Intra-Company Transfer Visa: Your Complete Guide

Key Highlights

1. The Intra-Company Transfer (ICT) visa has been replaced by the Senior or Specialist Worker visa in the UK.
2. It allowed overseas companies to transfer senior staff or specialists to a UK branch.
3. Employees usually needed to have worked for the company for at least a year to be eligible.
4. There were different salary requirements for the main ICT visa and the ICT Graduate Trainee visa.
5. The ICT visa has been replaced, existing visas are still valid until their expiry date.

Introduction

This guide has detailed information about the old Intra-company Transfer (ICT) visa. This visa let businesses move workers to their UK branch. Even though new applicants cannot apply for it anymore, this article looks at who could apply and how the application process worked. It also describes how the ICT visa fit into the UK’s broader global business mobility options.

Understanding Intra-Company Transfer Visas in the UK

The UK’s Intra-Company Transfer (ICT) visa was a work visa. It let multinational companies move their staff from a branch outside of the UK to a branch in the UK. This visa helped with global business mobility. It allowed companies to use the skills of their workers from around the world.

The ICT visa was created to help multinational companies that work globally by making it easier to bring skilled workers to the UK. But, this visa category is no longer open for new applicants. Current visas will stay valid until their expiry date.

Definition and Purpose of Intra-Company Transfer Visas

An Intra-Company Transfer (ICT) visa, once called a Tier 2 ICT visa, is a type of UK work visa. It is for multinational companies that want to move workers from their overseas branch to a UK branch or subsidiary. This visa allows companies to temporarily bring their skilled workers to the UK for specific jobs or projects. For example, an employee may be sent to help launch a new product, provide training, or fill a skills gap in the UK branch.

To get sponsorship under the ICT route, the UK company must have a valid sponsor licence. This shows that the company meets the needed standards and can do their sponsorship duties. The ICT visa helps skilled workers move temporarily. It also makes sure that UK residents are not harmed in the job market.

The Importance of Intra-Company Transfer Visas for Businesses and Employees

Intra-Company Transfer visas are important for global business mobility. They make it easier for companies to move their skilled workers to the UK for a short time. This helps companies find talented people from around the world. They can move employees who have special skills and knowledge that might be hard to find in the UK. This helps businesses grow and compete better in the UK.

For employees, transfer visas offer great chances for career growth. They get to work in a new country and gain useful experience. Working in the UK can improve their skills, help them meet new people, and create more chances for international jobs in the future.

Eligibility Criteria for Intra-Company Transfer Visas

To qualify for an ICT visa, people needed to meet certain rules from the UK Home Office. These rules made sure that the visa was used correctly and served the needs of businesses and the UK’s job market.

The eligibility rules looked at things like the applicant’s job history, skill level, and salary. Also, every person needed support from a UK organization that had a valid sponsor licence and could issue a certificate of sponsorship.

Categories of Eligible Transferees

There were two main groups of people who could apply for the ICT visa:

1. Intra-company Transfer: This option was for workers who had been with their overseas employer for at least one year before they applied. However, this rule did not apply to ‘high earners’ in the UK. If their annual salary was at least £73,900, they could get an exemption.
2. Intra-company Graduate Trainee: This group was for recent graduates in special training programs. To be eligible, these applicants had to work for the sending company for a minimum of three months. The job should also lead to a clear path toward a management or specialist position in the company.

Required Qualifications and Experience

To get sponsorship under the closed ICT visa scheme, all applicants needed a valid Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) from a UK employer. This certificate showed they met the eligibility criteria and had a job offer for an eligible occupation. The job had to match the right skill level. This meant it had to have an occupation code found in Appendix Skilled Occupations, as listed in the Immigration Rules.

The applicant also had to meet the minimum salary for their job. This salary was either the general salary threshold for the ICT route or the ‘going rate’ for their occupation code. For example, someone applying for a Chemical Scientist job with the occupation code 21199 needed a minimum salary of £35,800 (this is correct as of 16.10.2023).

Application Process for Intra-Company Transfer Visas

The process for getting an Intra-Company Transfer visa has two main steps. First, the UK employer must apply for a sponsor licence if they do not already have one. After that, they need to give the employee a valid Certificate of Sponsorship. Once this is done, the employee can apply for their visa.

It’s important for the UK employer to start the sponsor licence application early. This way, the employee will have the right permissions to work in the UK when they start their job.

Step-by-Step Guide to Applying

While the ICT application process is now closed to new applicants, here were the typical steps when it was open:

1. Step 1: The UK employer had to have a valid sponsor licence from the Home Office. If they didn’t have one, they needed to apply for a licence on the UK Government’s website.
2. Step 2: After getting the licence, the employer could give a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) to the employee they wanted to bring to the UK using the online Sponsorship Management System (SMS).
3. Step 3: The employee could then make their visa application online at the UK Government’s website. They needed to pay the relevant fees and the Immigration Health Surcharge.
4. Step 4: Finally, the applicant needed to book an appointment to provide their biometric information at a visa application centre and submit all necessary supporting documents.

