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Secondment Worker Visa

Part of the Global Business Mobility category of visas, a Secondment Worker Visa is intended for individuals whose non-UK employer wants to transfer them to the UK to do certain eligible jobs for a different organisation. The contract between the employer and the relevant UK organisation must be of sufficiently high value.

Applicants for a Secondment Worker Visa must:

  • have worked for their non-UK employer for at least a year outside the UK
  • do a job that is on the Home Office’s list of eligible occupations
  • have received a certificate of sponsorship for the UK organisation they intend to be transferred to

In addition to being able to do the work in the UK for which they have been sponsored, individuals with a Secondment Worker Visa are also permitted to study, undertake voluntary work, and to travel abroad and return to the UK. They can also bring a partner and/or children with them as dependants, provided they are eligible and submit visa applications of their own.  Secondment Worker Visas can be issued for as long as 12 months, and can be extended to up to a total of two years.

Managers and HR: Be careful when considering visa options for an employee who has previously worked in the UK on other types of intra-company or Global Business Mobility category visas. Individuals who have spent time in the UK on many of these visas are usually limited to a maximum stay of five years in any six year period.

Check your eligibility for this visa

Secondment Worker Visa process and costs

Applications for a Secondment Worker Visa can be submitted as much as three months before you are expecting to begin working in the UK (and as specified on your sponsorship certificate). Once the Home Office has received your application and any supporting documents, you can usually expect to receive a decision within three weeks if you are applying from outside the UK. If you are already in the UK when you apply, getting a decision can take up to 8 weeks.

Applying for a Secondment Worker Visa costs £298 plus an additional healthcare surcharge for each year that the visa will be valid.

Demetris Demetriou

Demetris is a dual-qualified lawyer in the UK (Solicitor) and Cyprus (Advocate) with 10+ years of experience in UK immigration. He completed his legal studies at University College London and City University London. Over the course of his career, he held key roles as Head of Immigration at Legal 500 firms and within the Big4, overseeing teams of 15+ fee earners handling 2000+ applications annually.

Demetris went on to co-establish his firm in London and continues to offer innovative solutions and strategic immigration planning to multinationals, SMEs, and private clients.

He personally represented 1500+ clients in 30+ visa routes including investors, entrepreneurs, innovators, sole representatives, students, family visas, global talent, UK ancestry, administrative reviews and appeals. Demetris has managed corporate relocations, conducted immigration law training and implemented post-Brexit immigration policies for corporate clients.

Demetris has been featured in various events and publications focusing on UK immigration, notably at the Cambridge Network, the Westminster Policy Forum and most recently at DGEMS, a global mobility summit hosted by Forbes India.

If you would like to discuss your UK immigration matter or have any questions about your options for immigrating to the UK, you can book a consultation here.

Tatiani Preifelt

Tatiani has a wealth of expertise in global mobility and corporate immigration. Her ample skills were acquired within leading immigration practices including three out of the Big4 firms in both the UK and Sweden. Tatiani went on to co-establish her firm in London where she continues to advise clients predominantly in corporate, business and skilled work migration.

Having personally relocated to 10 different countries, Tatiani understands the importance of an expedient and successful immigration process and takes pride in delivering a seamless experience to her clients as well.

Over the course of her career, she has assisted over 500 individuals and businesses to obtain the appropriate visa permits in the UK.

Her awarded academic work at The University of Oxford, The London School of Economics, and at The Geneva University is in the fields of Political Science, International Human Rights Law, and Global Migration Governance.

She regularly provides immigration training and has recently participated as a speaker and panellist at DGEMS 2023, a global mobility summit hosted by Forbes India.

If you would like to discuss your UK immigration matter or have any questions about your options for immigrating to the UK, you can book a consultation here.