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Tier 2 (Intra company transfer)

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Applying from inside the UK

Tier 2 and 5 applications will move online from 13 February 2012

Changes to the Immigration Rules have today been laid before Parliament that will enable applicants applying under Tier 2 and 5 and their dependants to apply online for permission to stay (further leave to remain) in the UK.

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This page explains how you should apply for permission to remain in the UK under Tier 2 (Intra-company transfer) of the points-based system, if you are currently here:

  • as an intra-company transferee and you want to switch into Tier 2 (Intra-company transfer - Long-term staff) - see ' More information' below; or
  • under Tier 2 (Intra-company transfer - Long-term staff) and you want to extend your stay in the same sub-category.

Before you apply, you should read the Can you apply? pages to find out whether you will score enough points for a successful application.

If you think you are eligible to apply, you can download the application form and policy guidance from the right side of this page. You must read the policy guidance before you make your application.

You should only complete the sections of the application form that are relevant to you. The application form contains help text which explains how to complete each section..

How to apply

You can apply by post, by courier or in person at one of our public enquiry offices.

If you are applying by post or courier, you must send your application to the address on the cover of the application form. Your application must arrive during normal business hours (08:30 to 16:30, Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays), or receipt cannot be guaranteed.

If you are making any applications for your family members ('dependants') to stay in the UK at the same time as your own application, you should send all the applications together in the same envelope. We will then consider your dependants' applications at the lower application fee. If a dependant's application is sent later than or separately from your application, it will be considered in its own right and will be subject to the full application fee.

There are special application requirements if you are currently in the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man - see 'More information' below.

When should you apply?

You should apply as soon as possible, and before your current permission to stay expires.

The date of your application depends on whether you apply by post, by courier or in person. See 'More information' below.

To find out how long you will need to wait for a decision on your application, see the Processing times page.

Biometric residence permit

As part of your application, you will need to enrol your fingerprints and facial image (known as 'biometric information') in order to obtain a biometric residence permit. The Biometric information page explains how to do this.

More information

  • Can you switch into Tier 2 (Intra company transfer)?

    You can apply to switch into Tier 2 (Intra-company transfer - Long-term staff) without leaving the UK if you are currently here in one of the following immigration categories:

    • Tier 2 (Intra-company transfer - Established staff)
    • Tier 2 (Intra company transfer), under the rules in place before 6 April 2010
    • intra-company transfer work permit holder (except multiple entry work permits)
    • representative of an overseas business (including representatives of overseas media companies)

    In all cases, you must be still working for the same employer named on your previous application.

    If you are not currently in one of the categories above, you must leave the UK and make your application from abroad.

    You cannot switch into any other sub-category of Tier 2 (Intra company transfer).
  • What is the date of your application? (Applying by post or courier from inside the UK)

    If you send your application form and application fee by post, the date of application is the date of posting. This is decided by the postmark. If the postmark is illegible or missing, the date of postage is taken as being at least 1 day before it is received by us.

    If you send your application form and application fee by courier, the date of application is the date when it is delivered to our payment handling service.
  • What is the date of your application? (Applying in person inside the UK)

    If you are applying in person at one of our public enquiry offices, your application date will be the date when you attend the public enquiry office to make your application and pay your application fee.
  • Withdrawing your application
    Withdrawal of application

    If you want to withdraw your application, you must use the 'return of documents form' on the right side of this page. Your application will not be considered, and we will return your documents to you with no decision. We will not refund the cost of your application if you use this form.       

    If you submit the request before 12:00, we will aim to withdraw your application and return your documents on the same day. We will return your documents by standard recorded delivery. If you want to arrange a courier, please state this on the form and we will contact you with a suitable time for collection.
  • Duplicate applications If you send more than one application, you will be charged the application fee for each application.
  • How to pay your application fee if you are inside the UK

    If you are applying online, you must pay your fee online as part of your application.

    If you are applying by post or courier, you can choose how to pay your application fee:

    • By cheque in sterling on a UK bank account. The application form will tell you who to make the cheque payable to, you should write your full name and date of birth on the back, and attach the cheque to the front of the completed application form. 
    • With a UK postal order. You should write your full name and date of birth on the back, and attach the postal order to the front of the completed application form. 
    • With a credit or debit card - American Express, MasterCard, Visa (including Electron), Delta or Maestro (including Solo). For postal and courier payments, we accept only Maestro cards issued in the UK. You must include the card number, the amount paid, the payer's name as it appears on the card, the 'valid from' and expiry dates, the card verification value (CVV) code, the cardholder's signature and the date. The issue number is also needed for Maestro cards.

    If you are applying and paying in person at a public enquiry office, you can choose how to pay your application fee:

    • With a UK postal order (except at our Glasgow and Cardiff offices). You should write your full name and date of birth on the back.
    • By banker's draft (except at our Glasgow and Cardiff offices). 
    • With a credit or debit card - American Express, MasterCard, Visa (including Electron), Delta or Maestro (including Solo). We can accept any Maestro card for payments at a public enquiry office. You must include the card number, the amount paid, the payer's name as it appears on the card, the 'valid from' and expiry dates, the card verification value (CVV) code, the cardholder's signature and the date. The issue number is also needed for Maestro cards. The cardholder must be present for the payment to be taken.

    Payment by any other method is not accepted.

    You must send the full amount to cover the total cost of your application. If you do not do this, your application will be invalid and will not be considered. We will return your application and part payment to you.

    We start considering the application when the payment has cleared. Payments are cleared:

    • after 5 working days for cheques
    • after 1 working day for credit or debit cards
    • immediately for postal orders

    Please note that, if you are making numerous payments using your credit card, the anti-fraud measures that banks operate sometimes stop payment being taken. This may be because you have exceeded the maximum limit on a single transaction or the number of transactions allowed in a given period of time. You must ensure that you contact your bank in advance, so that the bank will allow the full payment to be taken without any problems when you submit your applications.

    Payment information on the application form

    It is very important that you complete the payment section of the application form correctly. If this section contains errors, we will not be able to process your payment. This will mean that your application is invalid.