The Secondment Worker Visa allows an existing overseas employee to come to the UK for a temporary assignment where their overseas employer has a qualifying high-value contract or investment with a UK sponsor. It is designed for genuine secondment arrangements, not ordinary recruitment, permanent UK employment or routine labour supply.
Review whether the sponsor, high-value contract, overseas employment and UK role are strong enough before the case is prepared.
The Secondment Worker Visa is part of the Global Business Mobility framework. It is for an overseas worker who is being temporarily assigned to the UK because their overseas employer has a qualifying high-value contract or investment with a UK sponsor.
This route is useful where a business needs a specialist employee to carry out work connected to a specific UK contract, but it is not designed for ordinary UK recruitment, general outsourcing or permanent UK employment. The evidence must show a genuine secondment and a clear link between the overseas employer, the UK sponsor and the work in the UK.
The applicant must be aged 18 or over, be an existing employee of the overseas business, have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship from a properly licensed UK sponsor, and work in an eligible occupation code.
The UK sponsor must have the correct sponsorship permission for this route, and the contract or investment underpinning the secondment must be suitable for this route. The role must be genuine, skilled at the appropriate level and aligned with the work described in the Certificate of Sponsorship.
The strongest applications are built around a clear evidence strategy rather than a long generic checklist. The evidence should show the genuine secondment, the sponsor relationship, the overseas employer, the qualifying contract, the applicant’s role and the applicant’s immigration position.
Access Global can review the sponsorship record, Certificate of Sponsorship, contract fit, occupation code, overseas work history, financial position and dependant evidence before the case is prepared.
We can identify weak, missing or inconsistent evidence before the application is prepared.
A partner and dependent children can apply where they meet the relevant relationship, age, care and financial requirements. Their permission normally ends on the same date as the main applicant’s permission, or the earlier date if a child’s parents have different expiry dates.
Dependant planning is important because family members may need their own evidence of relationship, funds, identity, residence and any required supporting documents.
A Secondment Worker Visa can normally be extended from inside the UK if the applicant continues working for the same sponsor, on the same qualifying contract, and has not reached the maximum stay limit. The maximum time on this route is 2 years.
There is also a wider Global Business Mobility and Intra-company route limit of 5 years in any 6-year period. This makes timing and immigration history important where the applicant has held other mobility permissions before.
The Secondment Worker route does not directly lead to indefinite leave to remain. Applicants who want a long-term UK future should consider route planning early rather than waiting until the permission is close to expiry.
Another route may be possible later, depending on sponsorship, role, salary, eligibility, timing and immigration history. Access Global can advise whether a longer-term strategy is realistic.
We help employers, sponsors and applicants understand whether this is the right route, whether the sponsor and contract position is clear, whether the occupation-code evidence is strong, and whether the case should be planned alongside dependant, extension or long-term route strategy.
We can assess the sponsor record, contract evidence, CoS details, overseas employment history, funds, dependants and future route strategy before the application is submitted.
It is used for temporary work assignments where an overseas employee is seconded to the UK as part of a qualifying high-value contract or investment involving their overseas employer and a UK sponsor.
No. Skilled Worker is usually used for UK employment with a sponsoring UK employer and can lead to settlement. Secondment Worker is a temporary Global Business Mobility route and does not directly lead to settlement.
Current route rules usually require at least 6 months of overseas work for the overseas business before applying, unless an extension exception applies for the same sponsor.
There is no separate English language points requirement for this route. The key focus is sponsorship, eligible occupation, genuine secondment and financial eligibility.
There is no separate salary-threshold points requirement, but the sponsor must record pay details and the role must comply with relevant employment rules.
Initial permission is normally up to 12 months or the CoS period plus 14 days, whichever is shorter. The maximum stay on this route is 2 years.
A partner and dependent children can apply where they meet the relationship, age, care and financial requirements. Their permission is normally linked to the main applicant.
An extension may be possible if the applicant continues working for the same sponsor on the same qualifying contract and has not reached the maximum stay limit.
No. This route does not directly lead to indefinite leave to remain. Long-term UK plans should be reviewed early, especially if settlement is important.
A visa update may be needed if the occupation code changes or the role no longer matches the sponsored assignment. The position should be reviewed before any role change is implemented.
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Consider a longer-term sponsored work route where the role is not purely temporary.
Explore a non-sponsored route for established leaders or promising talent in eligible fields.
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Review partner and child dependant planning for temporary work routes.
Speak to Access Global Immigration Visa Experts for advice on eligibility, sponsorship, contract evidence, occupation-code fit, dependants, extension and long-term route planning.
