UK Expansion Worker Visa for Employer-Managed by Jobbatical

The UK Expansion Worker visa is a Global Business Mobility visa route that lets an overseas business post senior managers or specialists to the UK to set up a branch or wholly-owned subsidiary that has not yet started trading. Employers use it when their UK entity holds a footprint a Companies House registration or premises but is still pre-trading. Once the UK business is operational, most teams move workers onto the Skilled Worker route, which Jobbatical also manages.

The UK Expansion Worker visa requirements in 2026 include a salary of at least £52,500 per year or 100% of the going rate for the occupation code, whichever is higher. The general threshold rose from £48,500 on 22 July 2025. Only guaranteed gross pay for up to 48 hours a week counts toward the general threshold. Thresholds change with policy, so verify current figures with UKVI before submission.

Yes the UK Expansion Worker visa requires an expansion worker sponsor licence before any Certificate of Sponsorship can be assigned. It uses the Temporary Worker sponsor licence framework, not the standard skilled worker sponsor licence, and the UK entity must show a UK footprint plus a qualifying link to an active overseas business. Jobbatical prepares the sponsor licence application and the supporting expansion business case for your team.

The UK Expansion Worker visa is granted for up to 12 months initially and can be extended once, to a maximum of 2 years in total, with a cumulative Global Business Mobility limit of 5 years in any 6-year period. It does not lead directly to settlement. Employers who need a longer-term or settlement route typically switch qualifying employees to the Skilled Worker visa once the UK business is trading.

A company can sponsor a maximum of 5 workers at a time on the UK Expansion Worker route. Where no settled worker is available in the UK to act as Authorising Officer, the Home Office issues a provisional rating and a single Certificate of Sponsorship first; that Proposed Authorising Officer must be the first worker sponsored, after which the sponsor can re-rate to A-rating and request up to 5 certificates.

In 2026 the UK Expansion Worker visa costs a £340 application fee (from 8 April 2026) plus the Immigration Health Surcharge of £1,035 per year per adult. On the sponsor side, the Temporary Worker sponsor licence is £611 flat and each Certificate of Sponsorship is £55. Unlike Skilled Worker sponsorship, no Immigration Skills Charge applies. Verify all fees with UKVI before submission, as they change periodically.

Yes employees on the UK Expansion Worker visa can be joined by a dependent partner and children under 18, and partners are generally permitted to work or study in the UK. Each dependant pays their own application fee and Immigration Health Surcharge, and the main applicant must meet the £1,270 financial requirement unless the sponsor certifies maintenance on the Certificate of Sponsorship or an exemption applies.