Expanding your business overseas is one of the significant achievements in an entrepreneur’s life. Whether you are planning expansion by commencing a whole new project or starting with your existing products, you need the support and skills of your best employees.
In fact, you might need to transfer your skilled employees overseas- in this particular scenario to your UK branch. When we talk about transferring an employee from one country to another, things can get a bit complicated. As you might know, every country has its own rules and regulations for immigration. In the UK, workers need an Intra-company Transfer Visa (ICT).
What is an Intra-company Transfer Visa?
ICT visa provides permission to the employees of multinational companies who have established their operations in the UK. It is generally of two types:
- The ICT visa (for full time or permanent employees)
- The Intra-company graduate trainee visa (for interns or graduate training programs)
The primary difference between the both is that the salary requirement is less for a graduate trainee than a full-time employee of the corporation.
ICT visas are issued for five years and can be extended to a maximum of 9 years.
What Are Visa Holders Allowed To Do?
- Bring a dependant family member with them.
- Work for the company (It must be written in the Certificate of Sponsorship)
- Get an unpaid voluntary employment
- Travel overseas and return to the country
- Get a second job for up to 20 hours a week (The second job shouldn’t be in the same profession as the primary job.)
- Study
What Are Visa Holders Not Allowed To Do?
- Apply for state benefits.
- Apply for indefinite leave to remain
- Change jobs without a new visa.
Generally, all the immigration conditions are defined in the visa documentation. Even so, you must get UK visa advice in USA as the experts can help complete the application and documentation process more efficiently. Moreover, they can also help you fulfill the eligibility criteria, ensuring proper compliance with the immigration laws.
What Is The Eligibility Criteria?
To acquire an ICT visa, the employee needs to have a Certificate of Sponsorship from the company. The certificate implies that the business is a registered sponsor licence holder. Furthermore, there are several other criteria. Let’s have a look at them.
- Only certain categories of jobs are eligible for the ICT. So the applicant can only qualify if their job is on the list of eligible occupations. Besides that, the applicant needs SOC (Standard occupation code) which applies to their role.
- Applicants applying for an ICT visa (non-graduate) must have a salary of £73,900 or more. However, if the salary is less, then the minimum length of employment with the company must be one year or more.
- The applicant needs to have at least £1,270 to cover the first 28-days in the UK. This requirement can also be met if the applicant has a letter from the employer stating that the company will support the accommodation and other necessities of the worker in the first month.
Takeaway,
By fulfilling the eligibility criteria, the applicant can easily get an ICT visa. However, as it will be an international affair, you must not take any chances and consult an immigration lawyer. It will ensure that everything works out smoothly.