Visa routes · Global Business Mobility

Global Business Mobility: the five routes for moving overseas workers into the UK.

Direct answer

Global Business Mobility (GBM) is the umbrella term for five UK visa sub-routes that allow businesses to move existing workers from an overseas group company into the UK — without going through the Skilled Worker route. The five routes are Senior or Specialist Worker, Graduate Trainee, UK Expansion Worker, Service Supplier, and Secondment Worker. Each has its own salary threshold, maximum stay, and sponsor-licence requirements. GBM is fundamentally different from Skilled Worker sponsorship in one key respect: none of the GBM routes lead to settlement (indefinite leave to remain). They are temporary international mobility routes, not pathways to permanent UK residence.

Who this applies to: UK businesses that are part of a wider international group (or are setting up a UK branch of an overseas business), and need to move existing overseas workers into the UK on an internal transfer or specialist assignment — rather than hiring a new worker from the open market.

Regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority

GBM vs Skilled Worker

When to use a GBM route — and when to use Skilled Worker instead.

The first decision in any cross-border hire is which route is the right one. GBM and Skilled Worker are not interchangeable — they solve different problems and have different long-term implications for the worker.

→Use a GBM route when the worker is already part of your international group and you are moving them into the UK temporarily — internal transfer, assignment, or expansion setup

→Use the Skilled Worker route when you are hiring a worker into the UK business for an indefinite role — open-market recruitment, not internal mobility

→GBM routes do NOT lead to indefinite leave to remain — every GBM worker is on a temporary route with a defined maximum stay

→Skilled Worker does lead to ILR after 5 continuous years subject to salary and residence requirements

→Some workers can switch from a GBM route to Skilled Worker in-country if their circumstances change — but the route switch needs careful sequencing

The five routes at a glance

Global Business Mobility routes and their headline rules.

Senior or Specialist Worker

Most common GBM route. For senior managers and specialist staff transferring to a UK branch. Max stay: 5 years per CoS. Cumulative: 5 years in any 6-year period if paid under £73,900, 9 years in any 10-year period if paid £73,900+.

£52,500 min salary

Graduate Trainee

For graduates on a structured training programme transferring to a UK branch. Maximum stay 12 months. Sponsor must demonstrate a genuine training programme — not used to fill operational roles.

Lower threshold (verify current)

UK Expansion Worker

For workers setting up a UK branch of an overseas business that is not yet trading in the UK. Max stay per CoS: 12 months. Cumulative max: 2 years. This is the route used by businesses opening their first UK presence.

Lower threshold (verify current)

Service Supplier

For workers of an overseas service supplier under a UK trade agreement. Max stay typically 6 or 12 months depending on the underlying agreement. Limited use cases.

Lower threshold (verify current)

Secondment Worker

For workers seconded into the UK under a high-value contract between the UK business and an overseas business. Specific contract-value thresholds apply.

Lower threshold (verify current)

Salary thresholds and maximum-stay rules are subject to periodic Home Office review. Always verify the current figures against the Workers and Temporary Workers guidance before applying for a CoS under any GBM route.

Senior or Specialist Worker

The route most UK employers actually use.

If you have heard of GBM in a commercial context, you have probably heard of Senior or Specialist Worker. This is the GBM route that handles most internal transfers into the UK — the senior manager moving from the US office to lead the UK division, the specialist engineer flying in to support a UK product build, the regional finance lead taking on a UK remit.

→Minimum salary: £52,500 per year, or the SOC code going rate, whichever is higher

→Maximum stay per CoS: 5 years (or the time on the CoS plus 14 days, whichever is shorter)

→Cumulative cap: 5 years in any rolling 6-year period if salary is below £73,900

→Cumulative cap: 9 years in any rolling 10-year period if salary is £73,900 or higher

→Worker must typically have been employed with the overseas group for a continuous period before transfer (verify current minimum)

→Dependants (partner and children) allowed — but they too cannot apply for ILR through this route

→No settlement / no ILR path — workers who want to stay long-term need to switch to Skilled Worker before the GBM cap is reached

UK Expansion Worker — the 4-year ceiling

The route used to open a UK presence.

UK Expansion Worker is the GBM route for overseas businesses that have not yet started trading in the UK. It is the route used by an overseas group to send a senior figure into the UK to incorporate the UK entity, secure premises, hire the first UK team, and operationally launch the branch. It is also one of the two UK sponsor licence routes still subject to a hard 4-year limit, with no second licence available.

→Purpose: set up a UK branch of an overseas business that is not yet trading in the UK

→Maximum stay per CoS: 12 months

→Cumulative maximum on UK Expansion Worker: 2 years

→UK Expansion Worker sponsor licence is itself capped at 4 years — and a second UK Expansion licence cannot be applied for

→Before the 4-year licence point, the business typically needs to transition to a standard Worker route sponsor licence (Skilled Worker) — which requires the UK branch to be genuinely trading by that point

→Plan the transition well in advance — Home Office processing of a fresh Worker-route application takes up to 8 weeks

The other three GBM routes

Graduate Trainee, Service Supplier, Secondment Worker.

The remaining three GBM routes are narrower in scope and used much less frequently than Senior or Specialist Worker. The salary thresholds, maximum stay rules, and eligibility criteria for each are different from the Senior or Specialist Worker rules — always verify the current rules before assuming a route applies to your situation.

→Graduate Trainee — for graduates on a structured training programme transferring into the UK branch. Maximum 12-month stay. Requires evidence of a genuine training programme.

→Service Supplier — for workers of an overseas service supplier under a UK trade agreement (e.g. CETA, AUKFTA). Maximum stay varies by agreement. Limited and specific use cases.

→Secondment Worker — for workers seconded into the UK under a high-value contract between a UK business and an overseas business. Specific contract-value thresholds apply, which are revised periodically.

