UK EXPANSION WORKER VISA

The UK Expansion Worker visa is for employees of foreign based Companies who wish to
come to the UK for a Work Placement which forms part of a training course and:

• Have a Sponsor in the UK who has common ownership with foreign based Company
• Must have been employed by the foreign based Company for more than 12 months
  or
• earning a salary of £73,900
• Beon the list of eligible occupations at RQF Level 6
• Paid at least £42,400 in the UK

Sponsor requirements for UK Expansion Workers

The employing organization must be a branch or wholly-owned subsidiary of an established
overseas business although, unlike other sponsored work routes, the UK Expansion Worker
route can only be used if the business hasn’t yet begun trading in the UK.

If a linked overseas employer is looking to send a senior or specialist employee to the UK
on a temporary work assignment in a business that is already trading in the UK, they should
instead apply for a Senior or Specialist Worker visa, or even a Skilled Worker visa,
although the UK employer would need to be licensed
to sponsor under these routes instead.

UK Expansion Worker visa requirements

As a points-based system visa, the UK Expansion Worker visa requires applicants to be
awarded a total of 60 points against the following three criteria: sponsorship, skill and
salary. To score 20 points for sponsorship, the applicant must have a valid Certificate of

Sponsorship (CoS) assigned by a licensed sponsor and be sponsored for employment that
is genuine to meet the overseas work requirement.

o score 20 points each for skill and salary, the applicant must have sponsorship for an
eligible job role at or above an appropriate minimum skill level, with an annual salary of at
least £42,400 or the ‘going rate’ for that job, whichever is higher.

In addition to the points-based requirements, a UK Expansion Worker from a listed country
must provide a valid TB test certificate. Those applying for either entry clearance or leave
to remain, where they have been in the UK for less than 12 months, must also satisfy a
financial requirement. The financial requirement must be met by showing proof of funds of
at least £1,270, where the sponsor is unable to certify maintenance under this route.
The applicant will need to have had the money available for at least 28 consecutive days,
where the end date of the 28 day period must be within 31 days of the date that they apply.