Intra-Company Transfer Visa

Intra-Company Transfer Visa

An intra-company transfer visa is for employees of multinational employers who must be transferred to their employer’s UK branch to carry out a skilled role in the UK. Unless you earn £73,900 or more in the UK, you will need to have worked for your employer abroad for at least 12 months.

Eligibility

In order to qualify for a transfer visa, you must meet UK visa and immigration requirements which:

• • You are over 18 years old;
  • You are currently employed by an organization approved by the Home Office as a sponsor;
  • You have worked for your sponsor or a business linked to your sponsor by ownership outside the UK for at least 12 months unless you earn £73,900 or more in the UK;
  • You have a valid sponsorship certificate issued by your sponsor for the work you plan to do;
  • The work you plan to do is real;
  • The work you plan to do is at an appropriate skill level;
  • You will be paid at least £41,500 or “the normal rate for your work, whichever is higher;
  • Your sponsor has funded any required immigration skills fee;
  • You should have sufficient money to support yourself without leveraging on public funds;
  • If required, you have provided a valid TB certificate.

The requirements you will need to meet will vary depending on your circumstances.

Duration of Employment Requirement

If you are applying for transfer visa and earn less than £73,900 per year, you must have worked for your sponsor or a business associated with your sponsor with ownership outside the UK for at least 12 months.

These 12 months of work outside the UK may have been accumulated over a historical period if you worked continuously for a sponsoring group in the UK or overseas in the 12 months before the application date. Any breaks were only for adoption leave, sick leave, statutory maternity, paternity or parental leave, assistance in a national or international humanitarian or environmental crisis, or participation in lawful industrial action.

If you earn £73,900 a year or more, you don’t need to be employed for any particular period.

Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) Requirement

You must have a valid certificate of sponsorship for the work you plan to do to obtain an intra-company transfer visa. Your confirmation of sponsorship will need to be issued by an employer authorized by the Home Office to sponsor work under the intra-company transfer procedure.

Your sponsor must be listed as A rated on the Home Office’s Register of Licensed Sponsors unless you were last granted an intra-company travel permit and you are requesting to continue working for the same sponsor as on your last permit.

Your confirmation of sponsorship must be issued at most 3 months before your intra-company transfer request date.

Your Certificate of Sponsorship must contain certain mandatory information, including:

• • Details of your name, salary and occupation
  • Confirmation that you have worked for your employer outside the UK for at least 12 months, unless you have a high income;
  • A start date that is no more than 3 months after the date of your application for an intra-company transfer visa;
  • Confirmation that the certificate of sponsorship has not been used in a previous application that has been acknowledged or disapproved and has not been withheld by the sponsor or cancelled by the Home Office.

Genuine Job Requirement

To get an intra-company transfer visa, you must confirm to the Home Office that you are sponsored to do real work.

If there are rational elements to believe that the job you are being sponsored for does not exist, is fake, or has been adopted mainly so that you can apply for an intra-company transfer visa, your application will be refused.

The Home Office will also want to ensure that you have yet to embark on an arrangement to fill a temporary or permanent post or undertake contract work that involves performing a continuing routine role or providing continuing routine service to a third party that is not your sponsor.

Financial Requirement

Subject to the exceptions below, you must have at least £1,270 in cash available.

You will need to hold the money for at least 28 consecutive days, ending at most 31 days ahead of the date of your application for an intra-company transfer visa.

You will be exempt from the financial requirement if your sponsor is willing to meet your maintenance costs until the end of your first month of employment, up to at least £1,270 if required. Your sponsor will need to confirm this on your certificate of sponsorship.

If you are applying for a residence permit and have been in the UK with a permit for 12 months or more at the application date, you intend to fulfil the financial demand and will not need to show funds.

Duration of an Intra-Company Transfer Visa

You will be granted entry or residence for either the period stated on your sponsorship certificate plus 14 days, for 5 years or for the maximum period allowed in the category, whichever is shorter If your application for an intra-company transfer visa is accepted.

The Maximum time available for the intra-company transfer route

If your application for a transfer visa is accepted, you will be allowed to prolong your retention in the UK up to a maximum of:

• • 5 years for every 6 years if you receive less than £73,900 a year; or
  • 9 out of 10 years if you receive £73,900 or more yearly.

Under the previous route version, the discretionary requirement prevented a person from re-entering the UK via an intra-company transfer for 12 months after departure. This cooling-off clause no longer applies.

Settlement on the Intra-Company Transfer Route

An intra-company transfer visa does not result in settlement in the UK.

However, you could switch to another immigration route that leads to settlement.

You may also be eligible to extend your stay until you qualify for a Long Stay settlement.

Dependents of intra-company transfer visa applicants

Intra-company transfer visa holders may be joined or accompanied by a dependent partner over the age of 18 and dependent children under the age of 18.