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Global Business Mobility Visa: UK Routes Explained

At Guden Solicitors, we understand the intricacies of international business mobility, and our expertise in immigration law allows us to guide you through the complex landscape of global business mobility routes. These routes offer diverse opportunities for overseas workers to engage in temporary work assignments in the UK, tailored to their roles, skills, and the needs of their employers.

Global Business Mobility Routes Overview

There are five distinct Global Business Mobility routes, each designed to accommodate specific circumstances and roles:

Senior or Specialist Worker

Designed for senior managers or specialized employees who are temporarily assigned to a UK business linked to their overseas employer.

Graduate Trainee

Intended for overseas workers who are on a graduate training course, leading to a senior management or specialist position, and require a work placement in the UK.

UK Expansion Worker

Targeting senior managers or specialist employees assigned to the UK for work related to their business's expansion.

Service Supplier

Applicable to contractual service suppliers employed by overseas providers or self-employed independent professionals who need to provide services covered by UK's international trade agreements.

Secondment Worker

Geared towards overseas workers seconded to the UK as part of a high-value contract or investment by their overseas employer.

Benefits and Future Prospects

While these routes don't lead to settlement in the UK, they serve as vital steppingstones for overseas workers seeking temporary work assignments in the UK. The knowledge and experience gained during these assignments can be invaluable for future career growth and opportunities.
Your Mobility, Our Expertise
Navigating the Global Business Mobility routes requires astute legal guidance, and at Guden Solicitors, we specialise in providing exactly that. Our seasoned immigration experts understand the intricate regulations and requirements associated with each route, ensuring that your journey through global business mobility is seamless and successful. Contact us today to explore how our expertise can pave the way for your success on the international stage.

Business immigration · UK sponsored work routes

Frequently asked questions: Global Business Mobility routes

Clear, current answers on the five Global Business Mobility categories — who each route is for, what it costs, how long it lasts, and what it does not give you. Written for overseas businesses moving people into the UK, and for the people being moved.

  • Senior or Specialist Worker
  • Graduate Trainee
  • UK Expansion Worker
  • Service Supplier
  • Secondment Worker

Every figure below is taken from GOV.UK and was verified on . Fees and salary thresholds change, most often in April and at each statement of changes to the Immigration Rules.

What is the Global Business Mobility visa?

The Global Business Mobility (GBM) visa is not one visa. It is a group of five sponsored UK work routes for staff of overseas businesses:

  • Senior or Specialist Worker — transferring an existing senior manager or specialist to a linked UK business.
  • Graduate Trainee — a UK placement inside a structured graduate training programme.
  • UK Expansion Worker — sending someone to set up a UK branch or subsidiary that is not yet trading.
  • Service Supplier — a contractual service supplier or independent professional delivering a service covered by a UK trade agreement.
  • Secondment Worker — a secondment tied to a high-value contract or investment.

Each route is temporary, and each needs a licensed UK sponsor.

Does the Global Business Mobility visa lead to settlement?

No. GOV.UK confirms that none of the five Global Business Mobility routes allow you to apply for indefinite leave to remain (ILR), also called settlement.

Time on these routes is capped, usually at five years in any six-year period. On the Senior or Specialist Worker route, people paid £73,900 a year or more can stay up to nine years in any ten. Shorter caps apply elsewhere — a Graduate Trainee visa runs for up to 12 months, and a UK Expansion Worker for up to two years in total.

Some people later switch to a route that does lead to settlement, subject to meeting its rules. Time already spent on a GBM route does not count towards that qualifying period, so the switch needs to be planned into the timeline from the start.

Source: GOV.UK · checked 4 August 2026

What salary do I need for a Global Business Mobility visa?

It depends on the route. For Senior or Specialist Worker and UK Expansion Worker, GOV.UK sets a general minimum of £52,500 a year, or the going rate for the job's Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code if that is higher.

Graduate Trainee is £27,300, or 70% of the going rate, whichever is higher. Always check the going rates table — for many occupations the going rate, not the general threshold, is the figure that decides the application.

Source: GOV.UK · checked 4 August 2026

Do I need a sponsor licence for the Global Business Mobility routes?

Yes. Every Global Business Mobility route needs a UK sponsor that holds the right Home Office licence for that route. The sponsor then assigns a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) before the worker applies.

Sponsors take on ongoing record-keeping and reporting duties, and the Home Office can audit them. Getting the licence application and the internal HR systems right at the outset is usually cheaper than fixing them after a compliance visit.

Can my partner and children come with me?

Yes. On each of the five routes, a partner and children under 18 can apply as dependants, either at the same time as the main applicant or later. They pay their own application fee and their own Immigration Health Surcharge, and there are separate financial requirements for each family member.

Dependants' permission is tied to the main applicant's, so it ends when that permission ends.

Which route is right for a business entering the UK for the first time?

If the UK entity is not yet trading, the UK Expansion Worker route is the usual starting point: the overseas business obtains a temporary sponsor licence and sends a senior person to establish operations. Once the UK business is trading and holds a full worker sponsor licence, the Senior or Specialist Worker route becomes the standard way to move staff across.

The sequencing matters, because the two routes carry different licences, different salary thresholds and very different time limits. We advise on the structure and the licence together.

General information only, current at 4 August 2026, and not legal advice on your circumstances. Guden Solicitors Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, SRA number 8005081.

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2023-09-21 10:46 Business Immigration