The Tier 2 ICT route - otherwise known as an Intra-Company Transfer - is mainly available to companies who intend to move their employee from overseas branch to a UK Branch.
You can apply for Tier 2 (Intra Company Transfer) visa if you have been offered a job role by your overseas employer in UK branch of the organization and you are from outside EEA and Switzerland.
The eligibility conditions which are the following:
- Your employer has issued you a valid Certificate of Sponsorship;
- You must be paid an ‘appropriate salary’ as on the Occupational Codes;
- You must show with documents that you have enough savings to support yourself financially when you arrive in the UK – or the maintenance is certified by the sponsor;
- If you are from a listed country then you need to have tuberculosis test results; and
- You must show you have worked for your employer outside the UK for at least 12 months.
You must have confirmed job in the UK and you must receive a certificate of sponsorship from your employer to be able to apply for Tier 2 Intra Company Transfer visa. Your employer must also be a licensed sponsor in order to provide you a Certificate of Sponsorship.
Types of Intra Company Transfer Visa
The two types of Tier 2 ICT categories are –
- Long-term staff
- Graduate Trainee
You can apply Long term staff visa if you are transferring into a role for which it requires you to have had previous work experience in the company for more than 12 months unless your employer will pay you £73,900 or more a year to work in the UK.
Graduate Trainee visa is applicable if you are transferring into graduate trainee programs for specialist roles such as a specialist research or IT role. You need to have a recent degree level or above qualification with a minimum of 3 months experience with your employer overseas.
You can apply for the visa up to 3 months before you are going to start your work in the UK. You can find this date mentioned on your certificate of sponsorship. After you apply from outside the UK, you should get a decision on your visa application generally within 3 weeks.
How long you can stay?
The maximum length of time you can stay in the UK on your Tier 2 Intra Company Transfer is as follows:
- For long-term staffs having an income of more than £120,000, the maximum time length allowed to stay in the UK is 9 years.
- For long-term staffs having an income of less than £120,000, the maximum time length allowed to stay in the UK is 5 years, 1 month.
- Graduate trainees can stay for a maximum 12 months.
However, you can stay in the UK for the maximum time allowed as mentioned above or the time is given on your certificate of sponsorship, whichever is shorter. You can start living in the UK up to 14 days before the start date on your certificate of sponsorship.
What you can do and what you cannot do?
You can do following:
- You can do the job described in your certificate of sponsorship for your sponsor.
- Along with your main job you can also do a second job in the same profession and at the same level as your main job for up to 20 hours per week.
- You can do voluntary work.
- You can study unless it interferes with the job you are sponsored for.
- You can travel abroad and return to the UK.
- You can bring your family members to the UK with you.
You cannot do the following:
- You cannot have access to public funds.
- You cannot start working before your application is approved.
...
