How to Sponsor a Global Business Mobility Visa Worker

The Global Business Mobility (GBM) routes are designed for businesses who need to temporarily deploy individuals to the UK for a work assignment with a linked UK business that cannot be done by a settled worker.

In this guide, we examine the rules and requirements that must be met to sponsor a GBM worker, together with the procedure that must be followed to obtain Home Office sponsor approval.

 

How do you sponsor a Global Business Mobility visa worker?

 

To obtain any one of the new Global Business Mobility visas, a migrant worker will need to be sponsored by a Home Office approved licence-holder, authorised to sponsor the specific category of worker in question. These categories include senior or specialist workers, graduate trainees, UK expansion workers, service suppliers and secondment workers.

Only once the sponsor has obtained a licence from the UK Home Office for the relevant GBM route, can they then issue a valid Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) to confirm that the relevant visa conditions are met, and to enable the migrant worker to apply for a visa and, provided that individual is successfully granted entry clearance or leave to remain as a GBM worker, to undertake the job role as set out in their CoS.

There are various route-specific eligibility requirements that must be met before a migrant worker will be granted a GBM visa, although sponsorship is required under all five routes. This includes the UK expansion worker route, which replaces the sole representative provisions of the previously unsponsored representative of an overseas business route.

Likewise, the senior and specialist worker visa, and the graduate trainee visa, replace the intra-company transfer (ICT) routes, whilst the service supplier route replaces the provisions for independent professionals and contractual service suppliers on the international agreement route. In contrast, the secondment worker route is a new route to enable overseas workers to be seconded to the UK temporarily as part of a high value contract or investment.

There are transitional arrangements for existing sponsor licence-holders. This means that where the sponsor held a licence on a relevant predecessor route before 11 April 2022, the new route may be automatically added to their licence. However, where any licence isn’t covered by the route-specific transitional arrangements — or where the sponsor didn’t hold a valid licence prior to 11 April 2022, or they’re now looking to sponsor a worker under a previously unsponsored or new route — they will need to apply for Home Office approval.

 

Global Business Mobility visa sponsor requirements

 

If your organisation doesn’t already have a sponsor licence, you will need to apply for Home Office approval before you can sponsor a Global Business Mobility visa worker. To be eligible for a GBM sponsor licence, you must meet various route-specific requirements, including:

 

• you must be able to offer genuine employment in the UK that meets the relevant skill and any salary requirements of the GBM route in question;
• have a qualifying overseas business link, although the nature of this link depends on the route, for example, to sponsor a senior or specialist worker, the UK sponsor and overseas business must be linked by common ownership or control, whilst for a secondment worker licence you must have an eligible overseas contract for either goods or investment worth no less than £10 million per year or £50 million in total;
• if applying on the UK expansion worker route, you must also meet the additional requirements for that route. This means that you must be able to show via a UK ‘footprint’ and credible plans, that you intend and are capable of establishing a new UK branch or wholly-owned subsidiary within a period of two years, and have an established overseas trading presence, which has been active and trading for at least three years.

 

In addition to meeting any route-specific requirements for the category of worker you are looking to sponsor, you must also be able to establish that you:

 

• are a genuine organisation that’s operating lawfully in the UK, although you must not have an existing active trading presence in the UK if applying on the UK expansion worker route;
• are honest, dependable, reliable, and haven’t behaved in a way that is not conducive to the public good, where the Home Office will have regard to the key personnel named in your application and any person involved in the day-to-day running of the business;
• are capable of carrying out all your sponsor duties, where the Home Office will have regard to your current human resources and recruitment practices, and may conduct a site visit.

 

If you don’t meet all of the specific and general requirements, your application for a Global Business Mobility visa sponsor licence will be refused. You may also not be eligible to re-apply for at least six months although, in certain circumstances, this cooling-off period can be longer.

 

How to apply for a Global Business Mobility sponsor licence

 

To apply for a Global Business Mobility visa sponsor licence, you must complete an online application form and submit the supporting documents specified in Appendix A of the sponsor guidance. This includes documentation to show that you’re a genuine organisation operating lawfully in the UK, or have a UK footprint and credible plans to establish a UK presence when under the UK expansion worker route, together with details of any linked overseas business.

When applying for a sponsor licence, you must also pay a fee for your application. The amount you must pay will depend on the type of licence you’re applying for and, in the context of a senior or specialist worker licence, the size or charitable status of your organisation.

The application process, and preparation involved to obtain the necessary documentation, can be complex. You will also be required to give certain responsibilities to members of your staff, known as key personnel, some or all of whom will have access to the Home Office sponsorship management system (SMS) once a licence is granted. This can become especially complex in the context of applying for a licence to sponsor UK expansion workers, with specific rules around who can act as your authorising officer and level 1 SMS user. The Home Office will also look into the background of any individual involved in the sponsorship process.

