How Long Is the Global Business Mobility Visa Valid for in the UK?
We know it can be confusing to understand the new Global Business Mobility route since there are 5 different subcategories attached to this overarching visa type, but we’re the experts, and this is what we do, so we’re here to help. In this post, we provide information about what this visa is, what it has replaced, who is eligible as well as how long it is valid for in the UK.
What is the Global Business Mobility Visa?
Well, it hasn’t always been known as this because the Global Business Mobility Visa replaced the old Tier 2 ICT Visa, which is now no longer recognised. You may still see the term ICT visa being used, but the correct and most up-to-date term used for this type of visa is Global Business Mobility.
The Global Business Mobility Visa, or GBM for short, is a combined category of five discrete, sponsored routes for overseas businesses seeking to establish a presence in the UK. Organisations can transfer foreign staff for specific business purposes to UK branches on a temporary basis via this route.
What is an ICT Visa? The Intra-Company Transfer (ICT visa) officially closed for application as of April 11th, 2022. This visa operated similarly to the new GBM visa, but now, it is designed to be a fairer application process to help the government decide on visa applications based on a points system.
What are the 5 Global Business Mobility routes?
There are 5 categories that make up the Global Business Mobility Visa routes, and these are:
- Senior or specialist worker. Employees transferring to a UK branch from overseas must earn a minimum salary of £42,400. If the salary reaches £73,900 or lower, you will also need proof that you have worked for the organisation for at least 12 months before transferring to the UK branch.
- Graduate trainees. This route allows graduates to work or train for their employer in the UK. This visa now requires a letter of sponsorship from a licence holder as part of the application.
- UK expansion worker. This visa is for employees who have worked for an organisation for over 12 months that are needed to support the opening of a UK branch.
- Service supplier. If you’re a contractor required to provide services for a UK-based company, then you’ll need the service supplier visa. People are eligible for this on an employed or self-employed basis.
- Secondment worker. This visa is for employees whose company requires them to move to a UK branch for either their current organisation or a different one. If you’re applying for a different organisation, it must still correlate directly with the parent company’s products or services.
Global Business Mobility Eligibility
To qualify for this 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 work you will do in the UK
- do a job that’s on the list of eligible occupations
- be paid at least £42,400 per year
- qualify under one of the 5 routes as either a senior or specialist worker, graduate trainee, UK expansion worker, service supplier or secondment worker.
How to apply and what you will need
You must apply online for this visa, but how you apply will depend on whether you’re:
- outside the UK and are coming to the UK
- inside the UK and extending your current visa
- inside the UK and switching from a different visa.
Your partner and children can also apply to join you or stay in the UK as your dependents if they’re eligible.
To apply for any of the forms of visa, the standard information that you will need to apply is the following:
- A valid sponsorship certificate and unique identifier number
- A genuine form of ID
- Details of your job, including job title, salary, contract and your job occupation code
- You may also need to provide confirmation of your study and any results if you are applying for a graduate visa.
- You will need to provide evidence that you have enough money to support yourself during your time in the UK. This is made up of both your existing funds and salary earnings.
How long is the Global Business Mobility Visa valid?
None of the GBM visa categories leads to ILR; this means that if accepted for one of the tier 2 visa routes under the Global Business Mobility scheme leads to settlement or indefinite leave to remain in the UK.
So, how long is GBM valid? With a Global Mobility Visa, how long you can stay will depend upon the type of visa you have. For example, on an expansion worker visa, you can usually stay in the UK for 12 months after the start date on your job certificate, and this is something you need to keep in mind when you’re trying to prepare for your Visa. It is possible to extend your visa, but the longest time you can stay in the UK on a visa is 5 years.
Usually, the UK on a Global Business Mobility visa is valid for two years, but this will differ depending on the replacement ICT visa you apply for and if you’re granted an extension. These visas are only intended for temporary work, so if your role is replaced by a permanent one of your type of contract changes, you should let your immigration specialist know.
Applying for settlement after your Global Business Mobility runs out
So, we already know that this visa isn’t a direct route to settlement in the UK, but it is possible to apply for a different visa that is a direct route to indefinite leave to remain once in the UK. Indefinite leave to remain means you can settle in the UK. It gives you the right to live, work and study here for as long as you like, and apply for benefits if you’re eligible. You can then use your ILR to apply for British Citizenship.
There are many different routes to applying for ILR. If you’re in the UK for one of the followings reasons or visas, you may be able to apply:
- If you’ve lived and worked in the UK for 5 years on a skilled worker visa or a family visa such as a Spouse visa
- If you have a tier 1 visa, you can apply after 2 or 3 years
- If you have an Innovator Founder or Global Talent visa, you can apply after 3 years
So, if you live and work in the UK via one of the Global Business Mobility routes, this will not lead you down a direct path to indefinite leave to remain; however, once in the UK, you may be able to switch visas to one that will by following one of the pathways above.
To extend your visa, switch visas or for support in finding a route to settle in the UK, you’ll need an immigration specialist like ourselves at Synergy Immigration Solutions to guide you through the process.
Synergy Immigration Solutions can help you to extend your visa
Synergy Immigration Solutions is one of the leading names in the world of immigration service providers, and we are perfectly placed to be able to help you secure the Visa you need or to help you to extend your visa and offer advice on switching visas to a direct route to ILR.
If you are serious about being able to get the perfect global business mobility visa, it is important to ensure you have all the right boxes ticked. At Synergy Immigration Solutions, our team of professionals is going to help you make the right choices.
If you are looking to gain the right visa opportunity, we can help you improve your chances. Making sure you improve your visa application as much as possible is really important, as it can be tough to be accepted. We can hold your hand through the process and put you in the best position possible to get the visa you need. Get in touch with our team of professionals in order to ensure you meet all of the eligibility requirements.