→These routes do not lead to ILR. They are not interchangeable with Skilled Worker — each is purpose-specific.

→Most UK SME employers will not need these three routes. If you think you might, a regulated initial review is usually the first step before committing to any application.

Sponsor licence and ISC

How GBM sits with sponsor licensing and the Immigration Skills Charge.

Sponsor licence required?

GBM routes fall under the Temporary Worker sponsor licence categories, not the Worker route licence. Some Worker route sponsors will need a separate or extended licence to cover GBM routes.

Yes — Temporary Worker categories

Immigration Skills Charge — Senior or Specialist Worker

ISC is charged at the standard sponsor-size rate for most Senior or Specialist Worker assignments. Verify against current Home Office guidance — narrow exemptions apply (e.g. specific assignment durations, specific nationalities).

Generally applies

Immigration Skills Charge — other GBM routes

Several GBM routes have ISC exemptions or partial exemptions. Verify each specific case before assignment — exemption rules change.

Often exempt

Settlement / ILR path

No GBM route counts toward UK settlement. Workers who want to settle long-term must switch to Skilled Worker.

None

Certificate of Sponsorship fee

Same £525 Worker-route CoS fee applies to most GBM routes. Verify the rate for the specific route at the time of assignment.

£525

GBM is one of the parts of UK business immigration where general rules carry more exceptions than the headline route description suggests. Always verify the specific position for your route, your worker, and your sponsor before relying on any rule of thumb.

What goes wrong

The five GBM mistakes we see most often.

→Using a GBM route when Skilled Worker is the right answer — and trapping the worker on a no-ILR pathway for what was meant to be a long-term hire

→Holding a UK Expansion Worker licence and not planning the transition to a Worker route licence until late in year 3 of the 4-year cap

→Assuming the £52,500 Senior or Specialist Worker threshold is enough — when the SOC code going rate is higher and the going rate applies

→Treating Graduate Trainee as a way to bring in cheap junior staff — the Home Office expects evidence of a genuine, structured training programme, not operational hiring under a different name

→Mixing up GBM cumulative caps across routes — the 5-in-6 / 9-in-10 / 2-year-Expansion-Worker rules interact and a worker can run out of GBM capacity sooner than expected

How Harveys helps

What we do for businesses moving overseas workers into the UK.

GBM work sits at the more complex end of business immigration. We help UK SME employers (and the UK branches of overseas businesses) make the right route decision first, sequence the application correctly, and avoid the GBM-to-Skilled-Worker transition cliff that catches out a lot of expanding businesses.

→Route review — structured assessment of whether GBM or Skilled Worker is the right answer for your specific scenario, before any application work begins

→Sponsor licence application — fixed-fee preparation and submission, whether for a Worker route licence, a Temporary Worker GBM licence, or both

→UK Expansion Worker transition planning — the long-game work to get a Worker route licence in place before the 4-year UK Expansion ceiling

→CoS / SMS Desk — per-assignment GBM CoS preparation, salary check, and ISC determination

→All work delivered under IAA Level 1 regulation — Regulation No. F202537009

Common questions

Questions employers ask us.

Global Business Mobility (GBM) is the umbrella term for five UK visa sub-routes used to move existing workers from an overseas group company into the UK. The Skilled Worker visa is used to hire a worker into the UK from the open market on an indefinite basis. The single biggest practical difference is settlement: Skilled Worker leads to ILR after 5 years, GBM never does. GBM is fundamentally a temporary international mobility regime.

£52,500 per year, or the SOC code going rate, whichever is higher. For many senior commercial, technology, and healthcare roles the going rate is materially above £52,500. The going-rate rule is the same as for Skilled Worker — the higher figure applies.

Up to 5 years per Certificate of Sponsorship. Cumulatively, up to 5 years in any rolling 6-year period if the worker is paid below £73,900, or up to 9 years in any rolling 10-year period if paid £73,900 or higher. Workers who want to stay long-term need to switch to Skilled Worker before they hit the cumulative cap.

UK Expansion Worker is the GBM route for businesses setting up a UK branch of an overseas business that is not yet trading in the UK. It has a hard 12-month maximum per CoS, a 2-year cumulative cap, and uses a UK Expansion Worker sponsor licence that itself expires after 4 years with no second licence available. Most UK Expansion Worker sponsors transition to a Worker route licence before the 4-year cliff so they can continue sponsoring workers under the Skilled Worker route.

In many cases yes — but the switch needs careful sequencing. The worker must meet Skilled Worker eligibility at the point of the switch, including the £41,700 general threshold (or going rate) and the sponsor's A-rated Worker route licence. Switching is not automatic and is one of the most common moments at which a worker's UK status goes wrong. Take regulated advice before relying on a GBM-to-Skilled-Worker switch as part of a long-term plan.

It depends on the specific route, the assignment duration, and in some cases the worker's nationality. Senior or Specialist Worker assignments generally attract ISC at the standard sponsor-size rate. Several other GBM routes have full or partial ISC exemptions. Exemption rules change — always verify the position for your specific case before assignment.

Related services & resources

IAA

Regulated immigration advice

Harveys Legal is regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority.

Firm Reg No. F202537009. Verify on the IAA register before engagement.

Moving overseas workers into the UK? Get the route right first.

Book a consultation. We will work through whether GBM or Skilled Worker is the right fit for your specific scenario — and give you a realistic timeline, cost, and longer-term route map for the worker. Harveys Legal supports immigration applications, sponsor compliance preparation and related legal processes. Final decisions remain with the Home Office or relevant decision-maker.

Book a Consultation →See Skilled Worker sponsorship

Harveys Legal supports immigration applications, sponsor compliance preparation and related legal processes. Final decisions remain with the Home Office or the relevant decision-maker.