra-company Graduate Trainee visa
• Intra-company Transfer visa
• Graduate Trainee visa (Global Business Mobility)
• Secondment Worker visa (Global Business Mobility)
• Senior or Specialist Worker visa (Global Business Mobility)
• Service Supplier visa (Global Business Mobility)
• UK Expansion Worker visa (Global Business Mobility)

Can I bring my family on a UK Expansion Worker visa?

Yes, you spouse, your civil partner, your unmarried partner or your children can apply to join you in the UK as your dependants if they are eligible. You need to provide evidence of your relationship to your dependant.