UK Intra-Company Transfer Visa 2026

Which companies use Jobbatical for UK intra-company transfer visa sponsorship?

This service is designed for HR managers, global mobility leads, and legal and compliance teams at multinationals transferring established employees to a UK entity under the Senior or Specialist Worker or Graduate Trainee route.

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Transferring a specialist or senior manager

Non-UK employee with 12+ months' service transferring to your UK branch under the Senior or Specialist Worker route (min. £52,500+, 2026)

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Graduate trainee intra-company transfers

Employee on a structured graduate training programme leading to a senior role Graduate Trainee sub-route (min. £25,410+, 2026)

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Sponsor licence compliance and renewals

Sponsor Management System (SMS) oversight, right-to-work checks, CoS allocation management, and sponsor licence renewal for active UK operations

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Transferring a Senior or Specialist Employee to the UK? The Intra-Company Transfer Visa Route Explained

What is the UK Intra-Company Transfer Visa?

The UK Intra-Company Transfer (ICT) Visa now operating as the Senior or Specialist Worker route under the Global Business Mobility (GBM) framework allows multinational companies to transfer established employees to their UK entity. It is the primary route for non-UK-based senior managers and specialist workers taking a UK-based assignment under an intra-group transfer arrangement.

UK intra-company transfer visa benefits for employers

Transfer key employees to your UK office without a labour market test no Resident Labour Market Test required under the Senior or Specialist Worker route
Covers senior managers and specialist workers with critical skills including technical leads, executives, and proprietary-knowledge holders
Enables right-to-work compliance from day one with a properly issued CoS and verified eVisa share code

Common struggles with UK intra-company transfer visa sponsorship

Sponsor licence application complexity: Establishing the correct licence type, appointing authorising officers, and passing Home Office eligibility checks takes significant HR resource
SOC code selection errors: Misclassifying a role under the wrong Standard Occupational Classification code is one of the top causes of UK visa refusals and compliance audits
CoS allocation management: Running out of Certificate of Sponsorship allocation mid-hiring cycle delays start dates and can trigger candidate withdrawal
Right-to-work check failures: With full eVisa rollout in 2025, employers must conduct share-code checks not rely on physical documents or risk illegal working liability

what jobbatical does for your HR team

UK intra-company transfer visa sponsorship fully managed by Jobbatical

Jobbatical handles:

Sponsor licence application and eligibility assessment (Worker licence, GBM Senior or Specialist Worker route)

Sponsor Management System (SMS) setup and key personnel appointment

Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) allocation requests and assignment management

SOC code classification and going-rate salary compliance checks

Right-to-work check guidance and eVisa share code verification

Immigration Skills Charge (ISC) calculation and payment coordination

Sponsor licence compliance monitoring, audit preparation, and renewal management

All your HR team does

Review and sign off on the employment contract, job offer letter, and Certificate of Sponsorship details

Avg. HR time saved per case

~14 hours

Platform integrations

Workday

BambooHR

HiBob

Personio

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PROCESSING TIME

UK intra-company transfer visa processing time with Jobbatical (2026)

Timeline depends on whether the UK sponsor licence is already in place, the availability of Certificate of Sponsorship allocation, and whether the employee applies from overseas or switches in-country. Priority and Super Priority UKVI services are available where timing is critical.

With Jobbatical

4–8 weeks

Industry average (DIY)

3–5 months

Sponsor licence check and CoS allocation

Jobbatical confirms the UK entity holds a valid Worker sponsor licence (GBM route), verifies CoS allocation is sufficient

Day 1–3

Certificate of Sponsorship assignment

CoS assigned via the Sponsor Management System (SMS); employment contract and role confirmed

Day 3–7

Immigration Skills Charge and CoS fee payment

ISC calculated and paid by employer (£1,320–£3,960 for medium/large sponsors for 3-year assignment, 2026);

Day 7–10

Employee visa application and biometrics

Employee submits online visa application on GOV.UK, pays visa fee (£819 outside UK, 2026) and Immigration Health Surcharge (£1,035/yr);

Day 10–21

UKVI decision

Standard processing: 3–8 weeks from biometrics. Priority service available (5 working days, subject to availability).

