Senior or Specialist Worker Visa (UK)
If you’re employed by a company overseas and are being transferred to a UK branch for an eligible role, you may qualify for the Senior or Specialist Worker Visa. Learn more about the requirements and how to apply here.
For assistance with your Senior or Specialist Worker Visa application, get in touch with our immigration lawyers today on +2080162308.
If you’re employed by a company overseas and are being transferred to a UK branch for an eligible role, you may qualify for the Senior or Specialist Worker Visa. Learn more about the requirements and how to apply here.
For assistance with your Senior or Specialist Worker Visa application, get in touch with our immigration lawyers today on +2080162308.
What is the Senior or Specialist Worker Visa (UK)
The Senior or Specialist Worker visa is intended for people who are already employees of a company abroad and are being relocated to the UK branch for an eligible job.
The Global Business Mobility scheme now covers this visa, which has replaced the Tier 2 (Intra-company Transfer) Long-term Staff visa, previously known as the Intra-company Transfer visa.
People on graduate training programmes with their employers should use the Graduate Trainee visa when applying for permission to work in the UK, not the Senior or Specialist Worker visa.
If you want to apply for a Senior or Specialist Worker visa, you will need to:
- Already work for an organisation that the Home Office authorizes to sponsor workers
- Have a ‘certificate of sponsorship’ from your employer stating the job duties you will have in the UK.
- Perform a duty that belongs in the Occupations List.
- Receive an annual salary of no less than £48,500
To get a Senior or Specialist Worker visa, you have to be sure to have enough money to cover these expenses:
1. Application Fee
The fee you have to pay for your visa application depends on certain things.
- If you are applying within the UK or from another country
- How much time are you planning to spend in the country (e.g., less than 3 years or longer)
Because fees can adjust over time, you’ll be told the exact amount to pay while applying.
2. Healthcare Surcharge
Each year during your stay in the UK, you are required to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS). By doing this, you are eligible to use the NHS for healthcare.
3. Financial Considerations for Daily Expenditures
You typically have to prove that you can afford to live once you move to the UK. This means there should be a certain amount of money in your account for at least 28 days before your application is considered.
There are cases where you do not need to comply with this requirement:
- Your valid visa allows you to live and study in the UK for at least a year
- Your UK employer guarantees they will cover your initial expenses (this must be stated on your certificate of sponsorship in the ‘sponsor certifies maintenance’ area)
4. Dependents
If you have partners or kids traveling with you, they should be able to demonstrate financial independence. Different schools have different rules, and you’ll learn what is needed during the application.
Ensure you check the current rules on the UK government website or with a professional adviser before applying, as both fees and requirements are subject to change.
Need urgent help? Call:
You will be required to present the following when applying:
- Receive the certificate of sponsorship reference number from your employer.
- An identity document or a valid passport is required to prove your identity and country of origin.
- The rank you hold and the amount you earn per year
- The classification of your job
- The name of the sponsoring company and their licence number – you can find them on your certificate of sponsorship.
- Enough money in bank accounts to support yourself here, for example, unless your letter of sponsorship states the employer will do so
- Evidence showing that you are related to your partner or children if they plan on joining you
- Your tuberculosis test results if you’re from an included country
Ask your employer to give you a copy of your certificate of sponsorship if you do not have it.
Additional Types of Documents Could Be Necessary
There are times when you need to show documents such as:
- Proof that you worked for your employer in countries other than the UK
- A valid ATAS certificate if your employer requires you to have one due to your research work in a sensitive field at PhD level or higher
Ensure your passport has a blank page to receive your visa and fingerprint data at a visa application centre. You will find out if you need this when completing your application.
When the documents are not in English or Welsh, you must also send a certified translation.
Documents That Prove You Worked for Your Employer in Other Countries
People earning less than £73,900 a year are likely to be required to demonstrate 12 months of work for their employer outside the United Kingdom.
When required, you must produce a document proving you have received payments from your employer over the mentioned period. You might want to supply:
- printed payslips
- Your pay is given to you online, and you get a letter from your sponsor signed by a senior employee.
- statements from banks or building societies
- A legal document called a building society passbook.
If your salary is £73,900 or more annually, you can apply whenever you want.
Need urgent help? Call:
You must first complete the online application for a Senior or Specialist Worker visa and make sure all the necessary documents are ready before you begin.
Identity Verification
You are required to show your identity by:
- Scan your identity card with the app and log in to your UKVI account afterward.
- Going to a visa application centre to have your fingerprints and photograph taken.
You will receive information about the right way to apply when you start the process. Your centre might require your passport for a short period, and you might need to travel to another country if there isn’t one nearby.
Processing Time
Within 3 weeks of submitting your application, the insurance company will verify your ID and documents and will tell you their verdict.
There may be a delay if:
- Your documents need to be checked again
- You have an interview.