Given the complexities involved, it’s always best to seek expert legal advice before applying for a Global Business Mobility visa sponsor licence. In this way, you can maximise your prospects of a successful outcome to your application, and minimise the possibility of being unable to re-apply until after any cooling-off period if your application is refused.

If your application for a Global Business Mobility visa sponsor licence is successful, your organisation’s name will appear on the Register of Sponsors. You’ll also be given access to the SMS, and will be able to sponsor workers who meet the criteria under the relevant route by assigning them a CoS. In most cases, you’ll be granted an A-rating, except under the UK expansion worker route, where you’ll be given either an A-rating or provisional rating depending on whether your authorising officer is overseas or already in the UK.

 

Assigning Certificates of Sponsorship for GBM visa workers

 

If you want to sponsor a worker on a Global Business Mobility route, they must be assigned a valid CoS using your SMS account. This will be the responsibility of the Level 1 user.

Before assigning a CoS, the Level 1 user must satisfy themselves that the worker can meet the relevant immigration requirements for the route in question. You must pay a fee for each CoS you assign. You may also need to pay the immigration skills charge if you’re sponsoring a senior or specialist worker. Once a CoS has been assigned, the worker must use it within 3 months to apply for entry clearance or leave to remain. The worker must also not apply for a visa or extension more than 3 months before the start date recorded on their CoS.

For a CoS to be valid, it must confirm a number of different things, including the GBM route on which you are sponsoring the worker, their personal details, the start and end date of their employment, where they will be working, their job title and relevant occupation code for the role, details of their salary, and more. The job on offer must also be genuine, and you must not assign a CoS to a worker for a role which amounts to either the hire of the worker to a third party who is not the sponsor or contract work to undertake or provide an ongoing routine role or service for a third party who is not the sponsor.

 

Assigning CoS for UK Expansion Workers

 

Organisations that have been given a provisional licence rating under the UK Expansion Worker route will only be permitted to assign one CoS. This CoS must be assigned the organisation’s Authorising Officer to enable them to travel to the UK.

Once the AO’s visa has been granted, the sponsor licence can be upgraded to an A-rating, enabling the organisation to request a further four CoS through the SMS.

 

Global Business Mobility visa sponsor licence costs

 

There are various costs associated with sponsorship, although the nature and extent of these costs will depend on whether you’re sponsoring a worker under the senior or specialist route or any one of the other four GBM routes. These costs can be broken down into the sponsor licence fee, an immigration skills charge, where applicable, and a fee to issue each CoS.

 

Sponsor licence fees

 

When sponsoring a senior or specialist worker, and you do not already have an existing valid licence, you will need to factor in the cost of obtaining a sponsor licence. For sponsor licensing fee purposes, the senior or specialist route is classified as a ‘worker’ route, where the licence cost will depend on the size and status of your organisation. The fee is £574 for small or charitable sponsors, and £1,579 for medium or large sponsors.

To qualify as a small sponsor, an organisation typically needs to satisfy at least two of these conditions: an annual turnover of no more than £15 million, total assets valued at £7.5 million or less, or a workforce of 50 or fewer employees. For charitable sponsor status, the organisation must be a registered charity in England or Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland, with unregistered Northern Irish charities providing evidence of their charitable tax status from HMRC. Other qualifying charitable entities include excepted charities, exempt charities, and ecclesiastical corporations set up for charitable objectives.

For all other GBM routes, which for sponsor licensing fee purposes are classed as ‘temporary worker’ routes, the fee will be the standard fee for a temporary worker sponsor licence set at £574, regardless of the size or charitable status of the sponsor.

 

Immigration skills charge

 

To sponsor a Senior or Specialist worker, you must pay an immigration skills charge for each migrant worker that you sponsor. The amount payable is again based on the size and status of your organisation, as well as how long the specialist or senior worker will be in the UK. For small or charitable sponsors, the immigration skills charge is set at £364 for the first 12 months, plus £182 for every additional 6-month period. For medium or large sponsors, this is set at £1,000 for the first 12 months, plus £500 for every extra 6 months.

 

Assigning a sponsorship certificate

 

The fee for issuing a sponsorship certificate is either £525 for senior or specialist workers, or £55 for workers under any of the other GBM routes. A CoS assigned to a senior or specialist worker will attract the higher fee, regardless of the size, status or duration of employment.

 

Need assistance?

 

DavidsonMorris are UK business immigration specialists. We support employers with all aspects of corporate immigration to meet their UK talent needs through international recruitment and global mobility.

For advice and guidance for your organisation on the Global Business Mobility route, including sponsor licence and visa applications, contact us.

 

GBM sponsor guidance FAQs

 

What is the Global Business Mobility route?

