UK Secondment Worker Visas – Advice & Guidance

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UK Secondment Worker Visas – Advice & Guidance

A Secondment Worker visa is a type of visa intended for overseas workers, who are planning to be seconded to the UK as part of a high-value investment or employment contract with an organisation. This type of visa is part of the Global Business Mobility immigration route, supporting companies overseas who would like to send employees to the UK on a temporary basis.

IBB Law’s expert business immigration solicitors have plenty of experience handling UK Secondment Worker visa applications. Using our expertise and knowledge of UK immigration rules, we can improve your chances of obtaining your visa.

Our specialist solicitors can offer tailor-made support throughout every part of the Secondment Worker visa application process. We’ll help you to ensure that this is the correct type of visa for you and we can advise you on alternative visa options if appropriate.

At IBB Law, we assist clients from across the globe in a wide range of situations. Our dedicated team can help you to find a visa to suit your circumstances.

Complete support for UK Secondment Worker visas

Our expert business immigration lawyers can offer Secondment Worker visa guidance in many forms, to include:

  • Reviewing your eligibility for a Secondment Worker visa
  • Assisting you to prepare the relevant supporting documents
  • Completing a UK Secondment Worker visa application
  • Support with Secondment Worker visa application refusals and rejections
  • Assistance to extend your UK Secondment Worker visa if necessary

Why choose IBB Law for help with applying for a Secondment Worker visa?

The UK business immigration specialists at IBB Law can offer you:

  • In-depth knowledge of UK immigration laws, policies and procedures.
  • Hands on support from experts who keep up-to-date with developments in the law so that you always receive practical and accurate advice.
  • A cost-effective and timely service with great attention to detail.
  • Independently accredited immigration expertise with our team being ranked by leading client guide the Legal 500 for Immigration Law.

Looking for immediate help with a UK Secondment Worker visa application?

If you need Secondment Worker visa advice and assistance, our highly experienced business immigration team will be happy to assist.

To discuss your situation with our industry-leading business immigration solicitors, you can call us on 03456 381381 or email immigrationteam@ibblaw.co.uk.

How to apply for a Secondment Worker visa for the UK

In this guide, you can find Secondment Worker visa guidance on the following key areas:

What is a UK Secondment Worker visa?

A Secondment Worker Visa is a visa intended for overseas workers who would like to be seconded to the UK on a temporary basis, based on a high- value investment or employment contract. Essentially, you may be entitled to apply if your overseas employer is choosing to transfer you to the UK on a contract with a different organisation.

Who can apply for a Secondment Worker visa?

To be eligible for a Secondment Worker visa, UK Visas and Immigration must be satisfied that:

  • Your overseas business holds a contract with your sponsor that’s worth at least £50 million.
  • The sponsor should have registered that contract with the Home Office.
  • You’ll need to have worked for the overseas business for 12 months at least (different rules apply if you are looking for an extension with your sponsor).
  • The job you’ll be doing is RQF Level 6/ graduate level equivalent.
  • Your UK sponsor has provided you with a Certificate of Sponsorship for the role you’ll be taking on.
  • You have the funds to support yourself.
  • You are over 18 years old.

How do I get a Secondment Worker visa?

The process is best completed with the help of a solicitor who can offer Secondment Worker visa advice and legal support throughout the application process. The procedure includes various tasks and stages, such as:

  • Obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship.
  • Filling out the Secondment Worker Visa application forms.
  • Providing evidence of your identity, (you can do so by arranging a biometric appointment with a visa application centre)
  • You may also have the option of providing identity evidence using the ID Check UK Immigration app.
  • Providing the relevant supporting documents as part of your visa application.

Which documents do you need for a Secondment Worker visa?

As part of the Secondment Worker visa application, you’ll need to provide identification documents such as your birth certificate and passport plus proof of any qualifications you’ve received from apprenticeships, school or university.

If your application is a success, you’ll need to have a photograph taken and your fingerprints recorded as part of a biometric process to further confirm your identity. You’ll also need to provide evidence of your UK employment contract.

How long can I stay in the UK on a Secondment Worker visa?

If you have a UK Secondment Worker visa, you can stay in the UK for whichever of these two timeframes is the shortest:

  • 12 months from the start date of the job role you’re being sponsored for.
  • The timeframe given on your Certificate of Sponsorship and an additional 14 days beyond this date.

