Global Business Mobility · IAA-regulated advice
Senior or Specialist Worker Visa Advice in Birmingham & London
Come to your employer’s UK business for a temporary assignment, as a senior manager or specialist. We check that you and the job qualify, review your evidence 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 a Senior or Specialist Worker visa?
A Senior or Specialist Worker visa lets you come to the UK, or stay here, for a temporary assignment with a UK business linked to your employer overseas. It’s often called an intra-company transfer, and it replaced the Intra-company Transfer visa.
It’s one of the five Global Business Mobility routes in the Immigration Rules. You need a certificate of sponsorship from the UK business, a graduate-level job and a salary of at least £52,500. The route doesn’t lead to settlement.
✓This is your visa if…
- You work for a business whose linked UK company is licensed to sponsor you
- You’ve worked for the group outside the UK for 12 months, or you’ll be paid £73,900 or more
- The UK job is at graduate level and pays at least £52,500, or the going rate if higher
- You’re coming for a temporary assignment, not to settle
→Look at another route if…
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.
Is the UK business linked to your employer, and licensed to sponsor Senior or Specialist Workers?Linked means common ownership or control, or a joint venture.
Have you worked for the group outside the UK for 12 months in total, or will you be paid £73,900 or more?The 12 months can be split up, if you’ve worked for the group without a break since they began.
Is the UK job at graduate level (RQF 6 or above) and on the list of eligible occupations?Your employer can tell you the job’s 4-digit occupation code.
Will you be paid at least £52,500 a year, and the going rate for the job?Only guaranteed basic pay and certain allowances count.
Will you work for the linked UK business itself, not be placed with its clients?You can’t be hired out to a third party or used for routine contract work.
Can you show £1,270 in savings, or will your employer cover your first month?Not needed if you’ve been in the UK with permission for 12 months or more.
Eligibility
Senior or Specialist Worker visa requirements
You must meet every requirement on the day you apply. Some depend on your employer, so we check both sides.
Your employer and sponsorship
- The UK business is licensed by the Home Office to sponsor Senior or Specialist Workers, and gives you a certificate of sponsorship
- It’s linked to your overseas employer by common ownership or control, or by a joint venture
- The job is genuine, and you’re not being hired out to a third party or used to provide an ongoing routine service for another business
- Your employer pays the certificate fee and any Immigration Skills Charge, and must not pass them on to you
Is the UK business not licensed yet? It must get a sponsor licence before it can sponsor you.
Your work for the group overseas
- You work for the group now
- Unless you’re a high earner, you’ve worked for the group outside the UK for at least 12 months
- The 12 months can be built up over any period, as long as you’ve worked for the group without a break since it began
- Only some breaks are allowed, such as statutory family leave, sick leave and jury service
You may be asked for payslips or bank statements covering the 12 months.
The job and your salary
- The job’s occupation code is on the list of eligible occupations for the Global Business Mobility routes
- You don’t need a degree yourself, but the work must be at graduate level
- Guaranteed basic pay counts, plus guaranteed allowances such as London weighting or a mobility premium. Accommodation allowances count up to 30% of the package
- Bonuses, overtime, employer pension contributions and benefits in kind don’t count
Each occupation code has its own going rate, adjusted for your weekly hours. Your employer must choose the code that fits the job.
Money, health and English
- £1,270 held for 28 days in a row, ending within 31 days of applying, unless your employer certifies maintenance on your certificate
- No need to show funds if you’ve been in the UK with permission for 12 months or more
- A TB test certificate if you’re applying from a listed country
- No English language requirement on this route
Family members applying with you need their own funds, unless your employer covers them too.
Length of stay and conditions
- Each visa lasts for the job on your certificate plus 14 days, up to 5 years
- Time on all Global Business Mobility and Intra-Company visas counts towards the total
- You can work only in your sponsored job, plus voluntary work. You can study, but can’t claim public funds
- The route doesn’t lead to settlement
Had an Intra-Company Transfer visa before 11 April 2022, or a Tier 2 one before 6 April 2011? Different rules on second jobs, salary or time limits may apply: ask us.
Documents
Senior or Specialist Worker visa documents: the easy part
The document list is short. Refusals come from what sits behind it: the job, the pay and your employment history.
What everyone needs
- Your passport or other travel document
- Your certificate of sponsorship reference number
- Your job title, occupation code and salary
- Proof of your work for the group overseas, if asked
- £Proof of your savings, unless your employer covers you
- Proof of your relationship, for family applying with you
Plus a TB test if you’re applying from a listed country, an ATAS certificate if your employer says you need one, and certified translations of anything not in English or Welsh.