Week 3–6

BRP collection and right-to-work confirmed case complete

Jobbatical confirms Biometric Residence Permit collection within 10 days of UK arrival

Week 4–8

Get a quote for UK ICT visa cases

Processing times are estimates based on 2026 averages. Actual timelines may vary depending on individual case complexity, applicant nationality, current UKVI processing volumes, and biometric appointment availability. Verify with the Home Office before planning employee start dates.

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ELIGIBILITY FOR YOUR TRANSFER

UK intra-company transfer visa salary requirements and eligibility 2026

The UK Senior or Specialist Worker visa (the current intra-company transfer route) requires the employee to have worked for the sponsoring group for at least 12 months outside the UK (unless earning over £73,900/year). The UK employer must hold a valid Worker sponsor licence under the Global Business Mobility framework and assign a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) from the Sponsor Management System. The role must meet the higher of £52,500/year or the applicable SOC code going rate (2026). Salary must be guaranteed gross basic pay bonuses, overtime, and most allowances are excluded. Verify all thresholds with the Home Office before submission, as going rates are occupation-specific and were updated in April 2026.

Route	Min. salary (2026)	Processing	Best for
Senior or Specialist Worker (standard)	£52,500+/yr	3–8 wks	Senior managers and specialists transferring from an overseas group entity
Senior or Specialist Worker (high earner)	£73,900+/yr	3–8 wks	High earners exempt from 12-month prior employment requirement
Graduate Trainee	£25,410+/yr	3–8 wks	Employees on a structured graduate training programme leading to a senior role
UK Skilled Worker Visa (comparison)	£41,700+/yr	3–8 wks	Direct UK hire or in-country switch full ILR pathway after 5 yrs

Use our UK visa eligibility checker

document preparation

UK intra-company transfer visa document checklist for employers

Jobbatical sends your transferring employee a personalised digital checklist and reviews every document before submission to UKVI including Certificate of Sponsorship details, right-to-work records, and salary compliance evidence.

Personalised CoS and sponsor licence compliance checklist sent directly to your HR team

Employee documents reviewed before UKVI submission no incomplete applications

SOC code and going-rate salary evidence prepared and cross-checked

Right-to-work check guidance for eVisa share codes included

Immigration Skills Charge payment confirmation and ISC record filed in SMS

UK intra-company transfer visa document checklist employer and employee requirements

View checklist

WHY HR TEAMS CHOOSE JOBBATICAL

UK sponsor licence compliance and intra-company transfer management built for HR teams

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4.9/5, Highly rated service

Award-winning immigration experts and a best-in-class platform make sponsor licence compliance and CoS management straightforward for your HR team.

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Compliance tracking

Automatic sponsor licence renewal alerts, CoS allocation monitoring, and right-to-work expiry tracking. Audit log maintained in the Sponsor Management System.

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Named UK case manager

A dedicated UK immigration expert assigned to your account managing Senior or Specialist Worker cases, daily sponsor licence checks, and UKVI correspondence.

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ISO 27001 + OISC

Certified data security and OISC-regulated immigration advice. Transparent on fees, compliant on process, no surprises.

"We moved 18 employees from China to Spain and the UK seven visa scenarios, zero compliance breaches, and every start date met. Jobbatical handled everything from CoS allocation to Section 3C leave protection."

Head of People, Enterprise Technology Company China to UK relocation

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Frequently Asked Questions - UK Intra-Company Transfer Visa (ICT)

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See what our customers have to say about the experience

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Morgan M

April 16, 2026

Maliha did an excellent job! She is responsive, efficient, and very easy to work with. I would definitely recommend her as a Visa expert!

Talent from India to United Kingdom

It would be helpful, if we can arrange meetings and check for the changes corrections informing the documents needed for the application even before the start of the process would save some time.

Talent from France to UK

The agent was very knowledgeable and guided me step by step.