Global Business Mobility · IAA-regulated advice
UK Secondment Worker Visa Advice in Birmingham & London
Being seconded to a UK organisation under a high-value contract with your overseas employer? The Secondment Worker visa lets you work on that contract in the UK for up to 2 years. We check you qualify and prepare your application, for a fixed fee agreed in writing.
Last checked 11 October 2026 · Reviewed by Vishal Gautam, IAA-regulated adviser
Overview
What is the UK Secondment Worker visa?
The Secondment Worker visa is for employees of an overseas business who are sent to work in the UK for a different organisation, as part of a high-value contract or investment between the two. You work only in the job your UK sponsor has given you, on that contract.
It’s one of the five Global Business Mobility routes, set out in Appendix Global Business Mobility of the Immigration Rules. It’s temporary: you can stay up to 2 years in a row, and it doesn’t lead to settlement.
✓This is your visa if…
- You work for an overseas business, and have worked for it outside the UK for at least 6 months
- Your employer has a contract with the UK organisation worth at least £50 million, registered with the Home Office
- The UK organisation is a licensed sponsor and will give you a certificate of sponsorship
- Your UK job is on the list of eligible occupations
→Look at another route if…
- You’re moving to a UK branch or company linked to your employerSenior or Specialist Worker →
- Your employer is setting up its first UK branchUK Expansion Worker →
- Your employer supplies a service to a UK client under a trade agreementService Supplier →
- You want a longer-term job that can lead to settlementSkilled Worker visa →
Quick check
Could you qualify? Six questions, one minute
Answer honestly. Nothing is saved or sent: this is a general guide, not advice on your case.
Do you work for an overseas business that has a contract with the UK organisation you’ll work for?Your employer will tell you if its contract makes you eligible.
Is the contract worth at least £50 million, and has the UK organisation registered it with the Home Office?If it runs for 5 years or more, it must be worth at least £10 million a year.
Have you worked for your employer outside the UK for at least 6 months in total?The months can be spread out, if you’ve worked for them continuously since the first one.
Is your UK job on the list of eligible occupations?Jobs skilled to RQF level 6 (degree level) or above, plus some health and education roles.
Do you have £1,270 in savings, or will your sponsor certify maintenance?Not needed if you’ve been in the UK with permission for 12 months or more.
Will you apply from outside the UK, or from a visa you’re allowed to switch from?You can’t switch from a visit, short-term student or seasonal worker visa, among others.
Eligibility
UK Secondment Worker visa requirements
You, your employer’s contract and your UK sponsor must all meet the requirements on the day you apply.
The high-value contract
- A contract for goods or investment between your overseas employer and your UK sponsor
- Shorter than 5 years: worth at least £50 million. No end date: at least £50 million over the first 5 years
- Registered with the Home Office by your sponsor, and named on your certificate as the contract you’ll work on
- Your job must be genuine, and not the hire of you to a third party or ongoing routine work for someone else
Your sponsor registers the contract when it applies for its licence, or before it assigns your certificate.
Your sponsor and certificate
- Your UK sponsor must be licensed for the Secondment Worker route and A-rated
- A certificate of sponsorship issued no more than 3 months before you apply
- A job start date no more than 3 months after you apply
- A job in an eligible occupation code: skilled to RQF level 6 or above, or a listed health or education role
Your sponsor pays the £55 certificate fee. There’s no Immigration Skills Charge on this route.
Work for your overseas employer
- You must be working for the overseas business that holds the contract
- You must have worked for it outside the UK for at least 6 months in total, and continuously since the start of that time
- Only certain breaks are allowed, such as parental leave, adoption leave or sick leave
- Not needed if you’re extending in the UK to keep working for the same sponsor
This was 12 months until 7 April 2026. It’s 6 months for applications made on or after 8 April 2026.
Pay and money to support yourself
- No minimum salary on this route, but your pay and hours must follow the National Minimum Wage and Working Time Regulations
- £1,270 in savings held for 28 days in a row, unless your A-rated sponsor certifies maintenance on your certificate
- No funds needed if you’ve been in the UK with permission for 12 months or more
- No English language requirement
Your partner and children need funds too, unless your sponsor certifies maintenance for them: see the FAQs.
How long you can stay
- Granted for 12 months from your job start date, or until 14 days after your job ends, if sooner
- Extend in the UK if you’re still working for the same sponsor on the same contract
- All Global Business Mobility and Intra-Company time counts towards a limit of 5 years in any 6
- You can only work in your sponsored job (plus voluntary work), and you can’t claim public funds
This visa doesn’t lead to settlement. To settle, you’d need to move to a route that does, such as Skilled Worker.
Documents
Secondment Worker visa documents: the easy part
Most of the paperwork is straightforward. Refusals come from the details: the certificate, the contract it names and proof of your overseas work.
What everyone needs
- Your passport or other travel document
- Your certificate of sponsorship reference number
- Your job title, occupation code and your sponsor’s licence number
- Proof you’ve worked for your employer outside the UK, if asked
- £Proof of savings, unless your sponsor certifies maintenance
- Proof of your relationship, if family are applying with you
Plus a TB test if you’re coming from a listed country, an ATAS certificate if your sponsor says you need one, and certified translations of anything not in English or Welsh.
