UK Expansion Worker visa (Global Business Mobility)

At a Glance

Item	Details
Visa name	UK Expansion Worker visa (Global Business Mobility)
Stay duration	Up to 2 years maximum (12-month grants)
Application fee	£340 per person
Healthcare surcharge	Usually £1,035 per year
Personal savings	£1,270 held for 28 consecutive days
Eligibility timing	Apply up to 3 months before job start
Work rights	Sponsored job and voluntary work permitted
Study rights	Permitted
Travel facility	Multiple entry; travel abroad and return permitted
Settlement / Citizenship	Cannot lead to permanent settlement (ILR)
Family sponsorship	Eligible partner and children may apply
Visa record	Electronic Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS)

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Purpose and Overview

The UK Expansion Worker visa allows senior managers and specialist employees of overseas businesses to come to the UK to establish a branch or subsidiary of an overseas business that has not yet started trading in the UK.

If your business is already trading in the UK, apply for a Senior or Specialist Worker visa instead.

Eligibility Requirements

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

• Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS): Hold a valid electronic CoS from an approved UK sponsor. You must apply for your visa within 3 months of receiving it.
• Overseas Employment Duration: Have worked for your overseas employer outside the UK for at least 12 months, unless:
  • You earn over £73,900 per year.
  • You are a Japanese national working for a Japanese company expanding to the UK.
  • You are a national or permanent resident of Australia working for an Australian company expanding to the UK.
• Occupation: Work in an eligible job code listed in the Global Business Mobility eligible occupations.
• Salary: Be paid at least £52,500 per year or the specific occupation's "going rate" (whichever is higher), as listed in the going rates table.
• Employment Standards: The role must meet UK National Minimum Wage rules and working hour regulations.

Stay Duration and Limits

• Initial Grant: Whichever is shorter between 12 months after the job start date on your CoS, or the CoS duration plus 14 days.
• Extensions: Can be extended by up to 12 months.
• Maximum Stay: Up to 2 years on this visa.
• Cumulative Limit: Maximum of 5 years in any 6-year period across any Global Business Mobility routes (UK Expansion Worker, Senior or Specialist Worker, Graduate Trainee, Secondment Worker, Service Supplier) or legacy Intra-company routes.

Costs and Financial Evidence

Applicants must pay:

• Application Fee: £340 per person.
• Healthcare Surcharge: Usually £1,035 per year.
• Personal Maintenance Funds: At least £1,270 in personal savings, held continuously for at least 28 consecutive days ending within 31 days of applying (exempt if you have held a valid UK visa for 12+ months).

Visa Rights and Conditions

Permitted Activities

• Work for your sponsor in the role specified on your CoS.
• Study (an ATAS certificate may be required for sensitive research at PhD level or above).
• Bring eligible dependants.
• Travel abroad and return to the UK.
• Undertake unpaid voluntary work for a registered charity, voluntary organisation, associated fundraising body, or statutory body.

Prohibited Activities

• Accessing most public funds or the State Pension.
• Second jobs.
• Changing jobs without updating your visa.
• Settling permanently in the UK (indefinite leave to remain).

Family Provisions (Dependants)

Eligible partners and children under 18 (or over 18 if currently dependent) can apply to join or remain in the UK. Their visas will expire on or before your visa end date.

Dependant Financial Requirements

Unless in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months, dependants must show maintenance funds held for 28 consecutive days (within 31 days of applying):

• Partner: £285
• First child: £315
• Each additional child: £200

Dependant Conditions

• May work (except as a professional sportsperson or sports coach).
• May study.
• Cannot access public funds.

Note: Children born in the UK do not automatically gain British citizenship and must be granted dependant status to travel in and out of the UK.

Required Documents

• Valid Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) reference number, job title, annual salary, occupation code, employer name, and sponsor licence number.
• Valid passport or identity document.
• Proof of personal savings (e.g., bank statements).
• Proof of relationship for accompanying dependants.
• Tuberculosis test results (if from a listed country).
• Certified translations for documents not in English or Welsh.
• If requested: Proof of 12 months' overseas employment (payslips, sponsor-supported online payslips, or bank statements).
• If applicable: Valid ATAS certificate.

How to Apply

Applications must be made online:

1. Outside the UK: Submit the online entry clearance application.
2. Extend from inside the UK: Submit an online extension application before your current visa expires.
3. Switch from inside the UK: Submit an online switching application.
4. Update visa for job changes: If changing occupation codes with the same employer, submit an update application up to 3 months before your new job start date.

Identity Verification

You will either:

• Use the UK Immigration: ID Check app to scan your document and link it to a UKVI account, or
• Attend an appointment at a Visa Application Centre (overseas) or UKVCAS service point (inside UK) for fingerprints and photographs.

Processing Times

• Outside the UK: Usually 3 weeks.
• Inside the UK (Switch/Extend/Update): Usually 8 weeks.
• Priority processing may be purchased in eligible locations.

Important Warnings

• Travel Restrictions: If applying from inside the UK (extending, switching, or updating), you must not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man while your application is pending. Leaving will automatically withdraw your application.
• Ineligible Switching Routes: You cannot switch to this visa from within the UK if you are on a Visit visa, Short-term Student visa, Parent of a Child Student visa, Seasonal Worker visa, Domestic Worker visa, Immigration Bail, or Leave Outside the Immigration Rules.
• Student Visa Switching: Students may only switch if they have completed their course, if their job start date is after course completion, or if they have completed at least 24 months of a PhD.