Costs & timeline
Senior or Specialist Worker visa cost and processing time
From outside the UK, the Home Office fee is £819 for a visa of up to 3 years, plus the health surcharge of £1,035 for each year. Most decisions from outside the UK take about 3 weeks.
| Visa fee, up to 3 years£1,618 for more than 3 years | £819 |
| Immigration Health Surcharge3-year visa, at £1,035 a year | £3,105 |
| Home Office total, per applicant3-year visa, before TB test and translations | £3,924 |
| Visa fee, up to 3 years£1,865 for more than 3 years | £943 |
| Immigration Health Surcharge3-year visa, at £1,035 a year | £3,105 |
| Home Office total, per applicant3-year visa, before TB test and translations | £4,048 |
Visa fees from the Home Office fees table in force from 8 October 2026, and the surcharge from GOV.UK, checked 11 October 2026. Each family member pays the same fee and the surcharge too (£776 a year for children under 18). The surcharge is charged for each year of the visa you’re given, with part-years of 6 months or less charged at half. Your employer pays the certificate of sponsorship fee (£525) and the Immigration Skills Charge (£1,320 for the first year for medium or large employers, £480 for small employers and charities). Our consultation fees →
Certificate of sponsorship
Before you applyYour employer assigns your certificate. Apply within 3 months of getting it, and no more than 3 months before your start date.
Apply and prove your identity
Week 0Online application, fee and surcharge paid, then the ID check app or a visa centre appointment.
Decision
Usually within 3 weeks from outside the UKAbout 8 weeks if you apply in the UK to extend or switch. You may be able to pay for a faster decision.
Extend or update
Up to your time limitExtend in the same job with the same employer, or apply to update your visa if your job moves to a different occupation code.
Time limit
5 years in any 69 years in any 10 if you’re paid £73,900 or more. To settle in the UK, you’d need to switch to a route that leads to settlement, such as Skilled Worker.
Avoid a refusal
Common Senior or Specialist Worker visa refusal reasons
Most problems come from the job, the pay or the dates. These are the issues we check first.
12 months that don’t add up
Unless you’re paid £73,900 or more, you need 12 months’ work for the group outside the UK, with no breaks in your employment except those the Rules allow.
We check: your employment dates before your employer assigns the certificate.
Pay that doesn’t count
Bonuses, overtime, benefits in kind and most allowances don’t count towards £52,500 or the going rate, and hours over 48 a week don’t count towards £52,500.
We check: which parts of your package count, and that it clears both tests.
The wrong occupation code
The Home Office can refuse if it thinks a less suitable code was chosen, for example one with a lower going rate.
We check: the code against the real duties of the job.
Client placements
You can’t be hired out to a client, or used to provide an ongoing routine service for another business.
We check: how the assignment is set up, before you apply.
Not enough time left
Earlier time on any Global Business Mobility or Intra-Company visa counts towards the 5 years in any 6. If you’ve used it up, you can’t be granted more.
We check: your past visas and work out the longest visa you can get.
Switching when you can’t
You can’t switch to this visa in the UK from a visitor, short-term student, seasonal worker or domestic worker visa, or while on immigration bail.
We check: whether you can apply here or must apply from abroad.
How we help
Our Senior or Specialist 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 job, salary, overseas work and time limit against the Rules, and tell you the risks.
Evidence review
We check your certificate details, employment history and funds 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.
Extensions and next steps
We help you extend, update your visa for a new job, or move to a route that leads to settlement.
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
Senior or Specialist Worker visa questions, answered
Can I bring my family on a Senior or Specialist Worker visa?
Yes. Your husband, wife, civil partner or unmarried partner, and your children under 18, can apply as your dependants. Each pays the visa fee and health surcharge, and may need to show funds: £285 for a partner, £315 for the first child and £200 for each other child. They can work (except as a sportsperson or coach) and study.
Do I need to pass an English test?
No. There’s no English language requirement on this route, for you or your family.
What changes if I’m paid £73,900 or more?
You’re treated as a high earner. You don’t need 12 months’ work for the group overseas, although you must work for the group when you apply, and you can stay up to 9 years in any 10 instead of 5 in any 6. The salary is worked out on no more than 48 hours a week.
Can I extend my visa?
Yes, in the UK, if you’re in the same job and occupation code with the same employer, and haven’t reached your time limit. If your job moves to a different occupation code, you apply to update your visa with a new certificate of sponsorship.
Can I switch to this visa from inside the UK?
Usually yes, if you meet all the requirements, including the 12 months’ work for the group overseas. You can’t switch from a visitor, short-term student, Parent of a Child Student, seasonal worker or domestic worker visa, from permission outside the Rules, or while on immigration bail. Students must usually have finished their course.
Does this visa lead to settlement?
No. Time on this route doesn’t count towards settlement as a Skilled Worker or on other points-based routes. If you want to stay long term, you may be able to switch to the Skilled Worker visa in the UK, if you meet its own salary, skill and English rules.
Can I take a second job?
Usually not. You can work in your sponsored job, do unpaid voluntary work and study. Limited extra work is allowed only if you had an Intra-Company Transfer visa before 11 April 2022 and have stayed on this route since.
How long does a decision take?
Usually within 3 weeks if you apply from outside the UK, and about 8 weeks in the UK. You can apply up to 3 months before your start date, and you may be able to pay for a faster decision.
Related routes
Other Global Business Mobility options
Graduate Trainee visa
UK placement on a graduate training programme.
Read more →UK Expansion Worker visa
Set up your employer’s first UK branch.
Read more →Skilled Worker visa
A sponsored job that can lead to settlement.
Read more →Global Business Mobility licence
For employers: get licensed to sponsor.
Read more →Ready when you are
Transfer, sorted.
Book a consultation, or start with the free quick check on this page.