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Intra-company Transfer visa (Tier 2)

Overview

You can apply for a Tier 2 (Intra-company Transfer) visa if:

Getting sponsored

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.

Types of Intra-company Transfer visa

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.

How long it will take

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.

Find out about paying for a faster decision.

Fees

How much you pay for a Tier 2 (Intra-company Transfer) visa depends on the type of visa and where you are.

Graduate Trainee

Who you’re applying for Fee
You £482
If you’re a citizen of Turkey or Macedonia £427
All dependants £482 each person

Long-term Staff (up to 3 years)

Who you’re applying for Apply (outside the UK) Extend or switch in the UK
You £610 £704
If you’re a citizen of Turkey or Macedonia £555 £649
All dependants £610 each person £704 each person

Long-term Staff (more than 3 years)

Who you’re applying for Apply (outside the UK) Extend or switch in the UK
You £1,220 £1,408
If you’re a citizen of Turkey or Macedonia £1,165 £1,353
All dependants £1,220 each person £1,408 each person

Healthcare surcharge

You’ll also have to pay the healthcare surcharge as part of your application. Check how much you’ll have to pay before you apply.

If you’re applying to extend or switch in the UK

You’ll need to pay £19.20 to have your biometric information (fingerprints and a photo) taken.

Get a faster decision on your application

If you’re applying to extend or switch in the UK you can pay an extra £500 for the priority service to get a decision within 5 working days.

You can pay an extra £800 for the super priority service to get a decision:

  • by the end of the next working day after providing your biometric information if your appointment is on a weekday
  • 2 working days after providing your biometric information if your appointment is at the weekend

Working days are Monday to Friday, not including bank holidays.

Once you’ve got your decision letter, your biometric residence permit will take up to 10 working days to arrive.

How long you can stay

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.

What you can and cannot do

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:

Eligibility

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

Certificate of sponsorship

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 the 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.

Appropriate salary

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

Check the guidance – the salary you need might be different, for example, if:

  • you’re extending your Tier 2 (Intra-company Transfer) visa
  • you’re working in the UK for less than a year
  • you’ll be paid at an hourly rate
  • you’ll work a set number of hours

Personal savings

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.

Documents you must provide

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

Read the guide for a list of documents you can provide.

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 passbook
Apply

You should read the full guidance before you apply.

Apply outside the UK

You must apply online for a Tier 2 (Intra-company Transfer) visa.

You’ll need to have your fingerprints and photograph taken at a visa application centre (to get a biometric residence permit) as part of your application.

You’ll have to collect your biometric residence permit within 10 days of when you said you’d arrive in the UK.

Find out how to get your visa decision faster – this depends on what country you’re in. Check if your visa application centre offers faster decisions and other services.

North Korea

You cannot apply online if you’re living in North Korea.

To apply from North Korea you must:

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.

Eligibility

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’ – read the full guidance if you’re not sure
  • 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.

How long you can 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.

Fees

Check the fees for your type of visa.

How to extend your visa

Read the Tier 2 guidance notes before you apply.

Apply online as an individual or as a family group. Choose the visa you want to apply for:

Providing biometric information and supporting documents

When you apply, you’ll be asked to make an appointment at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) service point to provide your biometric information (your fingerprints and a photo).

You’ll also need to submit your supporting documents. You can:

  • upload them into the online service
  • have them scanned at your UKVCAS appointment

You must not travel outside of the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you get a decision. Your application will be withdrawn if you do.

How long it takes

Decisions are usually made:

  • within 8 weeks of your application date if you use the standard service
  • within 5 working days of your UKVCAS appointment if you use the priority service

If you use the super priority service a decision will be made:

  • by the end of the next working day after your UKVCAS appointment if your appointment is on a weekday
  • 2 working days after your UKVCAS appointment if your appointment is at the weekend

Working days are Monday to Friday, not including bank holidays.

Once you’ve got your decision letter, your biometric residence permit will take up to 10 working days to arrive.

You’ll be contacted if your circumstances or application are more complicated, for example, if:

  • your supporting documents need to be verified
  • you need to attend an interview
  • 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 expired.

Switch to this visa

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:

How long you can stay

Your stay can be extended for the shortest of the following:

  • the time is 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)

Fees

Check the fees for this visa.

How to switch your visa

Read the Tier 2 guidance notes before you apply.

Apply to switch your visa online as an individual or a family group.

Biometric information and supporting documents

When you apply, you’ll be asked to make an appointment at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) service point to provide your biometric information (your fingerprints and a photo).

You’ll also need to submit your supporting documents. You can:

  • upload them into the online service
  • have them scanned at your UKVCAS appointment

You must not travel outside of the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man until you get a decision. Your application will be withdrawn if you do.

How long it takes

Decisions are usually made:

  • within 8 weeks of your application date if you use the standard service
  • within 5 working days of your UKVCAS appointment if you use the priority service

If you use the super-priority service a decision will be made:

  • by the end of the next working day after your UKVCAS appointment if your appointment is on a weekday
  • 2 working days after your UKVCAS appointment if your appointment is at the weekend

Working days are Monday to Friday, not including bank holidays.

Once you’ve got your decision letter, your biometric residence permit will take up to 10 working days to arrive.

You’ll be contacted if your circumstances or application are more complicated, for example, if:

  • your supporting documents need to be verified
  • you need to attend an interview
  • 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 expired.

Family members

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

Read the guidance on dependant applications before you apply.

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.

Example You 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

Fees

Check the fees for your type of visa.

Dependants applying from outside the UK

Your family members must apply online.

They’ll need to have their fingerprints and photograph taken at a visa application centre (to get a biometric residence permit) as part of their application.

They’ll have to collect their biometric residence permit within 30 days of when they said they’d arrive in the UK.

They may be able to get their visa faster or other services depending on what country they’re in – check with the visa application centre.

If your child is over 18 they cannot apply if they are outside the UK. They can apply from inside the UK if they are already here as your dependant.

North Korea

Your family members cannot apply online if they’re applying from North Korea.

Each family member will need to make their own application. They must:

Dependants applying in the UK on their own

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:

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.

Providing biometric information and supporting documents

When they apply, they’ll be asked to make an appointment at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) service point to provide their biometric information (their fingerprints and a photo).

They’ll also need to submit their supporting documents. They can:

  • upload them into the online service
  • have them scanned at their UKVCAS appointment

They must not travel outside of the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until they get a decision. Their application will be withdrawn if they do.

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.

Data Source: https://www.gov.uk/tier-2-intracompany-transfer-worker-visa