For many startups, the ability to hire talent from overseas is essential to scaling their business. Whether your startup is already based in the UK and you are looking to hire talent from overseas or you have an overseas startup which you are planning to expand to the UK market, you will need a route through which to ensure that the right people are able to work in your UK office, regardless of their nationality.
In such cases, the UK’s Global Mobility visa is often a game-changer. It offers 5 different routes through which non-UK nationals can legally and conveniently work in the UK.
Understanding the Global Mobility Visas
The Global Mobility visas are a group of UK visas which allow global talent to work in the UK. As such, these visas are often utilised by startups, whether the startup in question is already based in the UK and is looking to hire overseas talent or if it is based overseas and is looking to extend into the UK market.
There are five main types of Global Mobility visas, all of which might be of use to your startup. The different visa types within this category are as follows: the Senior or Specialist Worker visa, the Graduate Trainee visa, the UK Expansion Worker visa, the Secondment Worker visa, and the Service Supplier visa.
Senior or Specialist Worker Visa
This visa allows your startup to transfer a senior or specialist employee to the UK office of your company. Startups interested in this route will need to ensure that their UK branch is registered with the Home Office as a visa sponsor.
If your business is considering transferring an overseas employee to the UK via this route, you’ll need to make sure that the employee in question is paid either at least £48,500 or the ‘going rate’ for the role in question, depending on which amount is higher.
The employee will also need to have worked for your company, outside of the UK, for at least 12 months, unless they have a salary of at least £73,900.
Graduate Trainee Visa
This visa allows graduate trainees to come and work in the UK for the UK branch of their employer for up to 12 months. The training programme which the trainees are enrolled in must be designed for a managerial or specialist role.
The trainee will need to have worked for your company for at least 3 months and their annual salary will need to be at least £25,410 If you are considering bringing an employee to the UK via this route, you’ll need to make sure that the UK branch of your company is registered as a licenced sponsor with the Home Office.
UK Expansion Worker Visa
The UK Expansion Worker visa is helpful for startups looking to set up a new branch of their business in the UK. This visa allows the holder to stay in the UK for a maximum of 2 years.
Any employees sent to the UK under this scheme will need to have worked for the company for at least 12 months, unless they earn at least £73,900 annually or are a Japanese national working for a Japanese company.
Otherwise, the employee’s salary will need to be at least £48,500, or whatever is the normal salary for that role, depending on which amount is higher.
Secondment Worker Visa
The Secondment Worker visa is likely to be a good fit for startups looking to send employees to the UK in order to conduct work relating to a UK-based high-value contract with an organisation which is based in the UK.
The contract must be worth over £50 million. Under this route, employees can stay in the UK for a maximum of 2 years.
In order to be eligible, the contract must be with a company or organisation which is a registered sponsor with the Home Office. The employee in question will need to have worked for the overseas employer for at least 12 months before entering the UK.
Service Supplier Visa
The Service Supplier visa is a good fit when a company wants to send employees to the UK in order to provide contracted services for a UK company.
For example, if your UK startup is looking to receive specialist technology training from overseas specialists, this visa could be a helpful route to receiving that training.
The length of stay which it allows will depend on the type of services being provided, but cannot generally exceed 12 months.
How To Apply for Global Mobility Visa?
There are a number of steps involved in obtaining a Global Mobility visa. Generally, the worker in question will need to apply online via the UK government website.
At this stage, they will need to submit all of the required documentation. It will often also be necessary to attend a visa processing centre, where they will need to provide their biometric information (their fingerprints and photograph).
If you are a UK-based startup looking to hire workers from overseas, you will need to ensure that you are a registered sponsor with the Home Office.
Your application should be submitted online, via the UK government website. Before applying, you will first need to check that your business is eligible for sponsor status. You will also need to designate a person to be in charge of handling the sponsorship process.
Conclusion
For many startups, hiring talent from overseas is essential to remaining competitive. In such instances, routes like the Global Mobility visas provide a convenient path to hiring or transferring employees from outside of the UK.
Alternatively, for startups looking to expand into the UK market, the Global Mobility visas often provide an essential route to transferring employees from overseas branches so that they can lend their expertise to the expansion process.
There are 5 main Global Mobility visa options and each one offers different advantages. The exact route which is right for your startup will depend on a number of factors, such as whether your business is already established in the UK and how long you wish for the employee in question to remain based in the country.
Whichever route is right for your startup, Global Mobility visas offer an important and convenient route through which you can ensure that you are able to hire the most suitable candidate when scaling your business, regardless of the candidate’s nationality.
