If your business is established overseas and you want a presence in the UK, the Global Business Mobility (GBM) UK Expansion Worker route is the category the Home Office designed for you. It allows an overseas business with no UK trading presence (which are not trading yet) to send senior managers to set up a branch or subsidiary here.
It is also the most misunderstood sponsored work route. It replaced the sole representative provisions of the Representative of an Overseas Business route in April 2022, and businesses that remember the old route are often surprised by how different, and how much shorter the new one is.
This article sets out what the route requires, where applications fail, and the commercial planning it demands from day one.
The core proposition
Two things define this route.
First, it is only available before you start trading in the UK. If your UK entity is already trading, you are in the wrong category and the application will be refused. You should be looking at Skilled Worker, GBM Senior or Specialist Worker visas instead.
Second, it is temporary. A worker gets a maximum of two years, and the route does not lead to settlement. Time spent on it does not count towards the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain under any other points-based routes. The route is a bridge into the UK market, not a residence solution. If the senior manager wishes to stay in the UK, they need to transfer into the Skilled Worker route.
Stage one: The sponsor licence
The licence is where most applications are won or lost, and it must be in place before anyone applies for a visa.
You must not already be trading in the UK, but you must have a UK ‘footprint’. You can evidence the footprint in one of two ways: UK business premises (a lease signed by all parties, or purchase documents), or registration at Companies House as an overseas company branch or as a subsidiary of the overseas business. Limited pre-trade activity is acceptable, and the guidance expressly gives the example of employing the person you intend to nominate as your Authorising Officer. Executing customer contracts, invoicing or taking revenue is a different matter.
The overseas business must be currently active and trading, and must normally have been trading for at least three years before the date of application. You will need corporate bank statements covering the full 12 months immediately before the application, plus evidence that the business was trading at the start of, and throughout the three-year period. Appendix A to the sponsor guidance lists the acceptable documents.
Your expansion plan must be credible. The Home Office will look at your business planning and finances, and may take into account the size of the business, its previous activity and its potential. The planned UK expansion must be in the same type of business you conduct overseas. It cannot be a new venture.
The corporate link is narrower than on other GBM routes. The UK entity must be either wholly owned by the overseas business or part of the same legal entity (a branch). This can result in tax implications to the overseas entity, so getting advice from a qualified tax advisor is essential and is one of the first pieces of advice we would give to any potential client.
The Authorising Officer decision
This is the single most consequential structural choice in the application, and it determines your licence rating.
If your Authorising Officer is already based in the UK, you are granted an A-rating and your full certificate allocation, up to a maximum of ten.
If your Authorising Officer is overseas, you are granted a Provisional rating and an allocation of exactly one certificate. That person must also be your Level 1 User, and must assign the single certificate to themselves in order to apply for entry clearance.
Stage two: The worker’s application
The applicant needs 60 points, awarded on three mandatory criteria.
Sponsorship (20 points). A valid certificate of sponsorship, assigned no more than three months before the application, for a role that is genuine, complies with the salary specified in the Immigration Rules and is not work for a third party.
Skill level (20 points). The role must sit in an eligible SOC 2020 occupation code in Appendix Skilled Occupations, generally at RQF Level 6 (graduate level). The applicant does not need a degree, but the work must be at that level. Choosing a less appropriate code to reduce the going rate or to make a role appear eligible will cost the applicant their points and is likely to cost you the licence.
Salary (20 points). At least £52,500 a year and the full going rate for the occupation code, whichever is higher. Only guaranteed basic gross pay and certain guaranteed allowances count. Bonuses, overtime, in-kind benefits, pension contributions and one-off payments do not count.
Alongside the points, the applicant must:
- Have worked for the sponsor group outside the UK for at least 12 months. This is waived if the salary is £73,900 or more, or if they are a Japanese national or an Australian national or permanent resident establishing the UK entity under the relevant trade agreement.
- Hold at least £1,270 for 28 consecutive days ending within 31 days of the application. Sponsors cannot certify maintenance on this route. This is a specific carve-out and it catches sponsors who are used to certifying on other routes.
- Be aged 18 or over, provide a TB certificate if applicable, and apply for entry clearance from outside the UK unless they are switching from an eligible category.
There is no English language requirement.
Duration, and the cliff edge at two years
Permission is granted for the shortest of: one year from the start date on the certificate; 14 days after the end date on the certificate; the point at which the worker reaches two years’ continuous permission on the route; or the point at which they reach the overall GBM cap of five years in any six-year period.
The licence itself is valid for four years and cannot be renewed. More importantly, the Home Office expects a full UK trading presence within two years of grant. At the end of that two-year period, you will not be able to sponsor new workers or extend the permission of workers you already sponsor, even if they would otherwise qualify.
Plan the exit before you apply. Once you are trading, you can add Skilled Worker or Senior or Specialist Worker to your licence and your existing workers can switch.
Costs
| Item | Amount |
| Sponsor licence (Temporary Worker rate, regardless of company size) | £611 |
| Priority processing of the licence application (optional) | £750 |
| Certificate of sponsorship, per worker | £55 |
| Visa application, per applicant including dependents | £340 |
| Immigration Health Surcharge | £1,035 per person per year |
| Immigration Skills Charge | Not payable on this route |
Figures are those in force from 8 April 2026.
Where these applications go wrong
In our experience, the recurring failure points are these:
- Applying when the UK entity has already begun trading.
- A holding or investment vehicle that does not meet the definition of trading.
- Gaps in the three years of overseas trading evidence, particularly the 12-month bank statement window.
- A corporate structure that would qualify on the Senior or Specialist Worker route but not here, joint ventures being the common example.
- An expansion plan that reads as aspiration rather than a funded, planned entry.
Is it the right route?
Not always. If you are already trading in the UK, you must explore alternative routes. If your senior person is a founder or major shareholder rather than an employee, or if you want a genuine long-term residence pathway, the Global Talent, Innovator Founder or a Skilled Worker structure may serve you better. If you can establish the UK entity with a settled worker in place as Authorising Officer, you avoid the Provisional rating entirely and start with a full allocation.
The route works well for what it was built for: a substantial, trading overseas business with a funded plan to be operating in the UK within two years. It works badly as a substitute for anything else.
If you are looking to expand your business into the UK, using the Expansion Worker route, or would like to discuss your options, our Immigration team are here to make the move as smoothly as possible. Contact Efrat Shemesh, Partner and Head of our Immigration team at es@branchaustinmccormick.com or +44 (0) 20 7851 0130.
