UK Expansion Worker visa

To apply for the UK Expansion, applicants must meet the following criteria:

• You are at least 18 years old;
• You have been assigned a certificate of sponsorship from your employer;
• You have previously been working for your employer outside the UK for at least 12 months unless you are earning over £73,900, you are a Japanese national working for a Japanese company or you are a national or permanent resident of Australia working for an Australian company;
• Your job is within the list of approved occupations;
• You must be paid at least the minimum salary for your job role. This is whichever of the following is the highest: £45,800 per year, or the ‘going rate’ for your job role.

The time it takes for a decision to be made on your application depends on several factors, including where you made the application from, where any information is outstanding and whether you have purchased a priority service.

The response time can be sped up by applying for a priority service, which is available to customers in many countries.

• You can continue working for your existing employer.
• You can stay in the UK for up to 2 years.
• You can study.
• You can bring your dependants to the UK.

InvestUK can support with your overseas business expansion to the UK with the development of a business plan that can be submitted to the Home Office. Once the UK Expansion Worker visa has been approved, we can prepare a sponsorship license application for your company so that you can continue to grow in the UK and employ more Skilled Workers, and can support with full business set up.

InvestUK has a 5-step process to help you apply with peace of mind. Our team will support you in areas such as;

• Assessing your eligibility against the required criteria;
• Assisting with optimising your business ideas for the UK market;
• Helping you plan and prepare for the later steps of the application process;
• Confirming your successful application and supporting you with the formation and opening of bank accounts;
• Continued support for you and your new business even after you have received your UK Expansion visa.

InvestUK will support you with more than simply a UK Expansion visa application. As well as a business mentoring service, InvestUK can provide you with lifestyle planning services during your time in the UK including wealth, tax management and education consultancy services.