Secondment Worker visa: who can apply, what it costs and how long you can stay

The Secondment Worker visa (Global Business Mobility) is for people sent to the UK by an overseas employer to do an eligible job for a different organisation, under a high-value contract. GOV.UK says you need a certificate of sponsorship and 6 months of work for your overseas employer. You can stay up to 2 years in total.

Who is this visa for?

It is for people whose overseas employer is sending them to the UK to do an eligible job for a different organisation. The overseas employer must have a high-value contract with that UK organisation, and the Home Office must have approved it.

Can I apply?

You can apply if you:

• are an existing employee of an overseas organisation that has a high-value contract with your UK sponsor, approved by the Home Office
• have worked for your overseas employer for at least 6 months outside the UK
• have a certificate of sponsorship from your sponsor with details of the work you will do in the UK
• will do a job in the UK that is on the list of eligible occupations

Your employer will tell you if their contract makes you eligible.

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.

What do I need?

A sponsor and a contract

The UK organisation you will work for is your sponsor. Your overseas employer must have an eligible contract with your UK sponsor that is worth at least £50 million. If the contract is worth less than £50 million, GOV.UK says you may be eligible for another type of visa.

Your job and pay

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

GOV.UK publishes a table of Global Business Mobility eligible occupations. See Appendix Skilled Occupations for how this site explains the occupation tables.

GOV.UK’s Secondment Worker pages do not set a minimum salary or a going rate, so this page does not give one. The going rate is a set pay figure for the job’s occupation code. For how going rates work on other routes, see going rates.

Proof of 6 months’ work

After you apply, you might be asked to show that you worked for your overseas employer outside the UK for 6 months. You can show this with:

• printed payslips
• online payslips supported by a signed letter from your sponsor
• bank or building society statements
• a building society pass book

English language

GOV.UK’s Secondment Worker pages do not set an English language requirement.

How much does it cost?

Cost	Amount
Application fee	£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, your partner and your children each pay the application fee and the healthcare surcharge.

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 own savings if:

• you have been in the UK with a valid visa for 12 months or more
• your sponsor covers your costs during your first month, up to £1,270, and confirms this on your certificate of sponsorship

How long can I stay?

You can stay for whichever is shorter of:

• 12 months after the start date of the job on your certificate of sponsorship
• the time on your certificate of sponsorship plus 14 days

You can extend by 12 months. The most you can stay on a Secondment Worker visa is 2 years.

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, the usual decision time is:

Where you are when you apply	Usual decision time
Outside the UK	3 weeks
Inside the UK	8 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, unless you update your visa
• apply to settle permanently
• do a second job

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 and pays the visa fee. 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?

Extending

You must be in the UK to extend. You can apply to extend from inside the UK if all of these are true:

• you are still working for the UK sponsor who gave you your current certificate of sponsorship
• you are still working on the same contract that your employer has with your sponsor
• you have not reached the maximum total stay

Changing job

You must apply to update your visa if your job changes to a different occupation code. You must still have the same sponsor. Your new job must meet the eligibility rules, and you need a new certificate of sponsorship.

Switching from another visa

You must meet the eligibility rules. If you are on a Student visa, one of these must also be true:

• you have finished the course you were sponsored to study
• your job start date is after your course has finished
• you have studied for a PhD for at least 24 months

You cannot switch if you are in the UK:

• on a visit visa
• on a short-term student visa
• on a Parent of a Child Student visa
• on a seasonal worker visa
• on a domestic worker in a private household visa
• on immigration bail
• with permission to stay outside the immigration rules

In those cases, you must leave the UK and apply from abroad.

Extensions, updates and switches usually get a decision within 8 weeks.