Guide on UK Business Immigration Process & Procedure

• Performing as an artist, musician or entertainer.
• Visiting as a clinical performer or observer–if you are a doctor or dentist
• Visiting for research or accompanying students on a study abroad program. They will require you to showed that you are an academic.
• Visiting to get funding to start, take over or join a business in the UK. (this refers to getting funding from the UK to start, take over, or join a running business and not actually running a business)

To apply for a visa, for any of the above reasons, you must have the right documentation to prove so.

UK has come up with some of the finest opportunities and convenient routes to do business and settle in the UK. According to statistics, many people have applied for various business visa categories to explore these entrepreneurial opportunities, in the past year.
By the year ending June 2021, 172,045 work-related visas were granted (dependent included). Leading a 19% increase on the year ending June 2020.

Skilled work accounts for 60% of work-related visas, was the category with the largest increase in application numbers going up to 16,775 which is 19%.

Let’s look at the statistics for granted work-related visas, by types of visas, in the table below.

Table 1 – Granted work-related visas, by types of visas

A standard visit visa is a replacement of Family Visitor visa, Child Visitor visa, Sports Visitor visa, Business Visitor visa, Entertainer Visitor visa, Prospective Entrepreneur visa and Medical Treatment Visitor visa. It permits you to conduct certain business activities, conditions applied. It also allows you to represent a business in the UK, for up to 6 months. The applicant is also permitted to study for up to 30 days, provided that’s not the major purpose of your visit.

To apply for a Standard visit visa, you need to validate:

• Your intent behind coming to the UK – depending on your needs such as visiting family, visiting for business-related purposes or leisure.
• You have the funds to support your travel, your accommodation, and other needs, receiving no public funds from the UK.
• You will leave the UK in the given period, which is not over 6 months.
• If you are visiting for business-related purposes, you must conduct the above-said actions only.

To know more on applying for a Standard visit visa, click on the link here

This visa allows representatives of overseas businesses to live and work in the UK. It is a route suitable for almost all businesses, enabling them to develop a presence in the UK by opening a branch or a wholly owned subsidiary for the parent company.

You are eligible to apply for a Sole Representative visa if you are

• The sole representative of an overseas company, intending to set up a wholly owned subsidiary or register a branch in the UK for an overseas parent company; or
• An employee of an overseas newspaper, news agency or broadcasting organization posted on a long-term assignment in the UK.

To know more about applying for a Sole Representative visa, click on the link

A sponsor license is required to allow someone to work for you, coming from overseas. If you are employing a skilled worker who is based outside the UK, you will need to apply for a sponsor license.

You are eligible to apply for a Sponsor License if

• You have a lawfully running organization in the UK
  (In case your company has multiple branches, one license issued will be applicable to all of them, or you can choose to apply separately as well)
• If you registered with / monitored by a statutory body for operating lawfully in the UK, you will need to provide proof of you and branches covered under your license (if any) are registered with the above said body.
• There are rules and regulations that a Sponsor License holder must comply with and as a part of your application, you are pledging to accept all the duties and responsibilities associated with it.

To know more about applying for a Sponsor License, click on the link here.

There are many more protocols in relevance to documentation and application filling – that determine the status of your visa. In the events of a refusal, you can either re-apply or a judicial review. To know more about the procedure of the two, click on the link here.

– In case of refusal
– Judicial Review

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Since, permissions and allowances in various types of business visas differ from each other, it can get confusing as to which one suits you and your needs, the best. At such times, it is advisable to seek assistance from professionals who can assist you through your process.

Make the SmartMove2UK and consult our UK immigration lawyers who are here to guide you with the right advice and a team of experts to look over your documentation and application process.

We consult our clients from all over the world via Zoom, Skype and WhatsApp. We also have our offices in India – Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi. You can also walk in for an offline consultation at our offices in Mumbai.