- You experience some personal issues.
You can sometimes pay for a quicker result.
If you want to alter or withdraw your application, reach out to UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).
Refunds can be requested when your application has not been processed yet.
After the decision has been made, you will receive an email and instructions for the next part.
Need urgent help? Call:
Senior or Specialist Worker Visa
They need to meet the requirements for dependents to be included as dependents on your visa. Their visa is likely to expire on the same date as yours. If the parents’ visas expire at different times, the child will be issued a visa with the earlier expiration date.
The following groups of people can gain dependent status:
- Partner, spouse, or civil partner
- Those not yet 18 years old (even if they are born in the UK during your stay)
- Anyone over 18 who is currently your dependant in the UK
Relationship Proof
- A certified marriage or civil partnership license
- There must be evidence of at least two years of consistent communication, support, and shared time.
For Teenagers 16 Years Old and Above:
- Requires you to coexist with others
- No spouse and no children
- Backed by your funding
- Your interviewer may want you to provide evidence of your previous studies
Financial Requirements
- You are required to present your ID unless you are not supposed to show it.
- £285 for each person you’re applying for
- A single child costs £315 per month.
- Every additional child costs £200
- The requested finances must be placed in a deposit for 28 days and put into use within 31 days of the applicant’s application.
Application Process
People who rely on you must go online and use your GWF or UAN number to make the application. It is also necessary for them to:
- Pay the visa charge
- Use the ID Check app or go to the visa application centre to confirm your identity.
- Usually, receive results in about 3 weeks
Inside the United Kingdom
Dependants may be allowed to extend or switch their visa if they are eligible.
Changing their status is not possible if the person holds a:
- Visit visa
- Visa for students staying less than six months
- A domestic worker visa is valid for a limited period.
- Bail by Immigration
- Or is it outside of immigration rules
After finishing their course or 24 months of PhD study, visa holders can apply to switch.
The UK is also home to children who are born there.
You can add your dependents by providing their full UK birth certificate through the online system.
If they wish to continue living in the country, they must apply before their 18th birthday.
Need urgent help? Call:
If your work situation hasn’t changed, you can use the online system available in the UK to apply for an extension. Make sure to double-check that you haven’t gone over the time limit set for this visa type.
Your application must be submitted before your current visa expires. During the application process, you are not allowed to travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man; otherwise, your application will be rejected.
If your family members are listed as dependents on your visa, they must apply independently to obtain an extension. You can apply for the green card together with your partner or separately, as long as their visa remains valid.
You may use the UK Immigration: ID Check app or go to a UKVCAS service point to give your biometrics and confirm your identity. You will learn about the suitable application process when applying.
It usually takes up to 8 weeks for a decision, though you might have the option for faster service if needed. Visa fees are not set at the same level; please visit the UKVI website for the most up-to-date costs.
If your work is creative or you have previously been in the UK on a Tier 2 ICT visa, the rules might be special. You could also take on additional jobs for up to 20 hours each week, either in your current career or a field that is facing a shortage.
If you want to make changes or cancel after you submit your application, get in touch with UKVI. A refund can occur as long as processing hasn’t started on the order. After a decision is made, you will receive notice through email or the post.
If you start a new role with the same company or an associated organisation, and that role is coded differently, you must make sure your visa changes before its expiry. You need to get a new Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS), and your new position should also meet the requirements.
You have the option of applying up to 3 months ahead of your starting date, and you can still work in your present job. Neither your partner nor your children should share your visa application and should apply for updates by themselves.
You can either verify your identity using the app or go to a UKVCAS center to do it. The decision on whether to grant a mortgage is often reached within 8 weeks, but getting a result faster is possible for an additional charge.
You cannot leave the UK, Ireland, Channel Islands, or Isle of Man until your application is done, or it will be withdrawn.
Need urgent help? Call:
What We Offer
Our Services
we understand that immigrating to a new country is a significant
decision that comes with its own set of challenges.
Family Visas
Partner Visas
Settlement in the UK
Settlement of EEA Nationals
British Citizenship and The Right of Abode
Challenge a Refusal
Removals/Deportations
Asylum/Human Rights
Sponsor License for a UK Business
UK Business Visas
Student Visas
Popular Work Visas
Other work visas and permits
Visas without a job offer
Work for an overseas employer
Temporary work visas
UK Visit Visas
If you meet the requirements, you may apply to change your visa in the UK to a Senior or Specialist Worker visa. For example, if you are on a Student visa, you must finish your course. Any PhD student must have studied for at least two years as a full-time student.
Visitors, short-term students, seasonal workers, domestic workers on a visa, those on immigration bail, or those with a status granted outside immigration rules cannot switch. If this applies to you, you must send your application from abroad.
You should always apply to study for immigration online; however, your partner or children will need to apply separately. You have the option to save your application so you can continue later.
