Menu
The Intra-company Visa allows existing employees of multinational companies in foreign countries to transfer to a job in their company’s UK branch for up to five years. This visa is suitable for overseas applicants, including those from the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland who want to enter the UK after 1 January 2021. If EEA and Swiss Nationals were living in the UK by 31 December 2021, they should apply to the EU Settlement Scheme.
There are two types of Intra Company Visa:
Long term staff:
You can apply for this visa if you are transferring into a role that requires you to have had previous experience working for the company. You will need to have worked for your company for more than 1 year, unless they’re going to pay you an annual salary of at least £73,900 to work in the UK.
Graduate Trainee:
This visa is for transfers into graduate trainee programmes for specialist roles. For this visa, you need to be a recent graduate with at least 3 months’ experience with your employer overseas.
To be eligible to apply for this visa, the following requirements must be met:
- You need to have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) for your job to apply to live in the UK. Your Certificate of Sponsorship will hold your personal details and information about the job you have been offered, including the salary and the start and end date of the employment. Your employer will give you a CoS reference number that must be included with your application. This CoS is time-sensitive and must be used within 3 months of assignment.
- You must be able to show you have worked for your employer in a foreign country.
- You must be offered an appropriate salary and have sufficient personal maintenance funds to support yourself when you arrive in the UK. Your employer could certify maintenance so that you do not need to show personal maintenance funds. Long-term Staff: you must be paid a minimum of £41,500 per year, or the appropriate rate for your exact job – whichever is higher. Graduate Trainee: you must be paid a minimum of £23,000 per year, or the minimum for your exact job – whichever is higher. You will need to have the financial means to support yourself and your dependents without recourse to public funds.
- You must show you can travel and prove your travel history over the past 5 years.
- You must have a tuberculosis test if you are from a listed country.
FAQs:
What you can do:
- You can work in the eligible job you have been granted leave for by the approved employer who has assigned you the Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS);
- You are permitted to do voluntary work;
- You are permitted to take up studying;
- You will be permitted to take on second job in the same profession and at the same level of your primary job (up to a maximum of 20 hours per week);
- You can make applications for your family members to join you in the UK as your dependants;
- During your permitted visa period you will be entitled to travel abroad and return to the UK.
What you cannot do:
- You will not be entitled to benefit from public funds (which consists of most benefits), or the State Pension;
- You will not be entitled to make an application for Indefinite Leave to Remain after 5 years, unlike those on a Skilled Worker Visa;
- You will not be able to start your employment until your Intra Company Visa is granted;
- You will not be entitled to switch to a Skilled Worker Visa from within the UK;
- You would not be able to apply for a Skilled Worker Visa from overseas if you were on a Intra Company Visa unless one year passes. This is known as the ‘cooling off’ period.
You can come to the UK for the maximum stay allowed for your visa type, or the time given on your Certificate of Sponsorship, whichever is shorter.
The maximum stay for each type of Intra-company Visa is:
- Long-term Staff (if you earn more than £120,000 a year): 9 years.
- Long-term Staff (if you earn less than £120,000 a year): 5 years.
- Graduate Trainee: 12 months.
You can start your stay up to 14 days before the start date on your Certificate of Sponsorship.
You must apply outside the UK for an Intra-company Visa. You should normally receive a decision on your visa from Home Office within 3 weeks.
You may be able to extend your visa. You should apply before your current visa expires. You can apply as an individual or as a family group with your dependents.
Long-term Staff:
Your stay can be extended for the shortest of the following:
- The time given on your certificate of sponsorship, plus 14 days.
- The time needed to extend your stay to the maximum time allowed in the category.
Graduate Trainee:
- You can extend your stay if your original visa was for less than 12 months.
- You can only extend your visa by to a maximum duration of 12 months.
Contact White Horse Solicitors & Notary Public for expert advice by experienced professionals on all areas of Immigration law. The many conditions and immigration requirements that must be met are handled by White Horse Solicitors and Notary Public with excellent professionalism, reliable conduct and integrity. We will ensure that our advice focuses on your personal circumstances and will always aim to achieve brilliant results for our clients.
White Horse Solicitors & Notary Public is well placed and highly qualified in providing professional advice and assistance on making an Intra-company Visa application. We recommend getting in contact with us on 020 7118 1778 for our specialist and professional advice on such an application before any action is taken.
The information contained on this page is sourced from UK Visas and Immigration and is subject to change. White Horse Solicitors & Notary Public makes every effort to keep this information current, however prices and information cannot be guaranteed and should always be checked on www.gov.uk.
