What is changing for business visitors to the UK in 2026?
The existing Visitor Rules already allow 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 will be expressly added to the general business activities permitted under paragraph PA 4 of Appendix Visitor: Permitted Activities.
For most business travellers, however, the more significant change relates to work-related training.
Work-related training in the UK
Under the Rules currently in force, an employee of an overseas company or organisation can receive training from a UK-based company or organisation where the training concerns work practices and techniques required for the person’s overseas employment and is not available in their home country.
HC 584 removes the requirement that the training must be unavailable in the visitor’s home country.
From 8 October 2026, an overseas employee will therefore be able to receive relevant training in the UK without having to establish that equivalent training could not have been obtained at home.
The change should make the Visitor route more practical for international businesses bringing overseas employees to the UK for legitimate training. The remaining requirements still matter: the training must relate to the individual’s overseas employment and the visit must continue to fall within the permitted activities of the Visitor route.
Until 8 October 2026, the existing requirement remains in force.
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 provide that a Visitor must not take employment in the UK, work for a UK organisation or business, establish or run a business as a self-employed person, undertake a work placement or internship, directly sell to the public or provide goods and services, unless the activity is expressly permitted under the Visitor Rules.
Permitted activities must also not amount to the individual filling a role or providing short-term cover for a role within a UK organisation. Where the Visitor is employed and paid overseas, they must generally remain employed overseas during the visit.
The question therefore remains whether the individual is genuinely carrying out a defined permitted activity or is, in substance, coming to the UK to perform productive work that would normally require an appropriate work route.
Existing business activities remain available
Subject to the relevant conditions, business visitors can continue to undertake activities such as:
- attending meetings, conferences, seminars and interviews
- 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 can also undertake limited remote activity relating to their overseas employment while in the UK, provided remote working is not the primary purpose of the visit.
HC 584 does not materially expand these wider permissions.
Changes for artists, entertainers and musicians
The Rules are also being amended for the creative sector.
From 8 October 2026, artists, entertainers and musicians will expressly be permitted to attend rehearsals under the Visitor route, in addition to existing permitted activities such as performances, competitions, auditions, promotional appearances and specified cultural events.
The Rules will also clarify the position of entertainment staff.
The existing permission for personal or technical staff and members of an artist’s, entertainer’s or musician’s production team is being retained and recast under the new defined term “Entertainment staff”.
From 8 October 2026, the Rules will 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 PA 14.2, entertainment staff may support activities permitted under PA 14.1 or the relevant permitted paid engagement provision, provided they attend the same event and are employed to work for the artist, entertainer or musician outside the UK.
A new definition of “entertainment staff” is also being introduced to cover individuals employed by an organisation, artist, entertainer or musician to assist with the preparation, setting up and running of an event in the UK.
The amendments provide greater clarity for international productions and touring personnel, but do not create a general permission to take employment or receive payment from a UK source. Existing exceptions, including permitted paid engagements and permit-free festival arrangements, continue to apply.
Skills competitions
Visitors will also expressly be permitted to participate in skills competitions from 8 October 2026.
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.
Erasmus+ work-related activities
A separate group of Visitor Rule amendments supports the UK’s participation in Erasmus+ from 2027.
New paragraph PA 20 will allow qualifying Erasmus+ participants to undertake specified activities including providing or receiving training, job shadowing and certain coaching or training assignments at UK organisations or educational institutions.
Job shadowing must be limited to participative observation and must not amount to filling a permanent role. Erasmus+ participants aged 18 or under will also be able to undertake a traineeship in the UK for up to 30 days, subject to the relevant conditions.
These are programme-specific provisions rather than a wider relaxation of the Visitor Rules for internships or work placements generally.
When do the new Visitor Rules take effect?
The Visitor changes take effect on 8 October 2026.
HC 584 contains an express transitional provision for these amendments. Where an application for entry clearance, an Electronic Travel Authorisation, permission to enter or permission to stay was made before 8 October 2026, it will be decided under the Immigration Rules in force on 7 October 2026.
Businesses arranging travel around the implementation date should therefore check which version of the Rules applies to the individual concerned.
What should employers consider?
The changes provide useful additional flexibility, particularly for overseas employees coming to the UK for training. They do not, however, alter the basic compliance risk associated with using the Visitor route for activities that amount to work.
Before bringing an overseas employee to the UK as a Visitor, employers should identify what the individual will actually be doing, determine the specific permitted activity relied on and check whether the proposed duties go beyond that permission.
Duration alone is not decisive. A visit lasting only a few days can still constitute prohibited work if the individual will be filling a role, delivering services or undertaking productive activity for a UK organisation outside one of the permitted exceptions.
DMS Perspective
The removal of the home-country availability test for business training is a useful relaxation and should remove an awkward evidential requirement for multinational employers. The wider position, however, remains largely unchanged: the Visitor route permits defined business activities, not general short-term working.
For employers, the risk remains at the boundary between undertaking permitted activities such as attending, advising, training or sharing knowledge on the one hand and performing substantive work for the UK business on the other. Where the proposed activity sits close to that boundary, the immigration position should be considered before travel rather than relying on the fact that the assignment is short.
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.
