Secondment Worker Visa
Part of the Global Business Mobility category of visas, a Secondment Worker Visa is intended for individuals whose non-UK employer wants to transfer them to the UK to do certain eligible jobs for a different organisation. The contract between the employer and the relevant UK organisation must be of sufficiently high value.
Applicants for a Secondment Worker Visa must:
- have worked for their non-UK employer for at least a year outside the UK
- do a job that is on the Home Office’s list of eligible occupations
- have received a certificate of sponsorship for the UK organisation they intend to be transferred to
In addition to being able to do the work in the UK for which they have been sponsored, individuals with a Secondment Worker Visa are also permitted to study, undertake voluntary work, and to travel abroad and return to the UK. They can also bring a partner and/or children with them as dependants, provided they are eligible and submit visa applications of their own. Secondment Worker Visas can be issued for as long as 12 months, and can be extended to up to a total of two years.
Managers and HR: Be careful when considering visa options for an employee who has previously worked in the UK on other types of intra-company or Global Business Mobility category visas. Individuals who have spent time in the UK on many of these visas are usually limited to a maximum stay of five years in any six year period.
Applications for a Secondment Worker Visa can be submitted as much as three months before you are expecting to begin working in the UK (and as specified on your sponsorship certificate). Once the Home Office has received your application and any supporting documents, you can usually expect to receive a decision within three weeks if you are applying from outside the UK. If you are already in the UK when you apply, getting a decision can take up to 8 weeks.
Applying for a Secondment Worker Visa costs £259 plus an additional healthcare surcharge for each year that the visa will be valid.