The Global Business Mobility routes are for overseas businesses that need to send workers to the UK temporarily, for a specific purpose that cannot be done by a settled worker.
The five routes
- Senior or Specialist Worker: an existing employee of an overseas organisation transferred to a linked UK business. It replaced the Intra-company routes in April 2022.
- Graduate Trainee: a graduate transferred as part of a training programme for a managerial or specialist role.
- UK Expansion Worker: a senior manager or specialist sent to establish a UK branch or subsidiary of an overseas business that has not yet started trading in the UK.
- Service Supplier: for overseas service providers covered by certain international arrangements.
- Secondment Worker: for workers seconded to the UK as part of a high value contract.
Senior or Specialist Worker in more detail
You can stay for the shorter of the time on your certificate of sponsorship plus 14 days, or 5 years. The Immigration Rules state that this route is not a route to settlement. Time on it is therefore not a basis for planning permanent residence: if settlement matters to you, take advice on whether a different route fits.
What employers should know
The UK business needs a sponsor licence of the right type for the route, and salary and skill requirements differ between routes and have been changed recently. Check the current figures on GOV.UK. See our sponsor licence guide.
Sources: GOV.UK Senior or Specialist Worker visa and the Immigration Rules appendix.
Talk to a regulated adviser
Every route has its own traps. A specialist can check your plan before you commit time and money to it.
Business and private client firmsBrowse all solicitorsLast checked: 1 November 2026 against GOV.UK. General information, not legal advice. See our disclaimer.