In a recently published statement of changes, the UK government announced wide-ranging changes to the UK Immigration Rules, including the launch of new Global Mobility routes, a High Potential Individual route, and a Scale-up route.

Changes to the UK Immigration Rules will be implemented between 11 April 2022 and 22 August 2022 and will replace the existing Intra-Company Transfer (ICT) route and the Representative of an Overseas Business route. New provisions will also be introduced for secondees whose employers have high-value contracts or investments in the United Kingdom.

GLOBAL MOBILITY ROUTE

The Global Mobility route will be a new category for overseas businesses seeking to establish a presence in, or transfer staff to, the United Kingdom for specific business purposes. This route will open to new applicants on 11 April 2022 and there will be five sub-categories.

Senior or Specialist Worker

This route reforms and replaces the ICT route. It is designed for use by senior managers and specialist employees of an international group business who are being transferred to one of the group’s UK businesses. The role must meet the required skill level and minimum salary threshold of £42,500 per year. Applicants must have worked for the overseas business for at least 12 months, unless they are a high earner with a salary of £73,900 or more.

Graduate Trainee

This route reforms and replaces the ICT Graduate Trainee route. It is intended for workers on a graduate training course leading to a senior management or specialist position and who are required to do a work placement in the United Kingdom. The role must meet the minimum salary requirement of £23,100 per year.

UK Expansion Worker

This route reforms and replaces the Representative of an Overseas Business route; however, this route will not lead to settlement, which was available under the Representative of an Overseas Business route. This route is intended for senior managers or specialist employees who are being assigned to the United Kingdom to undertake work relating to a business’s expansion in the United Kingdom.

• Applicants will require sponsorship from a business in the United Kingdom that has a sponsor licence but has not yet started trading in the United Kingdom. The business must also be a subsidiary of an overseas business expanding in the United Kingdom.
• The applicant must be an existing employee of an overseas business with at least 12 months’ prior service unless they are a high earner or are coming under the UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.
• The salary must meet the market rate requirement or the general salary threshold of £42,000 per year, whichever is higher.
• Unlike the Representative of an Overseas Business route, there is no limit on the number of individuals a business can sponsor under this route. Applicants will not be required to have authority to take decisions on behalf of the company and may be majority shareholders in the overseas business.

Service Supplier

This route reforms and replaces the Temporary Work–International Agreement route. It is intended for overseas workers who are undertaking temporary work assignments in the United Kingdom, where the worker is either a contractual service supplier employed by an overseas service provider or a self-employed independent professional based overseas who needs to undertake an assignment in the United Kingdom to provide services covered by one of the United Kingdom’s international trade commitments.

• The sponsor must be authorised by the UK Home Office to sponsor a service supplier and must have a contract with an overseas service provider, where that contract has been registered with the Home Office and on which an applicant as a service supplier will work.
• The applicant either must be sponsored for a job in an occupation code listed in Appendix Skilled Occupations that is identified as eligible for a Global Business Mobility route or must have a university degree or equivalent-level technical qualification.

Secondment Worker

This will be a new route allowing individuals to undertake temporary work assignments where they are seconded to the United Kingdom as part of a high-value contract or investment by their overseas employer.

• Applicants will require sponsorship from a business in the United Kingdom that has a sponsor licence.
• Applicants must have 12 months’ prior service with the overseas business.
• The contract between the UK company and the overseas business must be registered with the Home Office.

Global Mobility migrants will only be granted immigration permission for up to five years in any six-year period, except for high-earning senior or specialist workers, who may be granted a maximum of nine years in any 10-year period. Family members are permitted to apply as dependents and there is no limit on the number of such applications.