Secondment Worker Visa
With the Secondment Worker Visa, one of the 5 visas under the Global Business Mobility route, workers who are part of a high-value contract or investment overseas can be posted temporarily in the UK.
One of the core and most important aspects of Global Business Mobility visas is the requirement that employers continue to sponsor workers they send to the UK to fulfill certain work purposes.
According to the guidance on the official website of the UK government, the result of the visa can vary between 3 weeks and 8 weeks. However, this period can be extended if the control/compliance/reliability of the documents is questioned.
Thanks to the Secondment Worker visa, employees working in a company that provides overseas employment can be assigned to the UK branch of the company they work for. In order to apply for this route, you must first meet the fixed requirements set by the Home Office (eg, the applicant must be over the age of 18). In addition to the relevant fixed requirements, the Secondment Worker route contains three essential criteria that must be completed:
Company License
Under the Secondment Worker visa, one of the main requirements is that the UK branch should show their license recognized by the Home Office. In this way, the company can sponsor the employees and confirm the employment process by documenting them in the Home Office. After the licensing process (if the company was not licensed before) the employing company needs to request a personalized “sponsorship certificate” for recruiting workers. This document is one of the three main requirements of the Secondment Worker Visa.
Sponsorship Certificate – Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS)
The job you will do in the UK must be on the “Eligible Professions” list determined by the Home Office. For this reason, the company that will sponsor you must be licensed in line with the relevant route in order to provide the necessary document (CoS) for your visa application. Based on this list, you should choose the code of your profession or the profession code that you think is close to your profession, and use this code during the sponsorship document application stage.
The officer who will evaluate your visa will check that you have the skills, qualifications and experience to do the designated job as described. Secondment Worker Visa applications cannot be requested for occupations that are not on the list.
Eligible Professions: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/global-business-mobility-eligible-occupations-and-codes
Contract Terms and Work Span
One of the most important points for the Secondment Worker Visa is that you have to prove that you have been working for at least 12 months with the overseas company that has signed a contract with the UK company. In order for your sponsor company in the UK to create employment within the context of the Secondment Worker Visa, the signed contract must be at least or equal to £50,000,000.
Visa Duration & Rights
Length of Stay–Extension
Your stay in the UK with a Secondment Worker visa varies depending on your sponsorship certificate. The maximum time you can spend in the UK is 2 years in total. This period can be obtained by applying for an extension to extend your stay when your visa expires. You can extend the 1 year you will obtain in your first application and for 1 more year by applying in the means of the same route. However, in this whole process, you have to work under the same contract and for the sponsor who employs you.
Your family can live with you in the UK
Your spouse, unmarried partner, civil partner and/or children under the age of 18 can apply for “dependant” and join you to live in the UK for the duration of your visa.
Application Process Cost
- Amount to be paid as visa application fee to the British Government
The application cost for the Secondment Worker Visa by Home Office for 2022 is £259.
- Additional fee for medical services payable to the British Government
This fee is set at GBP 624 for each year of stay. For example, if you are applying for a 3-year visa, you must pay 624 x 3 = £1872 in healthcare. To complete your visa application, you must complete the health payment stage.
- The third article is the amount that you have to declare in your bank account to show that you can support yourself in the UK.
The minimum amount decided by the Home Office is 1270 GBP. If your family members are also included in the application, in addition to 1270 GBP; £285 for your spouse/partner, £315 for your first child and £200 for each additional child must be shown in the bank statements.