What has changed for business visitors to the UK in 2026?
The Visitor Rules permit a range of business activities, including attending meetings, conferences and seminars, negotiating and signing contracts, carrying out site visits and inspections and undertaking certain intra-group activities.
From 8 October 2026, workshops and debates are expressly included in the general business activities permitted under paragraph PA 4 of Appendix Visitor: Permitted Activities.
A more significant change for many employers concerns work-related training.
Work-related training in the UK
Before 8 October 2026, employees of overseas companies or organisations could receive training from a UK-based company or organisation where the training concerned work practices and techniques required for their overseas employment and was unavailable in their home country.
HC 584 removed the home-country availability requirement. Overseas employees can now receive relevant training in the UK without demonstrating that equivalent training is unavailable overseas.
The training must still relate to the individual’s overseas employment and remain within the activities permitted under the Visitor route.
Updated Home Office guidance, published on 8 October 2026, states that training should typically be classroom-based or involve familiarisation or observation. Practical training is permitted, provided it does not amount to on-the-job training or filling a role within the UK organisation.
UKVI may still question why training is being undertaken in the UK where equivalent training is available overseas. Where training is expected to last longer than one month, caseworkers are instructed to consider how the visitor’s overseas duties will be covered and whether the proposed activities amount to employment in the UK.
The amendment removes an evidential restriction for international employers, but it does not permit overseas employees to undertake unrestricted productive work during their training visit.
Does this mean business visitors can work in the UK?
No. The changes do not remove the general prohibition on Visitors undertaking work in the UK.
Appendix V continues to prohibit Visitors from taking employment in the UK, working for a UK organisation or business, establishing or running a business as a self-employed person, undertaking a work placement or internship, directly selling to the public or providing goods and services, unless the activity falls within an express permission under the Visitor Rules.
Visitors must not fill a role or provide short-term cover for a role within a UK organisation unless expressly permitted. Where the individual is employed overseas, they must generally remain employed overseas throughout the visit.
The relevant consideration is whether the proposed activity falls within a specific Visitor permission or amounts to work requiring an appropriate immigration route.
Existing business activities remain available
Subject to the applicable conditions, business visitors can continue to undertake activities including:
- attending meetings, conferences, seminars, interviews, workshops and debates
- negotiating and signing contracts
- attending trade fairs for promotional purposes without direct selling
- carrying out site visits and inspections
- gathering information for overseas employment
- undertaking specified intra-group activities
- carrying out certain installation, servicing and after-sales activities connected with overseas supplies
Overseas employees may also undertake limited remote activities relating to their overseas employment while visiting the UK, provided remote working is not the primary purpose of the visit.
HC 584 does not materially alter these existing permissions beyond the addition of workshops and debates.
Changes for artists, entertainers and musicians
From 8 October 2026, artists, entertainers and musicians can expressly attend rehearsals under the Visitor route, alongside existing permitted activities such as performances, competitions, auditions, promotional appearances and specified cultural events.
The amendments also clarify the position of entertainment staff.
The Rules now define entertainment staff as individuals employed by an organisation, entertainer, musician or artist to support the preparation, setting up and running of an event in the UK.
Under amended paragraph PA 14.2, entertainment staff, including personal or technical staff and production team members, may support activities permitted under PA 14.1 or the relevant permitted paid engagement provision, provided they attend the same event as the artist, entertainer or musician and are employed to work for them outside the UK.
The changes provide clearer permissions for international productions and touring personnel. They do not create a general right to take employment in the UK or receive payment from a UK source. Existing exceptions, including permitted paid engagements and permit-free festival arrangements, remain available where the relevant conditions are met.
Skills competitions
From 8 October 2026, Visitors can expressly participate in skills competitions.
The Rules define a skills competition as an event in which individuals compete by demonstrating skills and competences required in particular occupations or vocational disciplines.
Home Office guidance confirms that there is no prescribed skills or experience threshold for participants, although the competition should be relevant to their occupation, vocational discipline or overseas course of study.
Erasmus+ activities
Further amendments to the Visitor Rules support the UK’s participation in Erasmus+ from 2027.
New paragraphs PA 20.1 to PA 20.4 permit qualifying Erasmus+ participants to undertake specified activities at UK organisations or educational institutions, including:
- providing or receiving training, subject to the relevant programme and employment conditions
- undertaking job shadowing limited to participative observation, without filling a permanent role
- undertaking traineeships lasting up to 30 days for participants aged 18 or under, subject to working time requirements
- undertaking specified coaching or training assignments at UK sports organisations, including activities by sports staff, coaches and volunteers
Participants must demonstrate that they genuinely intend to undertake the activities as part of an Erasmus+ mobility project. Those under 18 undertaking traineeships or job shadowing must also provide written permission from a parent or legal guardian and their home institution.
Separate amendments permit qualifying Erasmus+ participants to undertake study at accredited institutions participating in the programme, including short-term placements at state-funded schools and academies. Applicants must have been accepted onto an appropriate course and demonstrate genuine participation in an Erasmus+ mobility project.
These permissions are specific to Erasmus+ and do not amount to a general relaxation of the restrictions on internships, work placements or employment under the Visitor route.
When did the new Visitor Rules take effect?
The amendments to the Visitor Rules came into force on 8 October 2026.
HC 584 includes transitional provisions. Applications for entry clearance, Electronic Travel Authorisations, permission to enter or permission to stay made before 8 October 2026 are decided under the Immigration Rules in force on 7 October 2026.
Employers arranging international business travel should therefore check which version of the Rules applies, particularly where an application was submitted before commencement.
Updated Home Office Visitor guidance
The Home Office published updated Visit caseworker guidance on 8 October 2026 to reflect the amendments.
Version 18.0 provides further guidance on work-related training, skills competitions, creative-sector activities and the new Erasmus+ permissions. It also includes additional examples concerning installation and after-sales activities under paragraph PA 7 and clarification of the circumstances in which Visitors may care for relatives during a visit.
Employers should consider both the Immigration Rules and the current caseworker guidance when assessing proposed business visits, particularly where the activities involve practical training or work within a UK organisation.
What should employers consider?
The changes provide greater flexibility for overseas employees undertaking training and certain other short-term activities in the UK. They do not remove the compliance risks associated with using the Visitor route for work.
Before arranging a business visit, employers should identify the proposed activities, establish which Visitor permission applies and assess whether the individual will undertake duties beyond that permission.
The duration of the visit is not decisive. Even a short assignment may constitute prohibited work where the individual is filling a UK role, delivering services or undertaking productive work outside the permitted exceptions.
DMS Perspective
Removing the home-country availability test for business training is a welcome simplification for multinational employers. It removes an evidential requirement that could complicate legitimate training arrangements, while leaving the wider restrictions on working in the UK largely unchanged.
The Visitor route permits defined activities, not general short-term employment. Employers must distinguish between attending meetings, receiving training or sharing knowledge and undertaking substantive work for a UK business.
Where an assignment involves practical activity or sits close to the boundary of what is permitted, the immigration position should be assessed before travel. The short duration of an assignment does not, of itself, make the Visitor route appropriate.
Need Assistance?
DavidsonMorris advises employers and business travellers on the UK Visitor Rules, permitted business activities and the appropriate immigration route for short-term assignments in the UK. For advice on a planned business visit or work-related activity, contact us to arrange a fixed-fee telephone consultation with one of our specialist UK immigration advisers.
