• UK Senior or Specialist Worker Visa

Visit the UK on a Senior or Specialist Worker Visa

Are you looking to travel to the UK to work for your overseas employer’s UK branch? Then the Senior or Specialist Worker Visa may be right for you. 

The Senior or Specialist Worker visa allows you to live in the UK to work (and study) on a sponsorship from your employer.

Your employer has to be approved by the Home Office to become a sponsor. This will generate a ‘certificate of sponsorship’, which is one of the main requirements to be able to live and work in the UK on this visa.

Once approved, you can stay in the UK for the time given on your certificate of sponsorship plus 14 days or 5 years (whichever is the shortest).

This visa is part of the Global Business Mobility category of UK visas and has replaced the Intra-company Transfer Visa, previously the Tier 2 (Intra-company Transfer) Long-term Staff Visa.

UK Senior or Specialist Worker Visa requirements

To be eligible for the Senior or Specialist Worker visa, you will need to be able to meet the following requirements:

  • Be paid a minimum salary of £45,800 (this amount may be subject to change)
  • Be employed by a Home Office-approved organisation that is able to provide you with a ‘certificate of sponsorship’ describing what you will be doing in the UK
    • If you are earning less than £73,900 per year, you must have worked for the organisation for a minimum of 12 months. If you earn more than £73,900, this requirement does not apply.
  • Hold a job which is on the Home Office’s list of eligible positions for visas within the Global Business Mobility category
  • Prove that you have at least £1,270 in your bank account to support yourself whilst in the UK (unless you are exempt – e.g. you have written proof from your employer that they will cover your first month’s expenses up to at least the same amount)
    • If you need to provide evidence of personal savings, you will need a bank statement showing that these monies have been available for at least 28 days in a row within 31 days of applying for this visa.
  • Provide evidence of your relationship with any dependants (partner and/or children) you want to bring with you
    • They will also need to lodge their own application to come to the UK with you
Check your eligibility for this visa

UK Senior or Specialist Worker Visa application process

You can apply for a Senior or Specialist visa from inside or outside the UK. If applying from outside the UK, you can usually expect to receive a decision within 3 weeks. If you apply from outside the UK, you may have to wait for up to 8 weeks.

You must apply within 3 months of the day that you intend to commence your new role in the UK.

UK Senior or Specialist Worker Visa costs

The fee for a Senior or Specialist Worker visa is £625 to £1,423 depending on your circumstances (these amounts may be subject to change). 

If you want to stay in the UK for less than 3 years, the fee is £625 per person, whereas a stay for more than 3 years will incur a fee of £1,235.

If you are applying to extend your visa from within the UK for up to 3 years, the fee is £719, whereas an extension for more than 3 years will incur an application fee of £1,423.  

You will also have to pay a healthcare surcharge for each year that your visa will be valid for.

If you’re unsure if this visa is right for you or how to apply, or have any other questions, you can seek advice from one of our qualified migration agents below.

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.