Global Business Mobility: Intra-Company Sponsorship

Global Business Mobility

The Global Business Mobility (GBM) visa routes are a set of separate sponsored work visa routes for overseas businesses assigning staff to work in the UK. The GBM visa routes offer organisations with flexibility in allowing non-resident employees to periodically work in the UK for the UK office of the same organisation.

What is the Global Business Mobility (GBM) Route?

The sub-categories of the GBM visa route include:

• Senior or Specialist Worker: a sponsored visa route similar to the Skilled Worker visa route for sponsoring workers of overseas offices to work in the UK on a non-permanent basis.
• Graduate Trainee: a sponsored visa route for employees to undertake a short-term UK placement as part of an internal accelerator programme.
• UK Expansion Worker: a sponsored visa route allowing a senior employee of an overseas company to live and work in the UK while establishing a UK office of the overseas company.
• Service Supplier: a sponsored visa route that allows the employees of subcontractors to work for a UK company where the personnel are covered by a qualifying international agreement, such as the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

Who can apply under the Global Business Mobility (GBM) routes?

Applicants are employees of an overseas company and have been working for the overseas company for at least 12 months in most cases. There are exceptions for some visa routes and for those who earn above the high earner rate.

The UK office of the organisation will need to hold a valid sponsorship licence in the category in which they are looking to apply. GBM licences can be applied in addition to a Skilled Worker sponsor licence and follow a very similar visa process. It is essential for companies to demonstrate how the UK and overseas offices are linked by common ownership, common control, a joint venture agreement or other forms of shared corporate governance.

Once approved as A-rated sponsor licence holders, GBM licence holders need to maintain their sponsor licence by remaining compliant with the relevant sponsorship duties.

The key difference between the GBM visa routes and the Skilled Worker visa route is that the GBM visa routes do not lead to indefinite leave to remain. 

Documents You’ll Need

Sponsor licence applications:

• Senior or Specialist Worker: it is essential to evidence how the UK office is linked to its overseas office, which can be done via share agreements, details of shareholders, affidavits and other documents confirming the connection between the two companies. Other evidence will regard demonstrating that the UK company is bona fide and genuine.
• Graduate Trainee: In addition to evidencing the common link between the two entities, the Graduate Trainee sponsor licence will also require evidence of a graduate training programme operating within the company already.
• UK Expansion Worker: The application requires considerable evidence of the company’s overseas operations, the lack of a UK trading presence and plans for UK expansion.
• Service Supplier: The most important document is a signed contract between the UK entity and the third-party service supplier from an applicable country that is covered by an international agreement of which the UK is a signatory.

Visa applications:

• Certificate of Sponsorship: The most essential part of any GBM visa application is a valid Certificate of Sponsorship in that category. 

How to apply for a Global Business Mobility (GBM) visa

• Step 1: Identify the appropriate GBM visa route.

• Step 2: Assign a Certificate of Sponsorship to the applicant, assuring that the job role, salary and duration all meet the relevant requirements.
• Step 3: Submit a visa application with the assigned Certificate of Sponsorship.

Fees and Processing Times:

The following fees are correct as of October 2025 but are regularly subject to increases.

Certificate of Sponsorship fees:

• Senior or Specialist Worker: £535
• Graduate Trainee: £55
• Service Supplier: £55
• UK Expansion Worker: £55

Visa processing fees:

• Senior or Specialist Worker: £769 (<3 years), £1,519 (>3 years)
• Graduate Trainee: £319
• Service Supplier: £319
• UK Expansion Worker: £319

Immigration Skills Charge:

Only payable for the Senior or Specialist Worker visa at a yearly rate of:

• £480 for a small or charitable sponsor, or
• £1,320 for a medium or large sponsor.

You’re usually a small sponsor if at least 2 of the following apply:

• your annual turnover is £15 million or less
• your total assets are worth £7.5 million or less
• you have 50 employees or fewer

Immigration Health Surcharge:
Payable for any visa of over 6 months in length at a year rate of £1,035 per year.

Processing times:

The Home Office standard processing time is given as 8 weeks. Applications can be prioritized to 5 working days for additional fees. 

Common mistakes and how to avoid making them

GBM sponsor licence applications often require a very thorough understanding of the organisational structure of the international business. Failing to demonstrate the legal connection between an overseas business and the UK business will undoubtedly cause delays and potentially the application being rejected. 

GBM visas are often used for workers who are resident and employed overseas. Knowing what sponsorship duties that are applicable to workers who live outside the UK and understanding the nature of their UK employment often needs professional advice.

Applications for GBM visas require an organisation to have available Certificate of Sponsorships in their annual allocation, so it is important to plan for the year ahead and anticipate when you might need certificates to avoid having to apply for them at the last minute.

The GBM route is sometimes used as a faster alternative to the Skilled Worker visa route because of the lack of an English language requirement. Sometimes this leads to workers who would like to be on a route to settlement spending years on a GBM route that does not count towards ILR. 

Why Choose Migrate UK

There aren’t many organisations who have provided support on all of these GBM visa routes. Are team members are experts in understanding the details of what the Home Office require so that are preparation time is quick and efficient. We can make the complex straightforward and make sure that the visa solution fits with each assignment.