UK Expansion Worker Sponsor Licence

The Global Business Mobility – UK Expansion Worker Visa is a sponsored immigration route designed for overseas businesses aiming to establish a branch or subsidiary in the UK. This visa allows eligible companies to sponsor senior managers or specialist employees for temporary assignments in the UK to facilitate the business's expansion. Below is a comprehensive guide on how to apply for a UK Expansion Worker Sponsor Licence.

Who Should Consider a UK Expansion Worker Sponsor Licence?

This guide is intended for employers who wish to be authorized by the Home Office to sponsor overseas workers as UK Expansion Workers. If your business is planning to send employees to the UK to set up a new branch or subsidiary, and these employees do not have settled status or other work permissions in the UK, you will need to obtain this sponsor licence.

This requirement applies to most EU, EEA, and Swiss nationals arriving after 31 December 2020. UK Expansion Worker sponsors are allowed to sponsor up to five workers at any one time, with the flexibility to replace workers within this limit as needed. However, no more than five workers can be sponsored under this route simultaneously.

How to Apply for a UK Expansion Worker Sponsor Licence

To apply for a UK Expansion Worker sponsor licence, your business must meet both general and route-specific requirements outlined by the Home Office.

General Requirements for a UK Expansion Worker Sponsor Licence

As part of the general requirements, you must demonstrate that:

• Genuine Operation:
  Your organization is legally operating in the UK.

• Integrity:
  Your business is honest, reliable, and has not engaged in any behavior that would be considered against the public good.

• Compliance Capability:
  Your business can effectively fulfill its sponsor duties and provide evidence of compliance according to Home Office guidelines.

Route-Specific Requirements for a UK Expansion Worker Sponsor Licence

In addition to general requirements, your application must meet the following route-specific criteria:

• Skill Level:
  The roles you intend to sponsor must meet the skill level requirements for the UK Expansion Worker route.

• Salary Requirement:
  The offered positions must meet the minimum salary threshold for the UK Expansion Worker route.

• Genuine Job Roles:
  The jobs you wish to sponsor must be genuine, and the workers should be directly employed by you, not hired out to a third party.

• Business Link:
  There must be a qualifying connection between your UK entity and the overseas business sending the workers.

• UK Trading Status:
  Your business should not be actively trading in the UK yet but must have a UK 'footprint,' such as a registered office or address.

• Overseas Trading Activity:
  The overseas business must be actively trading and, unless exempt, should have been operational for at least three years.

• Intent to Expand:
  Your business must genuinely intend to establish a trading presence in the UK within two years and must conduct the same type of business as overseas.

• Ownership Structure:
  The UK business must be either wholly owned by the overseas parent company or part of the same legal entity, such as a branch.

• Compliance Personnel:
  You must appoint an Authorising Officer, a Key Contact, and at least one Level 1 User to manage the sponsor licence.

Final Considerations

Successfully obtaining a UK Expansion Worker Sponsor Licence requires careful preparation and a clear understanding of both general and route-specific requirements. Consulting with an immigration expert can help ensure that your application is robust and meets all necessary criteria, setting your business on the right path to expanding into the UK.