The Global Business Mobility (GBM) route is a UK immigration category designed for overseas businesses seeking to temporarily send workers to the UK for specific business purposes, such as assignments, secondments, or to set up a UK branch.

 

What types of roles are eligible under the GBM route?

There are five GBM sub-categories: Senior or Specialist Worker, Graduate Trainee, UK Expansion Worker, Service Supplier, and Secondment Worker. Each route has its own eligibility requirements relating to the role, salary, and business relationship between the overseas and UK entities.

 

Do I need a sponsor licence to employ a GBM worker?

To sponsor a worker under any GBM sub-route, your organisation must hold a valid sponsor licence for the relevant route and meet all compliance requirements set by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).

 

How long can a GBM worker stay in the UK?

The maximum length of stay varies by sub-route. For example, Senior or Specialist Workers can stay up to five years in a six-year period, while UK Expansion Workers are generally limited to two years. Extensions may be possible, subject to route-specific caps.

 

Can a GBM worker settle in the UK permanently?

The GBM route is not a route to settlement (Indefinite Leave to Remain). However, some workers may later be eligible to switch to a settlement route, such as Skilled Worker, if they meet the relevant requirements.

 

What are the salary requirements under the GBM route?

Salary thresholds vary by sub-route. For example, Senior or Specialist Workers must be paid at least £52,500 per year or the going rate for the job (whichever is higher). Some routes, such as Graduate Trainee or Service Supplier, have lower thresholds.

 

What is the difference between a Defined and Undefined CoS for GBM workers?

Defined Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) are used for workers applying from outside the UK. Undefined CoS are used for those switching from within the UK. GBM workers will generally require a Defined CoS unless applying to extend existing leave from within the UK.

 

Can a GBM worker bring dependants?

Most GBM routes allow the main applicant to be accompanied by their spouse or partner and dependent children, provided they meet the requirements for dependant visas.

 

Is the GBM route right for setting up a new UK business presence?

The UK Expansion Worker route under the GBM category is specifically designed for overseas businesses establishing a UK branch or subsidiary. Sponsors must meet eligibility criteria, and the route is limited in duration and number of CoS issued.

 

Can a UK Expansion Worker switch to another GBM route?

In most cases, switching between GBM sub-routes is not permitted while in the UK. However, a worker may apply for a different route from outside the UK or switch to an eligible alternative (such as Skilled Worker) if they meet the requirements.

 

How do I apply for a sponsor licence under the GBM route?

You must submit an application through the SMS, provide supporting documents in line with Appendix A, and demonstrate that you meet the suitability and eligibility criteria for the relevant GBM sub-route.

 

What happens if I fail to meet my sponsor duties?

The Home Office can take enforcement action against sponsors who breach their compliance duties, including suspension or revocation of the licence. This could result in the curtailment of sponsored workers’ visas and damage to the organisation’s ability to hire overseas staff.

 

Glossary

 

Term	Definition
Global Business Mobility (GBM)	A UK visa route for overseas businesses to temporarily assign workers to the UK for specific business purposes under five sub-categories.
Senior or Specialist Worker	A GBM route for experienced employees of an overseas company being transferred to a UK branch or linked entity in a senior or specialist role.
Graduate Trainee	A GBM route for overseas graduates on structured training programmes who are being transferred to a UK branch of the business as part of their training.
UK Expansion Worker	A GBM route for senior personnel from overseas businesses seeking to establish a UK branch or subsidiary, where no trading presence currently exists.
Service Supplier	A GBM route for overseas workers providing services to a UK business under a relevant international trade agreement, either as an employee or self-employed professional.
Secondment Worker	A GBM route for overseas employees being seconded to the UK as part of a high-value contract or investment between their overseas employer and a UK business.
Sponsor Licence	Permission granted by the Home Office that allows a UK business to sponsor migrant workers, including those on Global Business Mobility routes.
Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS)	An electronic document issued by a licensed sponsor to a migrant worker that enables them to apply for a UK visa under a specific immigration route.
Defined CoS	A type of Certificate of Sponsorship required for migrant workers applying for entry clearance to the UK from overseas.
Undefined CoS	A type of Certificate of Sponsorship used for migrant workers already in the UK who are switching to or extending their visa under certain routes.
Sponsorship Management System (SMS)	The Home Office’s online portal that licensed sponsors use to manage their sponsor licence, including assigning CoS and reporting changes.
Cooling-Off Period	A period during which a business cannot reapply for a sponsor licence following revocation or refusal due to non-compliance or other issues.
Compliance Duties	Ongoing responsibilities of licensed sponsors to maintain accurate records, report changes, and cooperate with Home Office audits.
Right to Work Check	A legal requirement for UK employers to verify that all employees have the correct immigration status to work in the UK.
Settlement	Also known as Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR); permission to stay in the UK permanently. GBM routes do not lead directly to settlement.