Necessary Documents for the Application

When applying for an ICT visa, the employee usually needs to provide several important documents:

1. A valid passport that has at least one blank page
2. Proof that they meet the English language requirement
3. A valid Certificate of Sponsorship reference number
4. Evidence of employment with the overseas branch, like payslips
5. Bank statements to show they meet the financial requirement and have enough money to support themselves for their first month in the UK
6. A criminal record certificate, if needed
7. Tuberculosis test results, if required

After the UK Home Office receives the application and all supporting documents, they will start processing the application. This can take up to three weeks, depending on the specific situation.

Visa Conditions and Requirements

ICT visa holders had to follow certain rules from the UK Home Office. These rules helped protect the immigration system and the UK job market. They were meant to allow skilled workers to come to the UK temporarily.

It’s crucial to remember that breaking these rules could lead to losing their visa and being sent out of the UK.

Salary Thresholds and Employment Terms

For the standard ICT visa, applicants need to earn at least £41,500 a year or the “going rate” for their job, whichever is more. The going rate can change a lot based on the specific job. This rate is set by the government and shows what people usually get paid in that profession.

For the ICT graduate scheme, the minimum salary required is lower. It is set at £23,700 a year or 70% of the going rate for their role, again whichever is higher. Certain allowances can count towards the salary, but only if they are guaranteed for the whole time the visa lasts, like London weighting. However, any bonuses or extra pay that depends on performance cannot be included.

Restrictions and Rights of Visa Holders

ICT visa holders could stay in the UK for a maximum of 5 years within any 6 year period if they earned less than £73,900 a year. If they earned £73,900 or more, they could stay for 9 years within any 10 year period. This total time includes any previous stay in the UK on an ICT visa or the older Tier 2 (Intra-Company Transfer) visa. Time spent as an ICT graduate trainee also counts in this period.

Visa holders could work only for their sponsoring employer in the job they were sponsored for. They could apply to extend their visa if they met the eligibility criteria. However, since this is a temporary visa, it does not provide a clear path to indefinite leave to remain in the UK.

Extending Your Intra-Company Transfer Visa

You can extend an ICT visa if you meet the requirements. You also need to prove that your sponsoring employer still needs your services in the UK. However, since this visa is meant for short-term work, an extension is only possible up to the maximum total stay for the ICT route.

Before you apply for the extension, check if you still qualify under the rules. Also, make sure that your sponsoring employer can still support your visa.

Eligibility for Extension

To get an extension for an Intra-Company Transfer visa, applicants must keep meeting these conditions:

1. Work for the same company as when they got their first ICT visa
2. Stay in the same job they were hired for with that initial visa
3. Hold a confirmed job offer and a Certificate of Sponsorship from their employer
4. Continue to meet the minimum salary requirements for their job
5. Not have reached their maximum stay

If applicants meet all these rules, they can apply for an extension within the UK. They can do this using the standard online application process that has been used for the previous ICT visa.

The Extension Application Process

If an applicant was eligible, the extension application process mirrored the process for the initial ICT visa, including submitting an online application form, paying the applicable Home Office fees (which included the Immigration Health Surcharge) and attending an appointment to enroll biometric information. Applicants also needed to submit several documents alongside their online application to support their request.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is important to understand Intra-Company Transfer Visas for both businesses and employees. This visa helps people move around the world for work and encourages teamwork across countries. By following the eligibility rules, application steps, and visa requirements, businesses gain skilled workers. Employees get to find new job chances. If you need to extend the visa, you must meet certain requirements to keep work going smoothly. Knowing these details will help you deal with the visa rules better. For more information or help with Intra-Company Transfer Visas, check our full guide or talk to our experts.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the maximum duration of stay on an Intra-Company Transfer Visa?

The longest you can stay on an ICT visa is 5 years within a 6-year period. If you earn an annual salary of £73,900 or more, you can stay for up to 9 years within a 10-year period. This total stay includes any previous time spent in the UK on an ICT visa or as a graduate trainee.

Can family members accompany Intra-Company Transfer Visa holders?

Eligible family members can come with the main ICT visa applicant to the UK. This includes a spouse, civil partner, unmarried partner, and dependent children under 18. These family members need to apply for a dependant visa.

How does the Intra-Company Transfer Visa differ from other work visas?

The ICT visa is different from other work visas like the Skilled Worker visa. This visa is made for moving employees within the same company. It lets big international companies temporarily send their workers to the UK for a certain job. Also, there is no Immigration Skills Charge to pay.