The new Global Business Mobility Visa is an umbrella visa for 5 different routes that allow overseas workers the opportunity to work in a UK branch or connected branch of their current employer. However, it can be tricky to navigate the visa rules, particularly when it comes to extending your visa, as there are different criteria to meet with each 5 route.

We are Synergy Immigration Solutions are experts in the field of immigration and we’re here to give professional advice on how to extend your Global Business Mobility  visa, and we’re here to give you information on how you can apply for indefinite leave to remain once in the UK by switching to a more suitable visa to achieve your goal of settlement.

What is the Global Business Mobility visa?

The Global Business Mobility visa is made up of five sponsored work routes for overseas businesses looking to establish, develop or support UK-based operations. The organisations must want to set up a UK branch or already have that connection with their own or another business, within the UK.

The Global Business Mobility (otherwise known as GBM visas) reform and expand on previous UK work and business visas and, since April 2022, has replaced the ICT visas. You may still see ICT being used, but this type of Visa is no longer valid, and the correct visa to refer to is the Global Business Mobility.

What are the 5 Global Business Mobility routes?

There are 5 categories that make up the Global Business Mobility Visa routes, and these are:

• Senior or specialist worker. The Senior or Specialist worker route is for senior managers and specialist employees being assigned to a UK business that’s linked to their employer overseas and who wish to undertake a temporary assignment in the UK.
• Graduate trainees. The Graduate Trainee route is for overseas workers on a graduate training course leading to either a senior management or specialist position and required by their employer to do a UK work placement.
• UK expansion worker. The UK Expansion Worker route is for overseas workers looking to undertake temporary assignments in the UK, where the worker is either a senior manager or specialist employee tasked with supporting the opening of a UK branch or UK connection.
• Service supplier. The Service Supplier route is for contractual service suppliers employed by overseas service providers or self-employed independent professionals based overseas looking to undertake temporary assignments in the UK.
• Secondment worker. The Secondment worker route is for overseas workers looking to undertake temporary assignments in the UK, where the worker is being seconded to the UK as part of a contract or investment by their overseas employer.

To be accepted onto one of these routes, you must be eligible and meet the minimum salary requirements. To find out if you meet the criteria for these visas, see our blog post on Who is eligible for ICT? And speak to one of our immigration agents at Synergy Immigration Solutions to get expert advice