Representative of an Overseas Business

Previously, the Representative of an Overseas Business category provided a route of entry and stay in the UK for:

  1. a senior employee of an overseas business (which does not have an active presence in the UK) who is being assigned to the UK in order to establish the company’s first branch or subsidiary, or

  2. media employees of overseas newspapers, news agencies or broadcasting organisations who are being posted by their overseas employer on a long-term UK posting

Further to Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules HC 1118, the ‘sole representative’ provisions were closed to new entrants from 11 April 2022. The sole representative provisions under Representative of an Overseas Business now remain only for those wishing to extend their stay or apply for settlement under this route. The sponsored Global Business Mobility—UK Expansion Worker route was introduced from the same date to cater for those who would previously have entered the UK as sole representatives—for further details, see Practice Note: Sponsoring a UK Expansion Worker. The media representative provisions remain unchanged and continue to apply to initial applications as well as extension

To view the latest version of this document and thousands of others like it, sign-in with LexisNexis or register for a free trial.

Powered by Lexis+®
Latest Immigration News

Statement of changes in Immigration Rules, HC 997—analysis

Immigration analysis: the Lexis+® UK Immigration team outlines the main changes set out in HC 997, published on 1 July 2025. The Statement primarily implements the first tranche of significant changes that had been announced in the 12 May 2025 Immigration White Paper ‘Restoring control over the immigration system’, notably raising the standard skill level for Skilled Worker to Regulated Qualification Framework (RQF) level 6 and closing off entry clearance applications from careworkers and senior careworkers, with a sunset for permitted in-country switches to 22 July 2028. The skill level change has been somewhat tempered by the retention (and slight expansion) of the Immigration Salary List until 31 December 2026 and the creation of a new interim Temporary Shortage List, which will be subject to review and will also be removed by that date. This will enable persons in certain RQF 3–5 occupations to still commence sponsorship as new applicants for a limited period, although they will not be able to bring dependants. However, even with these measures, there will be 111 roles which can no longer be sponsored. There has also been a raft of changes to salary levels in Skilled Worker and various other work routes, which are primarily increases, and are in line with the latest (2024) Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) data, published by the Office for National Statistics. In another change, which was not anticipated, the government has shut down for new applicants with immediate effect the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme.

View Immigration by content type :

Popular documents