Sending overseas staff to a UK group company

Sending overseas staff to a UK group company requires a review of the corporate relationship, proposed work and the worker’s employment history. A group connection does not remove UK immigration requirements or establish which sponsored route is appropriate.

Prepare organisation charts and assignment terms alongside salary and location details. Assess tax, payroll and employment obligations separately from immigration eligibility.

Map the overseas and UK entities

An internal transfer should begin with a clear account of the employing and host organisations. Identify the overseas employer, UK legal entity, ownership or control relationship and the sponsor licence that would support the assignment. A group chart should reflect actual legal relationships, including intermediate entities where relevant. The Global Business Mobility guidance sets route-specific requirements for linked organisations and sponsorship. ^[1]

Ask whether the UK operation is already trading and whether the worker will join an established role or help establish a new presence. Those facts can affect the route considered. Do not assume the Senior or Specialist Worker route is appropriate for every group move. A graduate training placement or an expansion assignment may require a different analysis and evidence package.

Define the UK work and the assignment length

Prepare the proposed duties, work location, manager, salary, hours and expected duration. Explain why the overseas employee is being assigned and what they will deliver in the UK. The job must be eligible under the selected route, and the sponsor must be able to support the genuine arrangement. Avoid a description that says only “support UK office”, because it leaves the occupation and work conditions unclear.

For Senior or Specialist Worker, the individual must be an existing employee of the relevant organisation and meet the applicable job and salary requirements. The official eligibility guidance also includes an overseas-service requirement below the specified high-earner threshold. Gather actual employment dates and evidence rather than assuming long service anywhere in the wider industry is the same as qualifying service for the employer. ^[2]

Reconcile home-country and UK employment terms

An assignment letter may sit alongside an overseas contract and UK payroll arrangement. Compare them for duties, reporting, salary, allowances and dates. Identify which entity pays each amount and which payments count for immigration purposes under the route. A generous relocation package does not necessarily count in full towards the salary requirement. The adviser needs the complete arrangement to assess it accurately. ^[1]

Coordinate tax, social security and employment advice separately. A UK immigration permission does not determine tax residence, payroll withholding or the law governing every contractual issue. Likewise, an overseas payroll arrangement does not make the UK activity a business visit. Our guide to Business visitors or sponsored workers explains why the work itself must be assessed before using visitor permission for an internal group trip.

Plan the application and first day together

Confirm licence readiness, CoS type, applicant evidence and intended application location. A CoS is not permission to begin the UK assignment. The worker must obtain the required permission and the sponsor must complete the relevant checks before the role starts. Keep the UK manager informed of the authorised date so training, system access and productive work do not begin on an outdated provisional timetable.

Review travel and dependant arrangements before booking. The Senior or Specialist Worker route has limits on the total time that can be spent in the UK, including relevant time on other mobility routes, and does not itself lead to settlement. These points should be explained to an employee considering a long-term move with a family. Do not market a temporary assignment route as guaranteed permanent relocation. ^[3]

Operate the assignment after arrival

Keep the approved duties and conditions available to the responsible UK manager and sponsor contact. Record actual start, attendance and changes requiring review. If the employee is moved to a client site, another group company or a substantially different role, reassess the arrangement before implementation. A group mobility policy should not imply that sponsored staff can move freely between every affiliated business without immigration action.

For assistance through Business mobility immigration enquiry, provide the legal group structure, overseas employment history and proposed UK assignment terms. Immigration advice must be supplied by an appropriately regulated or otherwise legally authorised adviser. Ask for a route recommendation supported by the facts, a document list and clear responsibilities for the sponsor and individual. Coordinate the result with the business's tax and employment planning rather than treating approval of one workstream as approval of all.

At the assignment's review point, compare the remaining business need with the permission end date and any cumulative limit. Decide whether an extension, another lawful route or a planned return needs assessment. Recording this early gives the employee and UK team time to act without an avoidable last-minute disruption.

Illustrative scenario

A multinational plans to send an engineer to its UK subsidiary for a project. It provides the group structure and assignment evidence for route assessment before booking a work start date.

Preparation checklist

• Map the corporate relationship
• Describe UK duties
• Gather overseas employment evidence
• Coordinate separate payroll and tax review