UK Expansion Worker Visa - An Overview

Do you have a business overseas and want to establish a branch or subsidiary of your business in the UK? If yes, a UK Expansion Worker Visa is for you. The UK expansion worker visa is a part of the UK Global Business Mobility visa. It replaces the Representative of an Overseas Business Route and allows overseas businesses with no trading presence in the UK to come here and establish UK-based operations.

What is the UK Expansion Worker Visa?

The UK expansion worker visa allows overseas businesses that are not trading in the UK to send their senior managers or specialist employees to the UK to establish their branch or subsidiary here. This route was introduced in 2022, replacing the old sole representative visa. The difference between the two is that the sole representative visa was an unsponsored route, while the UK expansion worker visa is a sponsored route. This means that a representative of overseas business must be sponsored under the new visa.

The UK expansion worker visa lasts for a maximum of 12 months. You can apply for an extension only once for up to another 12 months. Hence, you can stay for up to 2 years only on a UK expansion worker visa.

UK Expansion Worker Visa Eligibility Requirements

You need to meet the following eligibility requirements if you want to apply for a UK expansion worker visa.

1. No Presence of Your Employer in the UK -

You must be working for an overseas company’s branch or its wholly owned subsidiary outside the UK. The company sending you to the UK must not have started trading in the UK yet.

2. Sponsor Requirement -

Your employer must obtain a sponsor licence for this category and then sponsor you to send you to the UK. 

3. Valid Certificate of Sponsorship -

You must be assigned a COS (certificate of sponsorship) from your overseas employer. This means your employer first needs to apply for and obtain a sponsor license. You will get a reference number on your COS, which you need for your visa application. You must apply for a UK expansion worker visa within 3 months of receiving COS.

4. Worked for Your Employer outside the UK -

You must have worked for your employer for at least 12 months outside the UK and be paid £48,500 or going rate, whichever is higher . However, you don’t need to meet this specific requirement if one of the following is true:

• Your income is over £73,900.
• You are a Japanese national working for a Japanese company that is looking to establish its presence in the UK.
• You are a national or permanent resident of Australia working for an Australian company that is looking to establish its presence in the UK.

5. Doing an Eligible Job -

You must do a job that appears on the list of eligible occupations. To check whether your job appears on the eligible occupation list, you need to know the 4-digit occupation code. You can ask for the 4-digit code from your employer, or you may already have gotten it on your COS. Once you have the occupation code, you can click here to see if your job appears on the list of eligible occupations.

6. Salary Requirements -

Your annual income must be at least £48,500 or the going rate for your job, whichever is higher. To check the going rate for your job, you need the occupation code. You can get the occupation code from your employer or on your COS. Once you have the occupation code, you can check the going rate for your job here.

7. Points Requirement -

You must be awarded 60 points to be eligible to apply for a UK expansion worker visa. You will get 20 points for a valid COS, 20 points for doing an eligible job, and 20 points for meeting the salary requirements.

How to Apply?

You must apply online on GOV.UK for a UK expansion worker visa. As part of the expansion worker visa application, you need to prove your identity and provide supporting documents.

To prove your identity, you may do it either through the ‘The UK Immigration: ID Check’ app or enroll your biometric information (fingerprints and digital photograph) at a visa application center. Which of these two options you can choose depends on where you are from and what type of passport you have.

 Supporting Documents

You need to submit the following documents along with the UK expansion worker visa application.

1. COS Reference Number -

You will get it on your COS assigned to you by your sponsoring overseas company.

2. Passport or other travel document -

You need to prove your identity and nationality, for which you need to submit your current passport or other valid travel document.

3. Job Title, Annual Salary, and your Job’s Occupation Code -

You need to submit these documents to prove that you have been offered a genuine job and you will be paid at least £48,500 or the going rate for your job, whichever is higher. You also need to provide your job’s occupation code.

4. Name and License Number of your Employer -

You will get this information on your COS.

5. Financial Documents -

You need to submit documents such as bank statements to prove that you can support yourself financially in the UK. Unless exempt, you must have at least a cash savings of £1,270 available in your bank account. You must have had the money available for at least 28 consecutive days within the last 31 days of the date you apply.

6. TB Test Report -

If you come from a country where taking a TB test is mandatory, you must submit a TB test certificate to prove that you are free from the disease. To check the country list, you can click here.

You may also have to submit the documents to prove that you have worked for your employer outside the UK.

You may have to submit more documents depending on your circumstances.

If your documents are not in English or Welsh, you need to get them translated into either of these two languages.

Pay the application fee and immigration health surcharge.

You need to pay the UK expansion worker visa application fee, which is £298. You also need to pay an immigration health surcharge of £1,035 per year if you are coming alone.

When Can You Apply?

You can apply for a UK expansion worker visa up to 3 months before you are going to start working in the UK.

How Long Does it Take to Get a Decision?

It should take 3 weeks if you apply from outside the UK and 8 weeks if you apply from inside the UK.

You may apply for ‘priority’ or ‘super priority’ service to get a faster decision.

What Can You Do on a UK Expansion Worker Visa?

You can do the following on a UK expansion worker visa.

• Work in the UK for your sponsor.
• Study
• Bring your spouse and children to the UK as your dependents, provided they meet the eligibility criteria.
• Do voluntary work.
• Travel outside the UK and come back.

What You Cannot Do on a UK Expansion Worker Visa?

You cannot do the following as an expansion worker in the UK.

• Apply to access public funds or state pension.
• Cannot change jobs unless you are eligible for the new job and will work for the same employer. You must update your visa for this.
• Cannot do a second job.
• Cannot apply for settlement, i.e., indefinite leave to remain in the UK.

How Can We Help?

We help overseas businesses expand to the UK with the Expansion Worker Visa. We guide the client's representative to apply to the UK for an expansion worker visa at each step. We assess your eligibility. We prepare and review all documents. We ensure compliance with UK immigration rules. We complete the application forms accurately. We liaise with UK Visas and Immigration on your behalf. We advise on the evidence required to meet requirements for having a sponsor licence and apply for the same on your behalf.

We offer you tailored solutions. We aim for smooth and fast approvals. We keep you informed all the time. We provide professional and reliable services for successful UK expansion worker visas. For any query or issue, you can call us at +44 (0)20 3411 1261.