Skilled Workers & Global Business Mobility routes
We advise clients on the correct visa category for existing employees and new hires (experienced and graduate new entrant). We work with the relevant parties to obtain the Skilled Worker, Global Business Mobility routes, Graduate Trainee Visa or Shortage Occupation visas and certificates of sponsorship.
Global Business Mobility is a combined category of five discrete routes offering opportunities for overseas businesses to send workers to the UK for a temporary assignment or to establish commercial presence in the UK.
Five categories within the Global Business Mobility route
- Global Business Mobility Visa – Senior or Specialist Worker Visa – to meet specific business needs (replaced Intra-Company Transfers)
- Global Business Mobility Visa – Graduate Trainee Visa – as part of a training programme (replaced Intra-Company Graduate Trainee route)
- Global Business Mobility Visa – Expansion Worker Visa – to establish UK presence (replaces Representative of an overseas business)
- Global Business Mobility Visa – Service Supplier Visa – to the UK in line with trade agreements (replaced the T5 International Agreements route)
- Global Business Mobility Visa- Secondment Worker Visa – to UK firms in high value contracts or investments
A Health and Care Worker visa allows medical professionals to come to or stay in the UK to do an eligible job with the NHS, an NHS supplier or in adult social care. The Health and Care Worker Visa can lead to settlement in the UK after 5 years and applicants can be joined by dependent partners and children. Please click here for more information on this visa.
We also help to obtain the required entry clearance from the home location or complete a “Further Leave to Remain” application for those eligible to switch status while remaining in the UK.
We advise and assist our clients with keeping up-to-date and compliant.
Frontier Workers
The Frontier Worker Permit is a new visa route following the UK’s departure from the EU. The Frontier Worker is an EU, EEA or Swiss national who is employed or self-employed in the UK. It is someone who would have worked in the UK before 31 December 2020. They are also known as “cross border workers”. Frontier Workers must have permanent residence in their home country and return to that address at least once in the last 6 months or twice in the last 12 months.
They are now required to apply for a Frontier Worker permit if they wish to continue working in the UK after 1st January 2021. There are several benefits to this permit, namely that:
- Frontier Workers will be able to continue working and travelling to the UK without interruption.
- the application is free.
- the Immigration Health Surcharge will not apply to Frontier Workers.
- if their work has halted due to illness, accident or maternity/paternity reasons, they will be able to retain this status
- this permit can be renewed indefinitely
This permit does not lead to settlement.
Sponsor Licence Applications
All UK businesses, companies and enterprises seeking to employ foreign nationals require a ‘Sponsor Licence’ to sponsor a migrant worker. We provide end-to-end management and support to our clients to successfully obtain a licence to sponsor workers under the PBS system in place.
Our services include and are not limited to preparation and submission of the application, provision of best practice guidance, tracking and monitoring and implementation of compliant processes to avoid civil penalties by the Home Office.
We support independent schools, Colleges and Universities to resolve all their immigration issues. As the Home Office Tier 4 compliance regime has become more stringent with time, our bespoke service has been tailored to meet the needs of independent schools and further education colleges. Our approach is to work collaboratively with schools and ensure only valid applications are submitted in line with the Tier 4 immigration rules and policy guidance in place. Our services ensure compliance certainty and that you are inspection and audit ready.
We also assist students in obtaining their Tier 4 Student Visa. Please click here for our Private Client Services (can we add a link to Private Client services).
Charity Worker Visas
We assist charity organisations sponsor individuals to the UK on a temporary basis for unpaid voluntary work. Charity/voluntary workers must have a sponsor who will be able to issue a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS), and the work must be directly associated to the charity.
We can provide guidance for this Tier 5 Temporary visa route where applicants may take a second job in the same sector for up to 20 hours per week and family members are permitted to travel to the UK with the main applicant. Click here for more information.
Global Talent Visa Applications
We assist applicants and organisations support Global Talent to the UK. This visa route – previously the Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) visa – is to encourage the government’s vision of attracting the best and brightest applicants to the UK. It is designed to help talented and promising individuals in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), Humanities, Medicine, Arts, Fashion, Architecture, Film and television fields.
Applicants must demonstrate that they have been ‘economically active’ within their expert field. We will work with applicants who can show that they are leaders in their fields or have the potential to become leaders in their field, as determined by an endorsing body. We will advise and guide applicants through the application process and assist in the preparation of your application so you will be granted a visa.
This visa can lead to settlement and, after meeting the required terms and residency period in the UK, applicants may apply for British Citizenship. Please click here for more details on endorsing bodies.
Temporary Work – Government Authorised Exchange (GAE) Visa
The Government Authorised Exchange Visa is open to individuals who wish to come to the UK to take part in an approved internship, training, work experience or research programme.
This is not a route to settlement, but individuals on the Government Authorised Exchange route can be joined by a dependent partner and children under the age of 18. Please click here for more information.
Government Liaison
We provide advisory and support to all our clients where government proposes change to immigration legislation and policies that will impact immigration programs in place. We leverage strong relationships with government departments to navigate solutions best suited to your business needs.
Brexit Immigration Services
We have designed a comprehensive advice and support service for employers concerned about the immigration aspects of Brexit for their current employees and its effect on future recruitment from Europe.
Our service is tailored specifically to your business, covering all the elements that you tell us are of importance. This can take the form of:
- Townhall briefing or seminar by our specialist advisors for all the business
- A comprehensive advice leaflet to your EU employee population
- Training session for HR
- Brexit clinics for your EU employees
By conducting an audit of the immigration status of your European workforce, we can identify relevant immigration issues and advise both your HR department and individual team members on steps they can take to secure their immigration position during this period of uncertainty.
- We can advise on the likely impact of changes to immigration processes on your business caused by Brexit and identify financial and practical concerns of relevance.
- This approach demonstrates to your EEA National employees the value your business places on its European staff while the countdown to leaving the European Union continues.
British Citizenship
There are many different routes to obtaining British nationality and our immigration. As each application will depend on your personal circumstances, please contact us so that we can provide you with advice and guidance for your citizenship application. We will guide you on which route may apply in your circumstances.
If you are on a visa which leads to settlement after 5 or 6 years in the UK, you will be eligible for citizenship through naturalisation.
Please contact us for further information, advice or guidance.