Can my family members come with me on a Secondment Worker visa?

It is possible to bring your partner and your children on a Secondment Worker visa, you may be able to bring them as ‘dependants’ if they have the correct eligibility. A partner or child can qualify as a dependent under the following circumstances:

  • They are your husband, wife, an unmarried partner or civil partner. The civil partnership or marriage must be recognised in the UK or if you are unmarried, you must have been living together for 2 years at least.
  • They are your child and under the age of 18. If your child is over 16 years old, they must be living with you (unless they are living at an educational setting such as boarding school or university).
  • If your child is married, in a civil partnership, has children or is not financially supported by you, they will not be eligible.
  • If they are your child, over the age of 18 and living as your dependant in the UK, they will be eligible.

Can a Secondment Worker visa be extended?

Yes, if you are in the UK on a 12 month Secondment Worker visa you have the option to extend your visa by a further 12 months.

If you would like to extend your UK Secondment Worker visa our business immigration solicitors can guide you through the process of applying for an extension.

Can you settle in the UK on a Secondment Worker visa?

This type of visa does not permit a route to settlement in the UK. The same is true of the other immigration routes on the Global Business Mobility scheme.

To remain in the UK, the individual must pursue another immigration route. Our solicitors can provide information about settlement in the UK if required.

How long does it take to get a Secondment Worker visa?

You will be able to apply for a Secondment Worker visa 3 months before you will be starting your job in the UK. You’ll find the start date on your Certificate of Sponsorship.

The application process requires you to provide various supporting documents and to prove your identity. Under some circumstances you may need to book an appointment to do so.

Once you’ve completed all of the application forms, you should hear back within 3 weeks if you are living outside the UK, or within 8 weeks if you are currently living in the UK.

How much does it cost to sponsor a Secondment worker?

The cost to sponsor a secondment worker is a £536 fee to apply for a licence and a £21 fee for a Certificate of Sponsorship. There is also an applicant’s visa fee of £259 and a healthcare surcharge of £624 per year.

UK Secondment Worker visa refusals and rejections

It’s hugely disappointing if your UK Secondment Worker visa application is rejected. Fortunately, if you’ve applied for a visa and the application has been refused, you do have the opportunity to reapply.

Under these circumstances, it is best to contact a business immigration solicitor. They can check your application and help you understand the issues that led to your refusal.

If there were errors in your application, for example, you failed to provide all of the correct supporting documents, then our business immigration solicitors at IBB Law should be able to help you resolve this quickly.

If you believe that there are no errors in your application, and that it has in fact been wrongly processed, then our lawyers can assist you to ask for an administrative review of your application.

Under some circumstances, your application may have been refused because you do not meet the correct eligibility requirements for a Secondment Worker visa. For instance, if your occupation itself is not on the list of eligible jobs. If this is the case, we can advise you on alternative visa options that may better suit your circumstances.

Alternatives to a Secondment Worker visa

As well as the Secondment Worker route, the Global Business Mobility scheme has four other immigration routes:

Graduate Trainee

This type of visa is for overseas employees who are looking to be seconded to the UK for a graduate training work placement. The placement should be a route to a specialist or senior management role.

Service Supplier

If you are working overseas as a self-employed professional, or providing a contractual service, you may be eligible to be transferred to the UK temporarily, depending on the type of work that you offer.

UK Expansion Worker

This type of visa is intended for specialist employees or senior managers coming to the UK to set up a new branch of an overseas business.

Specialist Worker

The specialist worker route is an option for specialist workers or senior managers who are looking to take on temporary employment in the UK.

Skilled Worker visa

If none of these routes are suitable you may be eligible for a UK Skilled Worker visa. The requirements to obtain a UK Skilled Worker visa are:

  • A job offer in the UK that’s been approved by the Home Office (the job you are offered must be on the UK Skilled Worker visa application list).
  • A Certificate of Sponsorship provided by your employer.
  • The role must be paid a minimum salary (which depends on the type of occupation).
  • You must meet a specified English language requirement.

Get immediate expert advice on applying for a UK Secondment Worker visa

If you need expert UK Secondment visa advice and support with your application our highly experienced business immigration team will be happy to assist.

To discuss your situation with our industry-leading business immigration solicitors, you can call us on 03456 381381 or email immigrationteam@ibblaw.co.uk.

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