Graduate Trainee visa: who can apply, pay, cost and how long you can stay

The Graduate Trainee visa (Global Business Mobility) is for people who already work for a Home Office-approved sponsor and are on a graduate training programme for a managerial or specialist role at its UK branch. You need a certificate of sponsorship. It costs £340 to apply and lasts at most 12 months.

Who is this visa for?

It is for existing employees of a sponsor approved by the Home Office. Your job must be eligible and part of a graduate training programme for a managerial or specialist role.

It replaced the Intra-company Graduate Trainee visa, which was previously the Tier 2 (Intra-company Transfer) Graduate Trainee visa.

If you are not on a graduate training programme, GOV.UK says you may still be able to work for your employer’s UK branch with a Senior or Specialist Worker visa.

Can I apply?

To apply, you must:

• be an existing employee of an organisation approved by the Home Office as a sponsor
• have worked for your sponsor outside the UK for at least 3 months just before you apply
• have a certificate of sponsorship from your employer with details of the work you will do in the UK
• do a job on the list of eligible occupations
• be paid at least £27,300 a year

You can apply up to 3 months before the day you are due to start work in the UK. You must apply within 3 months of getting your certificate of sponsorship. You must apply online from outside the UK.

What do I need?

Your job and pay

You need the 4-digit SOC occupation code for your job. You can get it from your employer or from your certificate of sponsorship.

GOV.UK publishes a list of Global Business Mobility eligible occupations and a Global Business Mobility going rates table. The going rate is a set pay figure for the job’s occupation code. This site explains how going rates and the Appendix Skilled Occupations tables work.

Job type	Minimum salary
Most jobs	At least £27,300 or 70% of the going rate for your job, whichever is higher
Some healthcare or education jobs	At least £27,300 or the full going rate for your job, whichever is higher

For healthcare and education jobs, the going rates are based on the national pay scales set by the relevant independent body, for example the NHS. Each occupation code has its own yearly going rate.

English language

GOV.UK’s Graduate Trainee pages do not set an English language requirement.

How much does it cost?

Cost	Amount
Application fee (you, your partner or children, each)	£340
Healthcare surcharge	Usually £1,035 per year
Savings to support yourself	At least £1,270 (unless exempt)
Savings for a partner	£285
Savings for one child	£315
Savings for each additional child	£200

You must have had the savings for at least 28 days in a row. The 28 days must end within 31 days of the day you apply.

You do not have to show your savings if your employer can cover your costs during your first month in the UK, up to £1,270, and confirms this on your certificate of sponsorship.

For a partner or children, you do not have to show savings if:

• you have all been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months
• your employer covers your family’s costs for the first month

How long can I stay?

You can stay for whichever is shorter of:

• the time on your certificate of sponsorship plus 14 days
• 12 months

You cannot extend the visa, but you can apply for another Graduate Trainee visa from outside the UK.

You can only stay in the UK for a maximum of 5 years in any 6-year period if you have spent time on any of these visas:

• Intra-company Graduate Trainee
• Intra-company Transfer
• Graduate Trainee (Global Business Mobility)
• Secondment Worker (Global Business Mobility)
• Senior or Specialist Worker (Global Business Mobility)
• Service Supplier (Global Business Mobility)
• UK Expansion Worker (Global Business Mobility)

Once you have applied online, proved your identity and given your documents, you will usually get a decision within 3 weeks. You may be able to pay for a faster decision.

With this visa you can:

• work for your sponsor in the job on your certificate of sponsorship
• study
• travel abroad and return
• do unpaid voluntary work

You cannot:

• apply for most benefits or the State Pension
• change jobs
• do a second job
• apply to settle permanently

Can I bring my family?

Yes. Your partner and children can apply to join you or stay in the UK. GOV.UK calls them dependants. A dependant is:

• your husband, wife, civil partner or unmarried partner
• your child under 18, including a child born in the UK during your stay
• your child over 18, if they currently have permission to be in the UK as your dependant

To count as your partner, you must be able to prove one of these:

• you are in a marriage or civil partnership that the UK recognises
• you have lived together in a relationship for at least 2 years when you apply
• you have been in a relationship for at least 2 years when you apply but cannot live together, for example because you work or study in different places, or your culture does not accept it

Your child must live with you, unless they live away from home in full-time education. Your child must not be married or in a civil partnership.

Each family member makes a separate application from outside the UK and pays the visa fee. They must apply before they travel to the UK. They usually get a decision within 3 weeks. Their visa will usually end on the same date as yours.

Partners and children can work, except as a sportsperson or coach. They can also study. They cannot apply for most benefits or the State Pension.

Can I extend or switch?

No. You cannot extend a Graduate Trainee visa.

You also cannot switch to this visa from inside the UK. You must have worked for your employer outside the UK for 3 months just before you apply. GOV.UK says you must leave the UK and apply from abroad.