1. Overview
You can apply as a representative of an overseas business if you’re an employee of an overseas newspaper, news agency or broadcasting organisation posted on a long-term assignment to the UK.
If you’re a representative of an overseas business planning to set up its first UK branch, apply for a UK Expansion Worker visa (Global Business Mobility) instead.
You must also meet the other eligibility requirements.
If you’re already in the UK as a sole representative, you can still apply to extend your stay.
How long it will take
If you apply from outside the UK, the earliest you can apply is 3 months before you travel.
Example: You can apply from 16 March if you plan to travel on 15 June.
You should get a decision on your visa application within 3 weeks when you apply from outside the UK.
You may be able to pay to get a faster decision.
If you apply from inside the UK
You will get a decision within 8 weeks.
UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) will contact you if your application will take longer, for example:
- if your supporting documents need to be verified
- if you need to attend an interview
- because of your personal circumstances (for example, if you have a criminal conviction)
Once you’ve applied you can stay in the UK until you’ve been given a decision, as long as you applied before your last visa expires.
Fees
If you apply from outside the UK, a Representative of an Overseas Business visa costs £769.
If you apply from inside the UK, the visa costs £885. You’ll also need to have your fingerprints and photo (biometric information) taken – there’s no fee for this.
Healthcare surcharge
You must pay the healthcare surcharge as part of your application.
How long you can stay
The visa lets you stay in the UK for an initial period of 3 years.
You may be able to extend your visa for another 2 years.
After you’ve been in the UK for 5 years, you can apply for permission to settle permanently in the UK.
What you can and cannot do
You can:
- work for your employer, full time
- bring your family (‘dependants’) with you to the UK
- apply to extend your visa
- apply to settle in the UK after you’ve been here for 5 years
- switch to this visa from inside the UK
You cannot:
- work for yourself or any other business
- get public funds
2. Eligibility
To be eligible for this visa you must:
- have enough money to support yourself without help from public funds
- meet the English requirement
You can come to the UK if you’re an employee of an overseas newspaper, news agency or broadcasting organisation and you’re being posted here on a long-term assignment.
3. Knowledge of English
You may need to prove your knowledge of the English language when you apply. You can prove it in one of the following ways, by:
having a degree from a UK institution
having a degree from an institution that was outside the UK and taught in English
passing an English test from an approved provider
If you have a degree from a UK institution
You can prove your knowledge of English if you have a degree-level qualification that was both:
taught in English
awarded by a UK institution, even if you studied outside the UK
If you have a degree from an institution outside the UK
If your degree was taught in English and was not awarded by a UK institution, you’ll need to apply for an assessment from Ecctis.
Ecctis will give you a code to confirm that your qualification is equivalent to a UK bachelor’s degree or higher and was taught in English.
Passing an English test
If you do not have any qualifications that prove your knowledge of English, you will need to pass a Secure English Language Test (SELT) with an approved provider.
You must prove you can speak and listen in English to at least CEFR level A1 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) scale.
Who does not need to prove their knowledge of English
You may not have to prove your knowledge of English in other circumstances – check the full visa guidance.
4. Documents you must provide
When you apply you’ll need to provide:
- a current passport or other valid travel identification
- evidence that you can support yourself and any dependants during your trip, for example bank statements or payslips for the last 6 months
- proof that you meet the English requirement
- a full description of the parent company’s activities, including details of assets and accounts
- confirmation that you will be representing them in the UK in a long term, full-time role
If you’re applying from overseas, you’ll also need to provide:
- details of where you’ll be staying during your stay
- your tuberculosis test results if you’re from a country where you have to take the test
All applicants need to provide a certified translation of any documents that are not in English or Welsh.
You may need to provide additional documents depending on your circumstances.
5. Your partner and children
Your family members (‘dependants’) can come with you when you come to the UK on this visa.
A ‘dependant’ is any of the following:
- your husband, wife or partner
- your child under 18 – including if they were born in the UK during your stay
- your child over 18 if they currently have permission (‘leave to enter’ or ‘leave to remain’) to be in the UK as your dependant
If your partner or child’s application is successful, their visa will usually end on the same date as yours. If a child’s parents have visas with different expiry dates, the child’s visa will end on the earlier date.
If you’re a sole representative, your husband, wife or partner cannot be in the UK as your dependant if they own or control a majority of the overseas business you will be representing.
Children born while you’re in the UK
If you have children while you’re in the UK, you can apply online to add them to your visa as your dependant.
You must do this if you want to travel in and out of the UK with them.
You’ll need to provide a full UK birth certificate for each child, showing the names of both parents.
What your partner or child can and cannot do
Your partner or child can:
- work, except as a sportsperson or coach
- study
- travel abroad and return to the UK
- apply to settle permanently in the UK (also known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’) if they’ve lived in the UK for 5 years and meet the other eligibility requirements
They cannot apply for most benefits (public funds), or the State Pension.
If their application is successful, they’ll get a full list of what they can and cannot do.
6. Extend your visa
You can apply to extend your stay in the UK under a Representative of an Overseas Business visa. You must apply before your current visa expires.
Your partner or child’s visa will not automatically extend if you extend yours. If they do not extend their visa, it will be valid until its original end date.
They can either apply at the same time as you, or at any time before their current visa expires.
