Intra-company Transfer visa (Tier 2)
You can apply for a Tier 2 (Intra-company Transfer) visa if:
• your overseas employer has offered you a role in a UK branch of the organisation
• you’re from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland
• you meet the other eligibility requirements
Getting sponsored for Intra-company transfer visa (tier 2)
You need to be employed by a licensed sponsor to apply to live in the UK.
Your sponsor checks that you can do the job they’re hiring you for and if it qualifies you for a visa. They’ll assign you a certificate of sponsorship to prove this.
They must also give you other information you need when you apply, for example how much you’ll be paid.
There are 2 types of Intra-company Transfer visa.
Long-term Staff
Apply for this visa if you’re transferring into a role that requires you to have had previous experience working for the company.
You’ll need to have worked for your company for more than 12 months, unless they’re going to pay you £73,900 or more a year to work in the UK.
Graduate Trainee
This visa is for transfers into graduate trainee programmes for specialist roles. You need to be a recent graduate with at least 3 months’ experience with your employer overseas.
You can apply for a visa up to 3 months before the day you are due to start work in the UK. This date is listed on your certificate of sponsorship.
You should get a decision on your visa within 3 weeks when you apply from outside the UK.
You’ll also have to pay the healthcare surcharge as part of your application
You can come to the UK with a Tier 2 (Intra-company Transfer) visa for up to the maximum stay allowed for your visa type, or the time given on your certificate of sponsorship, whichever is shorter.
The maximum stay for each type of Tier 2 (Intra-company Transfer) visa is:
• Long-term Staff (if you earn more than £120,000 a year): 9 years
• Long-term Staff (if you earn less than £120,000 a year): 5 years, 1 month
• Graduate Trainee: 12 months
You can start your stay up to 14 days before the start date on your certificate of sponsorship.
Example Your start date is 15 July – the earliest you can start your stay is 1 July.
You can apply to extend your stay in the UK for the maximum time allowed for your visa type.
You can:
• work for your sponsor in the job described in your certificate of sponsorship
• do a second job in the same profession and at the same level as your main job for up to 20 hours per week
• do voluntary work
• study as long as it does not interfere with the job you’re sponsored for
• travel abroad and return to the UK
• bring family members with you
You cannot:
• get public funds
• start working before you get a visa
You need to:
• have a valid certificate of sponsorship for your job
• be paid an ‘appropriate salary’ for your job
• have personal savings so you can support yourself when you arrive in the UK
• show you can travel and your travel history over the last 5 years
• have tuberculosis test results if you’re from a listed country
• be able to show you have worked for your employer outside the UK
A certificate of sponsorship holds your personal details and information about the job you’ve been offered. It’s an electronic record, not a paper document. Your sponsor will give you a certificate of sponsorship reference number to add to your application.
You can only use your certificate of sponsorship reference number once. You must use it 3 months after getting it.
You usually need to be paid at least the minimum salary for your type of visa or the appropriate rate for the job you’re offered – whichever is higher.
The minimum salary is:
• £41,500 for Long-term Staff
• £23,000 for Graduate Trainee
You must have £945 in your bank account for 90 days before you apply. This is to prove you can support yourself.
You do not need to prove this if you have a fully approved (‘A-rated’) sponsor who can give you at least £945 to cover your costs for a month if you need it. Your sponsor must confirm this on the certificate of sponsorship.
When you apply you’ll need to provide:
• your certificate of sponsorship reference number
• a bank or building society statement or letter that shows you have enough personal savings (unless your certificate of sponsorship shows your sponsor can support you)
• a current passport or travel document to prove you can travel – you need a blank page in your passport for your visa
• expired passports or travel documents if you need them to show your travel history
• your tuberculosis test results if you’re from a listed country
You may need to provide additional documents depending on your circumstances.
If your documents are not in English or Welsh you’ll need to provide a certified translation.
Proof you’ve worked for your employer outside the UK
After you apply you might be asked to prove you’ve worked for your employer for a certain amount of time.
The length of time depends on what visa you’re applying for:
• Long-term Staff earning £73,900 or less – 12 months
• Long-term Staff earning more than £73,900 – no minimum time
• Graduate Trainee – 3 months
If you’re asked, you’ll need to show you’ve been paid by your employer over this time period. You can provide:
• printed payslips
• online payslips supported by a letter from your sponsor signed by a senior staff member
• bank or building society statements
• a building society pass book
EXTEND YOUR VISA
You might be able to apply to extend your stay in the UK depending on what type of Tier 2 (Intra-company Transfer) visa you have.
You must have either of the following Tier 2 (Intra-company Transfer) visas:
• Long-term Staff
• Graduate Trainee
You should apply before your current visa expires.
You must also:
• have the same or a similar job to the one you received your previous visa for
• still work for the employer who provided your certificate of sponsorship
• still earn an ‘appropriate salary’
• already be in the UK
You should include any dependants who are on your current visa on your application to extend – including children who have turned 18 during your stay.
The amount of time you can extend your stay depends on the type of Tier 2 (Intra-company) visa you have.
Long-term Staff
Your stay can be extended for the shortest of the following:
• the time given on your certificate of sponsorship plus 14 days
• the time needed to extend your stay to the maximum time allowed in the category
• 5 years (9 years if you earn more than £120,000 a year)
Graduate Trainee
You can extend your stay if your original visa was for less than 12 months. You can only extend your visa by up to 12 months.
You can apply to change (‘switch’) from a Representative of an Overseas Business visa to a Long-term Staff Tier 2 (Intra-company Transfer) visa.
You cannot switch to a Graduate Trainee Tier 2 (Intra-company Transfer) visa.
You should apply before your current visa expires.
Eligibility
You must:
• already be in the UK
• have a representative of an overseas business visa
• be still working for the same employer named on your previous application
How long you can stay
Your stay can be extended for the shortest of the following:
• the time given on your certificate of sponsorship plus 14 days
• the time needed to extend your stay to the maximum time allowed in your visa category
• 5 years (9 years if you earn more than £120,000 a year)
Your family members (‘dependants’) can come with you when you come to the UK on this visa. Your family members must have a visa if they’re from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland.
A ‘dependant’ is any of the following:
• your husband, wife or partner
• your child under 18
• your child over 18 if they’re currently in the UK as a dependant
Personal savings
You must show that your dependants can be supported while they’re in the UK.
Each dependant must have £630 available to them whether they apply with you or separately. This is in addition to the £945 you must have to support yourself.
You must have proof you have the money, and that it’s been in your bank account or your dependant’s bank account for at least 90 days before you or they apply.
ExampleYou must have £2,205 if you want to bring your partner and one child with you to the UK (£945 to support yourself + £630 for your partner + £630 for your child).
You will not need evidence of your savings if you have a:
• fully approved (‘A-rated’) sponsor
• certificate of sponsorship stating that your sponsor will give each of your dependants at least £630 to cover their costs for a month if they need it
Your dependants can apply to extend or switch their visas to stay with you if they’re already in the UK.
Your family members can apply online if they’re your:
• partner
• child
It’s best for your dependants to apply at the same time as you but they can apply at a later date.
Your family members cannot apply in the UK as your dependant if they hold a visitor visa.