Secondment Worker visa (Global Business Mobility)
Eligibility
To be eligible for a Secondment Worker visa, you must:
- be an existing employee of an overseas organisation that has a high-value contract with your UK sponsor
- have a ‘certificate of sponsorship’ from your UK sponsor with information about the role you’ve been offered
- have worked for your overseas employer for 12 months
- do a job in the UK that’s on the list of eligible occupations
Your overseas employer’s contract with your UK sponsor
The UK organisation you’ll work for is also known as your sponsor, because they are sponsoring you to come to or stay in the UK.
Your overseas employer must have an eligible contract with your UK sponsor that’s worth at least £50 million.
View the list of approved UK sponsors.
If your employer has a contract worth less than £50 million, you may be eligible for another type of visa to work in the UK.
Getting a certificate of sponsorship
Your UK 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.
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 overseas employer or your certificate of sponsorship.
When you know your occupation code, check the table of eligible jobs to see if it’s eligible for a Secondment Worker visa.