The UK in April 2022 announced the Global Mobility Route to enable employers to recruit skilled and specialist workers for a temporary job abroad. This route takes on some old visa categories and offers alternative pathways for employers who want to attract talent to the UK. These are new routes in the UK’s immigration policies known as “Appendix Global Mobility Routes”.
These pathways allow UK employers to attract foreign talent but don’t provide the same path to permanent residence or UK settlement. In this post, we will talk about different kinds of Global Mobility routes and what they need.
What Are The Global Transportation Trails?
There are 5 subcategories in Global Mobility Route. All subcategories are specific to certain workers and scenarios. So here’s the breakdown of the main routes:
1. Senior or Specialist Worker
This route is in place of the old Tier 2 (Intra-Company Transfer) visa.
Eligibility:
Candidates need 60 points to qualify. This includes:
- 20 points for a legitimate job offer from a sponsor.
- 20 points if the job is at the correct level (mostly graduate level or higher).
- 20 points for the job’s pay to be at least £42,400 a year (or whatever salary that role is currently paid). And if the worker is a “high earner” the wages need to be £73,900 or more.
Other Requirements:
You don’t have to speak English but the applicants have to pass the financial cutoff which is that you should have money to live on unless your sponsor confirms your food.
Visa Duration:
The period of this visa can be 5 years. But workers can’t stay on this visa beyond 6 years in total, after 5 years.
Dependents:
Members of the partner and children under 18 can be sponsored to live with the worker in the UK.
2. Graduate Trainee
This path is for employees on graduate courses who are going to work in senior management or specialist positions in the UK.
Eligibility:
The 60 points required are, like the Senior/Specialist Worker route: :
- 20 points for a legitimate job offer.
- 20 points if it is a good-skilled job.
- 20 points if the salary is at least £23,100 a year (or an equivalent rate).
Visa Duration:
This visa is good for 12 months in a row, and the employee can’t be in the country for more than 5 years.
Other Requirements:
Nope. You should have worked for the company sponsor for at least 3 months abroad before applying.
Dependents:
Graduate Trainees can sponsor dependents (spouses and kids).
3. UK Expansion Worker
This path is for employees of an overseas company who visit the UK to help open a UK branch for their overseas firm. This route takes the place of the Sole Representative visa.
Eligibility:
Applicants need to get 60 points which include:
- 20 points if you get a job offer.
- 20 points if the job is at the correct skill level.
- 20 points if you’re making at least £42,400 a year (or above).
Visa Duration:
- The visa is issued for a maximum of 12 months and the period workers cannot stay for is limited to 5 years.
Other Requirements:
- The foreign corporation can’t already be trading in the UK. The UK company needs to obtain a provisional sponsor license in support of the worker’s application.
Dependents:
- Working on this visa can sponsor children.
4. Service Supplier
This is for workers arriving in the UK to work under an international trade arrangement. Whether that is as an employee of a service-delivering firm or as a freelance contractor.
Eligibility:
Candidates need 40 points which include:
- 20 points on a legitimate sponsorship deal.
- 20 points if the work is of a high level (graduate or higher).
Visa Duration:
- Depending on the work, it is granted either for 6 months or 12 months.
Other Requirements:
- The job would have to be covered by the UK’s global trade deals. The worker needs to have worked for the service provider outside the UK for at least 12 months.
Dependents:
- Service Providers can sponsor their dependents, too.
5. Secondment Worker
This is a brand-new path for laborers who come to the UK on high-value jobs. Secondment: The secondment involves sending an overseas worker to the UK temporarily on a contract.
Eligibility:
Candidate needs to accumulate 40 points such as:
- 20 points for a decent sponsorship deal.
- 20 points to the job for the right skill level.
Visa Duration:
- The visa is granted for up to 12 months in a row and worker is not allowed to stay more than 5 years in total.
Other Requirements:
- The employee must have worked for their foreign company for a minimum of 12 months before applying.
Dependents:
- Secondment Workers can sponsor dependents.
The Global Mobility Routes allow UK employers more leeway when hiring skilled foreign workers for short-term employment. These routes are available for UK companies already based in the UK (eg, Senior or Specialist Worker and Graduate Trainee routes) and UK companies planning to enter the UK (eg, UK Expansion Worker route).
These paths are promising, but with limitations – in terms of time of stay and not being able to permanently reside in the UK. If you are an employer who wants to hire skilled labor from abroad or if you are interested in the process of applying for a sponsor license, Law and Visas can walk you through every step of the way.
Reach out to Law and Visas today to learn more about how we can help you with Global Mobility.
