Expansion Worker Visa (formerly Sole Representative visa)
Are you looking to “dip your toe in the water” and establish a UK subsidiary or branch of a parent company?
To apply for an expansion worker visa for an overseas business in the UK, you must:
- be employed by the parent company;
- hold a senior or specialist post
- not intend to carry out any other work whilst in the UK.
You should be coming to the UK to establish a wholly owned subsidiary or register a branch in the UK for an overseas parent company and establish a commercial presence. The company should already have a footprint in the UK but importantly, no bank account is required to be in place. The company must have no other branch, subsidiary or other representative in the UK.
The overseas company must apply for a sponsor licence in order to sponsor the expansion worker. The proposed visa holder must be given an annual salary of at least £42,400.
The visa is for an initial period of one year and can be extended for a further year. The visa carries no settlement rights. The idea is that the new UK entity will apply for a sponsor licence and the visa holder will be sponsored and will switch to a tier 2 skilled worker visa. A skilled worker visa does carry settlement rights.
Please contact us for further information.
