UK Intra-Company Transfer Visa (Senior or Specialist Worker) Employer-Managed by Jobbatical

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