Hiring international talent under the Global Mobility visa scheme offers brilliant opportunities, both for the employer and employee, but it comes with essential considerations that need to be taken on board before diving into this process.
First, it is important to understand what the Global Mobility visa is, what it offers, and what restrictions may be associated with it. At a glance, this visa route offers a path to transfer international workers to UK businesses, which may be as part of overall business expansion, or to transfer talent with key skills to meet gaps in the local talent pool.
There are several sub-categories of the Global Mobility visa that respond to different employment circumstances and come with individual conditions, but overall, the Global Mobility visa acts as a replacement for the now discontinued Intra-Company transfer visa. Notably, it is important to consider that employment and immigration routes under this visa are generally intended to be temporary and don’t offer a direct pathway towards permanent residence for the sponsored worker, meaning that this visa focuses more directly on flexible and needs-based skills and employment management while offering temporary opportunities for career advancement for the workers.
Understanding the Available Routes Under the Global Mobility Visa
The Global Mobility visa is divided into several sub-categories that cater to different types of personnel transfer or employment conditions. Among the most prevalent routes are the Senior or Specialist Worker visa and the UK Expansion Worker visa, but there are also options via the Secondment Worker visa, the Service Supplier visa, and the Graduate Trainee visa.
When utilising via the Global Mobility visa, it is important to understand how these categories differ from one another and which pathway may be the correct choice, as there will be different requirements and restrictions associated with each individual Global Mobility visa pathway.
However, for any of these routes, the job offer must comply with all UK fair employment laws, pay appropriate wages for the nature of work, adhere to workplace regulations and worker protections, and generally qualify as a genuine employment opportunity. While individual visa routes offer different maximum stay durations, the total length offered via any of the Global Mobility visas is 5 years in a 6-year period and sometimes up to 9 years in a 10-year period.
Senior or Specialist Worker Visa
The Senior or Specialist Worker visa is an immigration and hiring route that focuses on employees with special skills or experience who are needed at the company’s UK branch. It requires workers to have already been employed with an international branch of this company for at least a year, unless certain wage minimums are met.
This route may allow for stays of up to 5 years in a 6-year period or up to 9 years in a 10-year period.
UK Expansion Worker Visa
The UK Expansion Worker visa is specifically directed at overseas business owners or key personnel to come to the UK to set up a new branch of their business. This requires previous engagement with the overseas branch of said business for at least 12 months, unless certain wage minimums are met. It may also differ for businesses from certain locations, such as if a business is expanding to the UK from Japan.
Generally, this visa route is fairly short, allowing for only 12 months, though it might offer up to two years.
Secondment Worker Visa
The Secondment Worker path of the Global Mobility visa covers workers from an overseas employer coming to the UK on a high-value contract. This is only available to certain eligible job categories and requires a contract that’s worth at least £50 million.
This visa route offers 12 months with up to 2 years in general.
Service Supplier Visa
The Service Supplier visa is available to international employees or self-employed professionals to undertake work in the UK if their services are eligible under a UK international trade agreement.
To be eligible, employees must have been with their employers for at least a year, while self-employed individuals need a minimum of 12 months of experience.
This visa may offer either 6 months or a year, depending on the circumstances of the work carried out.
Graduate Trainee Visa
The Graduate Trainee visa route caters specifically towards employees who are participating in a graduate training programme for a specialist or manager position. To be eligible, trainees must have been working with their overseas employer for a minimum of three months prior.
This visa route permits about 12 months of residence in the UK.
Sponsorship Licence Applications, Reporting Duties and Compliance
As with any employment-based visa in the UK, individuals applying for the Global Mobility visa will need to be sponsored by their employer, which means that to hire talent via this immigration route, a business will need to follow the required steps to become an officially licensed UK sponsor.
To become a licensed sponsor, a business will need to meet certain requirements and establish a functional and dedicated HR system that will allow it to adequately manage and oversee any sponsored employees. It is important that this is well maintained and that records are kept and updated throughout the employee’s time with the company. Meeting reporting duties will be a key factor for compliance and will determine the continued eligibility to sponsor and hire international workers.
As the Global Mobility visa involves employments with faster turnaround rate due to the limited durations, it can mean that there is additional pressure placed on the reporting duties and general sponsorship management, as each new sponsored employee will need to be represented adequately and reported on, while the hiring process will involve essential steps such as ensuring that all requirements and right to work conditions are met and that an appropriate Certificate of Sponsorship is issued and maintained.
It is important to stay up to date on policy changes and to ensure that any sponsored roles continue to meet the genuine job and salary requirements that are specific to the visa pathway that’s linked to them
Title: What Executives Need to Know About Global Mobility Visas
Description: The Global Mobility visa offers nuanced immigration routes for international personnel transfer and hiring, but it is important that employers understand the associated duties.