Costs & timeline
Secondment Worker visa cost and processing time
The Home Office fee is £340, plus the health surcharge of £1,035 for a 12-month visa. Most decisions take about 3 weeks from outside the UK and 8 weeks in the UK.
| Home Office application fee | £340 |
| Immigration Health Surcharge12-month visa; £1,552.50 if it runs over a year | £1,035 |
| Home Office total, per applicantbefore savings, TB test and translations | £1,375 |
| Home Office application feeextending or switching | £340 |
| Immigration Health Surcharge12 months at £1,035 a year | £1,035 |
| Home Office total, per applicantbefore savings, TB test and translations | £1,375 |
Home Office fees from the fees table in force from 8 October 2026 and the health surcharge from GOV.UK, checked 11 October 2026. Your partner and children each pay the same £340 fee; the surcharge is £776 a year for children under 18. Your sponsor pays the £55 certificate fee. You may be able to pay for a faster decision. Our consultation fees →
Contract and certificate
Before you applyYour sponsor registers the contract with the Home Office and assigns your certificate of sponsorship.
Apply and prove your identity
Up to 3 months before you startOnline application, fee and surcharge paid, then the ID check app or a visa centre appointment.
Decision
Usually within 3 weeks from outside the UKIn the UK, usually within 8 weeks. You’ll be told if it will take longer.
Extend
Up to 2 years in totalApply in the UK before your visa ends, if you’re still on the same contract with the same sponsor.
What next
Before your visa endsLeave the UK, or switch to another route, such as Skilled Worker, if you meet its requirements.
Avoid a refusal
Common Secondment Worker visa refusal reasons
Most refusals come down to the certificate, the contract or the evidence. These are the issues we check first.
A contract that doesn’t qualify
The contract must be registered with the Home Office and worth at least £50 million, or £10 million a year if it runs 5 years or more.
We check: your certificate names the right registered contract.
Too little time with your employer
You need 6 months’ work for the overseas business outside the UK, and only certain breaks are allowed.
We check: your employment dates and breaks before you apply.
The wrong occupation code
The code must be eligible and fit the job. A code that doesn’t match what you’ll do can lead to refusal.
We check: the code matches the work you’ll actually do.
A role that looks like labour supply
The Home Office refuses if the job is really the hire of you to a third party, or ongoing routine work for someone else.
We check: how your role is described on your certificate.
Savings not shown properly
Unless your sponsor certifies maintenance, you need £1,270 held for 28 days in a row, ending within 31 days of applying.
We check: your bank evidence, or your sponsor’s certification.
Earlier time on similar visas
Time on any Global Business Mobility or Intra-Company visa counts towards the limit of 5 years in any 6, and can shorten your stay.
We check: your immigration history and how long you’ll get.
How we help
Our Secondment Worker visa services
Choose a one-off consultation, or let us handle your application from start to finish for a fixed fee.
Eligibility consultation
We check your employment, the contract and your job against the Rules, and tell you plainly about any risk.
Document review
We check your certificate details, overseas work and funds evidence before you apply.
Full application
We prepare and submit your application, and your family’s, with a cover letter that sets out how you qualify.
Extension or next route
We help you extend, or move to another route such as Skilled Worker if you qualify.
Our scope: we’re regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority at Level 1. If you’re refused, we explain your options, including administrative review, and refer you to a solicitor or higher-level adviser where your case needs a higher level of advice.
FAQs
Secondment Worker visa questions, answered
Can I use this visa to move to a UK company in my own group?
This route is for doing a job for a different organisation, under a high-value contract between your employer and that organisation. If you’re moving to a UK branch or company linked to your employer, look at the Senior or Specialist Worker route instead.
What counts as a high-value contract?
A contract for goods or investment between your overseas employer and your UK sponsor, worth at least £50 million. If it runs for 5 years or more, it must be worth at least £10 million a year; if it has no end date, at least £50 million over the first 5 years. Your sponsor must register it with the Home Office.
Is there a minimum salary?
No. There’s no general salary threshold or going rate on this route. But your pay and working hours must follow UK minimum wage and working time rules, or the application will be refused.
Can I bring my family?
Yes. Your partner and children under 18 can apply as your dependants, and can work (except as a sportsperson or sports coach) and study. Unless your sponsor certifies maintenance for them, they need £285 for a partner, £315 for one child and £200 for each other child, held for 28 days.
Can I extend or change my job?
You can extend in the UK, up to 2 years in a row, if you’re still working for the same sponsor on the same contract. If your job changes to a different occupation code with the same sponsor, you must apply to update your visa first. You can’t take a second job.
Can I switch to this visa from inside the UK?
Sometimes, if you meet all the requirements, including 6 months’ work for your overseas employer outside the UK. You can’t switch if you’re here as a visitor, short-term student, seasonal worker, domestic worker in a private household or parent of a child student, on immigration bail, or with permission outside the Rules.
Can I settle in the UK on a Secondment Worker visa?
No. It isn’t a route to settlement. If you want to stay longer, you may be able to switch to a route that leads to settlement, such as Skilled Worker, if you meet its requirements.
What happens if my application is refused?
Refusals on this route carry administrative review, not an appeal: a check of the decision for a caseworking error. We explain your options, and refer you on where your case needs a higher level of advice.
Related routes
Other Global Business Mobility routes
Senior or Specialist Worker
Transfer to a UK business linked to your employer.
Read more →UK Expansion Worker
Set up your employer’s first UK branch.
Read more →Service Supplier
Deliver a service contract under a trade agreement.
Read more →Global Business Mobility licence
For UK organisations that sponsor these workers.
Read more →Ready when you are
Secondment, sorted.
Book a consultation, or start with the free quick check on this page.