Senior or Specialist Worker visa (Global Business Mobility)
Eligibility
To be eligible for a Senior or Specialist Worker visa you need to:
- have a valid certificate of sponsorship from your employer
- have worked for your employer outside the UK
- do a job that’s on the list of eligible occupations
- be paid the minimum eligible salary required for your job
Getting a certificate of sponsorship
Your employer - also known as your sponsor - will give you a ‘certificate of sponsorship’ with information about the work you will do in the UK. It’s an electronic record, not a paper document.
You’ll need the reference number from the certificate of sponsorship for your visa application. You must apply for your visa within 3 months of getting your certificate of sponsorship.
If your employer is not currently licensed to sponsor people to work in the UK, they can apply for a sponsor licence if they’re eligible.
How long you need to have worked for your employer outside the UK
If you’re earning less than £73,900 a year you must have worked for your employer outside the UK for at least 12 months.
If you’re earning £73,900 a year or more, there is no minimum time requirement.
Check if your job is eligible
Before you can find out if your job is eligible, you need to know its 4-digit occupation code. You can get this from your employer or your certificate of sponsorship.
When you know your occupation code, check list of eligible occupations to see if it’s eligible for your visa type.
If you’ve previously had an Intra-company Transfer visa or a Tier 2 (Intra-company Transfer) Long-term Staff visa
The following occupation codes have been removed from the list of eligible occupations for this visa:
- 3411: Artists
- 3412: Authors, writers and translators
- 3413: Actors, entertainers and presenters
- 3414: Dancers and choreographers
- 3422: Product, clothing and related designers
If you’re already sponsored in one of these occupation codes you can continue working in your job until your visa expires. You can also extend your visa to continue working in the exact same job.
If you do not want to continue working in one of the occupations above, you can switch your job if it is on the list of eligible occupations. If your job changes you must apply to update your visa.
Salary requirements
You must be paid at least £48,500 or the ‘going rate’ for your job - whichever is higher.
Each occupation code has its own annual going rate. Check the going rate for your job in the going rates table.
If you had a Tier 2 (Intra-company Transfer) Long-term Staff visa before 6 April 2011
There is no salary requirement if you’ve been in the UK since 6 April 2011 on any of the following visas:
- Tier 2 (Intra-company Transfer) Long-term Staff visa
- Intra-company Transfer visa
- Senior or Specialist Worker visa (Global Business Mobility)
You must still be paid the ‘going rate’ for your job.