The UK Expansion Worker Visa is one of the new visa options under the Global Business Mobility Visa routes. It is best suited for overseas businesses who wish to start trading in the UK and require employees to set up a branch of the business.
The UK Expansion Worker Visa is one of the new visa options under the Global Business Mobility Visa routes. It is best suited for overseas businesses who wish to start trading in the UK and require employees to set up a branch of the business.
This visa may allow workers to stay up to 12 months from the job starting date, or the time specified on the Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS), whichever is the shortest of the two.
While specific eligibility requirements may vary depending on the job you will be carrying out, the main criteria to meet are the following:
The minimum eligible salary is either £42,400 or the going rate for your job, whichever if the highest of the two.
If your employer is not yet licenced to sponsor employees, they will first need to apply for an Employer Sponsorship Licence.
To prove that you meet the eligibility requirements, you will be required to submit certain documents and information as evidence. These may include:
Nationals from certain countries may also be required to provide a tuberculosis test result.
Depending on your occupation, your employer may tell you that you need additional documents such as an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate.
You will need to apply on the Home Office website. You may submit your application up to 3 months before you are due to start working in the UK.
You will also need to pay the application fee of £259. You’ll also have to consider additional costs such as the healthcare surcharge (usually £624 per year), biometrics enrolment (usually £19.20) or the cost of any certified translations you may need.
You will also need to ensure you and your dependants have enough money to support yourselves when you come to the UK.
We start a discussion by understanding your history, and we will clearly outline the best option available and any recommendations to save you time and costs.
Once you instruct us to be your legal representative, we will start preparing your case. We may require more information about you to help you more effectively.
Documentation is a crucial part of an immigration application. We will customise a document list to guide your preparation. Your dedicated lawyer will check the documents and advise of any improvements needed.
We will complete your application to the Home Office and may also write a cover letter with strong legal arguments where relevant. We may discuss this with you to confirm the final details.
We will submit your application to the Home Office, Court authorities securely. We will represent you as the main point of contact with them for any further requests.
You may sometimes be invited to attend a Home Office interview or Court hearing. While this may sound daunting, we will help you prepare and provide guidance on what questions to expect.
As soon as we receive a decision from the Home Office, we will get in touch with you to share the news.
We did multiple assignments with QC and were very happy with the fast response and results we achieved on our applications.
Qiyin was very quick to respond to my inquiries. She was very professional, supportive and helpful. Highly recommended!
Qiyin listened very attentively to my concerns and reassured me. Gave me a lot of insight into how I need to plan my application in a very personal way. Would definitely highly recommend.
Very professional team, who helped me gain EU Settled status pre-Brexit using a new Android app. It is refreshing to see that QC-immigration team adopts fast the technology and is on top of all changes in legislation. They got my full trust.
Hafsah made my application look so simple and easy even though i was doubtful about my case before approaching QC. I can’t believe my ILR application got approved by Home office within 24 hrs of biometric appointment. Thank you Hafsah for helping me get this done.
It was a pleasure working with Qiyin and her team. They were very helpful and responsive all the time. They helped me with my Permanent Residence which was succesful and was received in less than a month. I will work with them again in the future, so I strongly recommend this Immigration office to everyone.
Definitely the best law firm I've ever dealt with. Hafsah Awan is an amazing lawyer, she is extremely professional, she truly cares, and gives great advise to ensure all goes smoothly. My entire process with Hafsah went really well, and we successfully got our Start-up visas to the UK, many thanks to Hafsah for her great efforts. I also loved that they are very responsive, to emails, calls, etc. Qiyin Chuah, the founder, actually helped me in the last moment during her weekend, I was very thankful for that, as not many people would even get back to you during the weekend. Overall, an amazing law firm, I'm very pleased, and I truly wish Hafsah, Qiyin, and the rest of QC Immigration team all the best, God bless you all :)
I had an exploratory conversation with QC Immigration. Qiyin was professional and personable throughout our conversation, explaining clearly the current criteria and regulatory considerations to keep in mind. I would have no reservations in appointing them for representation should there ever be a need, as Qiyin provided from the outset, the calm assurance of having the knowledge, experience and an individual approach that I strongly value.
Very good service and professional company! I contact them trough a friend because I had problem with a Family Visa in Scotland, they helped me and advised in all the process and they solved what I needed to solve so quick. Specially Qiyin and Marianna. I would always come back to them again if I needed and also recommend them. As I said, very good and Professional.
Both my fiancé and I used QC Immigration this year for our new visa and naturalisation applications, respectively, and were very happy with the service. Our main point of contact was Marianna, who was very prompt and thorough in her preparation of our applications and helpful throughout every step of the process with our concerns, etc. Highly recommend QC Immigration. Thank you again, Marianna!
My friend had recommended QC Immigration and I was not disappointed! Marianna was my main point of contact and she was kind, prompt and very efficient. I had a lot of questions and Marianna was very quick in replying to me. I would definitely recommend QC Immigration.
They were extremely professional and thorough throughout the application process. I even shared my travel plans and they worked based on my timelines, which based on experience, most companies don't prioritise. Highly recommend working with them if you want to be stress free and want your application handled with care.
I have been using QC Immigration to help prepare for my partner's Proposed Civil Partnership Visa application. We have been dealing with Marianna since January, and have found her to be extremely professional, knowledgeable and personable. She has always responded to my queries and concerns, (however neurotic!) and she has paid great attention to detail. It has been an invaluable service, and should our application be successful in this instance, I will not hesitate to appoint QC Immigration again to assist with the next stages. Many thanks again for your hard work and for showing us such an understanding and caring attitude! :)
My partner and I recently used QC Immigration when applying for a UK partner visa. They were very professional throughout and dealt with all questions and queries accordingly. Marianna was our main point of contact and was extremely diligent and reassuring throughout the process. We appreciated their attention to detail and extensive knowledge of UK immigration law and would highly recommend them to any prospective clients.
If you meet the eligibility criteria, you may be able to switch to a UK Expansion Worker Visa if you are already in the UK on a different visa. If you are on a short-term visa, such as Student Visas or similar, you may not be able to switch.
If you require to stay in the UK for longer, you may apply to extend the visa for a further 12 months. The maximum stay on this visa is 2 years, so if you need to stay longer, you may need to switch to another suitable visa.
If you wish to bring your partner and/or children to the UK, they will each need to apply separately, pay the application fee and show they meet the requirements, such as proof of relationship and financial requirements. They will need to provide your application number and must complete their application before they travel to the UK.
QC Immigration can help Increase your chances of your UK visa application being accepted with the help of our experienced immigration lawyers.