Overview

A Senior or Specialist Worker visa allows you to come to or stay in the UK to do an eligible job at your employer’s UK branch.

This visa has replaced the Intra-company Transfer visa, previously the Tier 2 (Intra-company Transfer) Long-term Staff visa.

If you are on a graduate trainee programme, you’ll need to apply for a Graduate Trainee visa.

Eligibility

To qualify for a Senior or Specialist Worker visa, you must:

  • be an existing employee of an organisation that’s been approved by the Home Office as a sponsor
  • have a ‘certificate of sponsorship’ from your employer with information about the work you will do in the UK
  • do a job that’s on the list of eligible occupations
  • be paid at least £48,500 per year

Check if you’re eligible.

How long you can stay

You can stay in the UK with a Senior or Specialist Worker visa for whichever is shorter of:

  • the time given on your certificate of sponsorship plus 14 days
  • 5 years

You can apply to extend your visa or apply for another one as many times as you like up to the maximum total stay.

If you’re already in the UK with an Intra-company visa or a Tier 2 (Intra-company Transfer) Long-term Staff visa you can apply to extend your stay as a Senior or Specialist Worker.

The maximum total stay allowed for a Senior and Specialist Worker visa is:

  • 5 years in any 6 year period if you’re paid less than £73,900 a year
  • 9 years in any 10 year period if you’re paid £73,900 a year or more

Any time you spend in the UK on one of the following visas will be included in your maximum total stay:

  • Intra-company Graduate Trainee visa
  • Intra-company Transfer visa
  • Graduate Trainee visa (Global Business Mobility)
  • Secondment Worker visa (Global Business Mobility)
  • Senior or Specialist Worker visa (Global Business Mobility)
  • Service Supplier visa (Global Business Mobility)
  • UK Expansion Worker visa (Global Business Mobility)

Example

You worked in the UK on a Senior or Specialist Worker visa for 3 years, but for the last 6 months have been working in Sweden. You are paid less than £73,900 a year.

The maximum time you could now stay in the UK on a Global Business Mobility visa is 2 years. At the end of that time you would need to spend another 6 months outside the UK before you would be eligible for a Global Business Mobility visa.

If you had a Tier 2 (Intra-company Transfer) Long-term Staff visa before 6 April 2011

You can stay in the UK for as long as your employer is sponsoring you if you’ve been in the UK since 6 April 2011 on any of the following visas:

  • Tier 2 (Intra-company Transfer) Long-term Staff visa
  • Intra-company Transfer visa
  • Senior or Specialist Worker visa (Global Business Mobility)

There is no maximum stay.

How to apply

You must apply online.

How you apply depends on whether you’re:

Your partner and children can apply to join you or stay in the UK as your ‘dependants’ if they’re eligible.

How much it costs

You, your partner or children will each need to:

  • pay the application fee
  • pay the healthcare surcharge for each year of your stay
  • prove you have enough personal savings

Check how much it costs.

How long it takes

You can apply for a visa up to 3 months before the day you are due to start work in the UK. This date is listed on your certificate of sponsorship.

As part of your application, you’ll need to prove your identity and provide your documents.

You may need to allow extra time if you need an appointment to do this. You’ll find out if you need one when you start your application.

Getting a decision

Once you’ve applied online, proved your identity and provided your documents, you’ll usually get a decision on your visa within:

  • 3 weeks, if you’re outside the UK
  • 8 weeks, if you’re inside the UK

You may be able to pay to get a faster decision.

What you can and cannot do

With a Senior or Specialist Worker visa you can:

  • work for your sponsor in the job described in your certificate of sponsorship
  • study
  • bring your partner and children with you as your ‘dependants’, if they’re eligible
  • do voluntary work
  • travel abroad and return to the UK

You cannot:

  • apply for most benefits, public funds, or the State Pension
  • change jobs unless you are eligible and you update your visa
  • have a second job - unless you’ve previously had an Intra-company Transfer visa or a Tier 2 (Intra-company Transfer) Long term Staff visa
  • apply to settle permanently in the UK (also known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’)

If your application is successful, you’ll get a full list of what you can and cannot do with a Senior or Specialist Worker visa.