Temporary Global Business Mobility visa; no direct settlement.
United Kingdom · business expansion
A UK branch needs a real assignment.
Expansion Worker serves senior or specialist employees of an overseas business setting up a UK branch that has not begun trading. Sponsorship, role and duration have clear limits. The plan for the operation after the assignment belongs at the start.
THE ROUTE AT A GLANCE
A launch assignment, not a permanent residence plan.
Sponsor, eligible worker, skilled role and salary must fit before the visa. Any later route stands on its own.
Overseas company establishes a UK operation not yet trading.
Senior or specialist employee with qualifying history.
Initially up to twelve months; at most two years on this route.
01 / STARTING POINTS
What could this route make possible for you?
A residence right is valuable when its effect fits your life, family or business purpose.
A structured market entry
Sequence the UK entity, business plan and first responsibilities.
Send the right person
Test the role, prior employment and salary against visa rules.
Plan what follows
Address the two-year limit and later staffing route before the first application.
02 / LEGAL EFFECT
What the status grants. And what remains separate.
Residence, work, family and tax are not compressed into one promise.
LEGAL INSTRUMENT
United Kingdom · business expansion
A temporary Global Business Mobility visa for a specific assignment. This route does not lead directly to indefinite leave to remain.
03 / BASIS AND CAPITALAn exception to the twelve-month rule includes earnings above £73,900. Check sponsor licence, occupation code and later route separately.
What qualifies for this route.
£52,500
Minimum annual salary or higher occupation going rate.
12 months
Overseas employment with the sponsor group is the normal rule.
Two years
Maximum duration on the Expansion Worker route.
04 / LIFE BEHIND THE PERMIT
Residence alone does not settle daily life.
Who may join you, what you may do locally and how tax is affected are three distinct questions.
Family and daily life
Eligible partners and children may apply as dependants; check fees, healthcare surcharge and funds for each person.
Work and business
Work only for the sponsor in the role named on the Certificate of Sponsorship; no second job. A role change may require updating the visa.
Tax position
A residence permit does not determine tax residence on its own. Home, actual presence, activity and applicable treaties require separate review.
05 / MAINTENANCE AND OUTLOOK
Keeping the status is part of the decision.
A sound plan considers admission alongside presence, renewal and the longer outlook.
Presence
The route requires a genuine UK assignment to establish the presence; it is not a personal reserve residence option.
Renewal and duties
Initial permission is generally up to twelve months, extendable by up to twelve; the route has a two-year maximum. Maintain sponsor duties and consider the five-in-six-year limit across relevant mobility routes.
Later status
A later switch may be possible but has new conditions and a separate procedure; Expansion Worker itself does not lead to settlement.
06 / PROCESS AND COSTS
The next step begins before applying.
Test the business plan and UK presence before trading, prepare the sponsor licence and Authorising Officer, identify the eligible worker and salary, issue the Certificate of Sponsorship and apply for the visa. Plan the later route before UK trading begins.
Calculate the whole decision.
Where minimum amounts are stated, they are legal eligibility thresholds at the documented source date, not estimates of total cost. We review fees and other costs for the individual case before filing.
- Qualifying investment or economic basis
- Government fees and translations
- Legal and tax review
- Family, insurance and location
- Ongoing duties and renewal
- Potential exit or status change
07 / FIT AND LIMITS
When this route belongs on your shortlist.
A suitable permit serves a specific purpose. Where its rights or duties do not fit, comparison with another route begins.
The deciding question
Which assigned person can genuinely build the branch, and what role will they need after at most two years?
Where this route stops
This is not an investor or founder permission for any chosen person. If the UK entity is already trading, GOV.UK points to another mobility route. A second job and direct settlement are excluded.
08 / WHAT NBF EXAMINES
Test the UK launch before assigning a worker.
Get a clear sequence for company status, sponsor, worker, cost and life after Expansion Worker.
Business
Classify overseas operation, UK presence and start of trading.
Assignment
Check sponsor licence, occupation code, employment history and salary.
Later route
Plan family, two-year limit and potential next staffing route early.
09 / SOURCES AND REVIEW
The basis for the decision stays visible.
Programme brochures can explain routes. Responsible authorities and the current case determine their legal effect and conditions.
EDITORIAL VERSION · 3 OCTOBER 2026Sources and reviewView sources
The stated rules are grounded in the linked sources. Conditions, administrative practice and fit for your case are checked again before an individual recommendation.
GOV.UK guidance and Immigration Rules checked on 3 October 2026. Confirm occupation code, going rate, sponsor status, funds and later route for the actual assignment.
THE NEXT DECISION
Who will build the UK branch, and what comes next?
Put sponsor, role, salary and the two-year limit into the plan before the first application.
