UK Visas

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UK Visas

A number of visa routes exist for overseas business founders and entrepreneurs to travel to the UK to set up a company. There is also an option for senior employees of a company headquartered overseas to come to the UK to oversee the start-up of a new branch.

Consider the options early on to avoid surprises and to ensure choices down the line, such as residence, are not ruled out.

A standard visitor visa allows you to come here for a business activity, but it does not allow you to work. There can be a grey area between the two.

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Most common types of UK visas

For hiring outside the UK, make sure your UK business has a sponsor licence. These applications fall under Long-term work visas, an employed route. The sponsor licence comes with different sub-categories – the ones commonly used when hiring non-UK employees are the Skilled Worker visa and Senior or Specialist Worker visa.

Representative of an Overseas Business visa come under the Other work visas and exemptions category.

Investor, business development and talent visas category include:

  • Innovator Founder visa
  • Global Talent visa

Skilled Worker visa

A Skilled Worker visa allows you to come to or stay in the UK to do an eligible job with an approved employer. This visa has replaced the Tier 2 (General) work visa.

To qualify for a Skilled Worker visa, you must:

  • work for a UK employer that’s been approved by the Home Office as a sponsor
  • have a ‘certificate of sponsorship’ (CoS) from your employer with information about the role you’ve been offered in the UK
  • do a job that’s on the list of eligible occupations
  • be paid a minimum salary – how much depends on the type of work you do and the date you got your CoS

You must be able to speak, read, write and understand English. You’ll usually need to prove your knowledge of English when you apply.

Your visa can last for up to 5 years before you need to extend it. You’ll need to apply to extend or update your visa when it expires or if you change jobs or employer. You can apply to extend your visa as many times as you like as long as you still meet the eligibility requirements. After 5 years, you may be able to apply to settle permanently in the UK (also known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’). This gives you the right to live, work and study here for as long as you like, and apply for benefits if you’re eligible.

https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa

Senior or Specialist Worker visa (Global Business Mobility)

It allows you to come to or stay in the UK to do an eligible job at your employer’s UK branch.

This visa has replaced the Intra-company Transfer visa, previously the Tier 2 (Intra-company Transfer) Long-term Staff visa. Staff visa.

To qualify for a Senior or Specialist Worker visa, you must:

  • be an existing employee of an organisation that’s been approved by the Home Office as a sponsor
  • have a ‘certificate of sponsorship’ from your employer with information about the role you’ve been offered in the UK
  • do a job that’s on the list of eligible occupations
  • be paid at least £48,500 for an Intra-company Transfer visa

You can stay in the UK for whichever is shorter of the time given on your certificate of sponsorship plus 14 days OR 5 years OR the length of time that takes you to the maximum total stay allowed.

The maximum total stay allowed is 5 years in any 6 year period if you’re paid less than £73,900 a year OR 9 years in any 10 year period if you’re paid more than £73,900 a year.

https://www.gov.uk/senior-specialist-worker-visa

Representative of an Overseas Business visa

You can apply as a representative of an overseas business if you’re an employee of an overseas newspaper, news agency or broadcasting organisation posted on a long-term assignment to the UK.

If you’re a representative of an overseas business planning to set up its first UK branch, apply for a UK Expansion Worker visa (Global Business Mobility) instead.

To be eligible for this visa you must have enough money to support yourself without help from public funds and meet the English requirement.

https://www.gov.uk/representative-overseas-business/eligibility

Innovator Founder visa

If you’re a more experienced entrepreneur with an innovative, viable, scalable business idea – try the Innovator Founder visa route.

You can apply for an Innovator visa if:

  • you want to set up and run an innovative business in the UK – it must be something that’s different from anything else on the market
  • your business or business idea has been endorsed by an approved body, also known as an endorsing body. They will provide you with an endorsement letter if your business is eligible

You must also meet the English language requirement, be at least 18 years old and be able to prove that you have enough personal savings to support yourself while you’re in the UK.

You can apply to settle permanently in the UK (also known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’) if you’ve lived in the UK for 3 years and meet the other eligibility requirements.

https://www.gov.uk/innovator-founder-visa

Global Talent visa

You can apply for a Global Talent visa to work in the UK if you’re a leader or potential leader in one of the following fields: academia/research OR arts and culture OR digital technology.

You can only apply for a Global Talent visa once you have successfully applied for an endorsement to prove that you are a leader or potential leader. You must also be at least 18 years old.

https://www.gov.uk/global-talent

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