With the Global Business Mobility Senior or Specialist Worker visa, medium-sized businesses with a presence overseas can resolve this challenge by bringing top executives into the UK to scale their operations.
Mid-size businesses are vital to the UK economy. While they may be relatively few, at 37,800, they account for 13% of employment and 18% of turnover within the UK private sector.
These businesses drive innovation and growth across various industries, from advanced manufacturing to specialised tech and professional services. BDO forecasts that medium-sized companies will account for 27% of UK Gross Value Added (GVA) and create an additional 1.9 million jobs by 2028.
However, in a Goldman Sachs survey of the UK’s small and medium-sized businesses, 55% of participants reported that they are unable to find the talent they need within the UK labour market. These businesses often struggle to compete with larger corporations to attract and retain the highly skilled talent needed to stay competitive.
This article will explore how the Senior or Specialist Worker visa works and whether it fits the needs of mid-sized UK businesses looking to expand or strengthen their teams in 2025.
What UK Mid-size Businesses Should Know About the Senior and Specialist Worker Visa?
The Senior or Specialist Worker visa is a skilled immigration pathway under the UK Global Business Mobility route. It facilitates the transfer of senior executives or highly qualified specialists in an overseas branch of a company to its UK entity or affiliate to carry out specified projects or assignments.
Here is essential information that mid-size companies should be aware of when transferring workers through the Senior or Specialist Worker route:
Senior or Specialist Worker Visa Requirements
Mid-sized businesses must have a sponsor licence issued by the Home Office to transfer an employee to the UK via the Specialist Worker visa. They will be required to issue their employees a certificate of sponsorship to enable them to apply for the visa.
Employees applying for the Senior or Specialist Worker visa must meet the following requirements:
- Must have worked for the employer outside the UK for at least 12 monthsThere is no minimum time requirement ifIf they earn £73,900 a year or mont.
- Must be entering the UK to do a job that is on the list of eligible occupations for the visa.
- Must be paid at least £48,500 or the going rate for your job, whichever is higher.
- Must have at least £1,270 to support themselves for their first month in the UK unless the organisation is supporting them financially.
Senior or Specialist Worker Visa Fees and Associated Costs
Mid-size businesses that are not yet licensed sponsors must pay £1,579 to obtain a Worker Sponsor Licence. To assign a certificate of sponsorship to a visa applicant, sponsoring organisations must pay a fee of £525. They must also pay an Immigration Skills Charge of £1,000 for the employee’s first year in the UK and £500 for each additional six months.
The visa application fee is £769 for a stay of 3 years or less and £1,519 for a stay of more than 3 years. Applicants must also pay an Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) of £1,035 for each year they will be in the UK.
Sponsoring organisations should note that the visa application fee and health surcharge are charged per applicant. Thus, dependents travelling with the main applicant will be required to pay these fees as well. Dependants under 18 will pay a reduced IHS fee of £776 annually.
Business owners should factor these costs into their workforce planning and budgeting.
Visa Validity
The Global Business Mobility program is a short-term work route. As such, specialist workers can only live and work in the UK for 5 years in any 6-year period or up to 9 years in any 10-year period if they earn £73,900 a year or more.
Why the Senior or Specialist Worker Visa is Suitable for Mid-size UK Businesses
Here are some reasons why mid-sized businesses aiming to expand their talent pool should choose the Senior or Specialist Worker visa:
Access to Senior Expertise
Unlike larger corporations with extensive recruitment pipelines, mid-size firms often lack highly specialised professionals for specific roles. With the Senior or Specialist Worker visa, medium-sized businesses can tap into their existing global workforce to bring in the precise expertise they need when they need it.
Leveraging Internal Knowledge
One key advantage of the Senior or Specialist Worker route is the ability to transfer staff who already know the business to the UK. Transferred employees are familiar with the company’s culture, systems, internal processes, and specific products or services.
Intra-company transfers reduce onboarding time and allow the new hire to become productive much faster than an external recruit.
Ideal for Short-Term Projects
The Senior or Specialist Worker visa is a temporary worker visa ideal for bringing in specialists for specific, fixed-term projects or for establishing foundational teams in the UK. This allows firms to scale their capabilities precisely when and where needed without committing to long-term recruitment processes.
Businesses committing to long-term projects can switch their employees to other work visa routes, such as the Skilled Worker visa, once the Senior Worker visa reaches the maximum stay period.
Knowledge Transfer to the UK Workforce
Bringing in specialists from overseas operations allows them to share knowledge, unique skills, and proven best practices with the teams in the UK branch. This knowledge transfer upskills the local workforce, enhances internal capabilities, and helps UK-based staff gain exposure to international best practices. For mid-size businesses, this is an investment in human capital that can keep them competitive.
Conclusion
The Global Business Mobility Senior or Specialist Worker visa is a suitable option for UK mid-sized businesses with an international presence that aim to strengthen their workforce. However, both sponsoring organisations and the employee being transferred to the UK must meet specific eligibility criteria to leverage the Senior or Specialist Worker visa.
To ensure compliance with immigration laws and maximise the chances of success, it’s advisable to seek guidance from a qualified UK immigration lawyer who can help navigate the process.
