Representative of an Overseas Business

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

•
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
•
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.

TAKE A FREE TRIAL

Latest Immigration News

Migration Observatory publishes updated statistics on EU migration post-Brexit

The Migration Observatory has published a statistical briefing analysing EU migration to and from the UK and the size and characteristics of the EU-born and EU-national population. It reports that net migration of EU citizens has been negative since 2022 and estimates that, between mid-2021 and mid-2025, around 162,000 more EU nationals left the UK than arrived, largely because of a sharp fall in immigration rather than widespread departure among those already resident. Using 2021–22 Census data, it estimates around 4 million EU-born residents in the UK, representing 6% of the population and 37% of the foreign-born, and around 5.3 million EU passport holders including dual nationals, noting that reliable post-2021 population estimates by nationality are not available. It attributes the sustained decline in EU immigration primarily to changes following the 2016 referendum and the end of free movement in December 2020, alongside factors such as uncertainty about the UK’s political and economic environment, while situating these trends within a broader rise and subsequent fall in overall UK net migration after 2021.

New aspects of UK talent offer announced

A written Parliamentary statement by Minister for Small Business and Economic Transformation, Blair McDougall, has been published, which sets out the next stage of delivering the Industrial Strategy, noting a series of measures designed to strengthen the UK’s offer to international talent. The statement explains that the government intends to double resources for the Global Talent Taskforce, which includes introducing specialist private sector head‑hunting input and expanding its concierge support with an initial emphasis on international AI talent. It also outlines plans to reimburse visa fees in a limited and targeted mannerfor skills aligned with deep tech, innovation and research and development, including AI, Quantum and Semi‑conductors. These measures aim to widen access to the Global Talent visa for those with relevant academic or research roles and those in industry, and to introduce a referral route to fast‑track sponsorship licences for high‑growth and high‑potential firms. Further steps include providing government‑funded scholarships for International Mathematical Olympiad gold medallists and creating a new talent pathway on business.gov.uk to offer a single, clear point of entry for global talent considering relocation to the UK. In addition, the HM Treasury has also announced plans to introduce fast-track processing for select international companies expanding their UK footprint.

ILPA publishes briefing on interviewing unaccompanied asylum-seeking children

The Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association (ILPA) has published a briefing by the Centre for the Study of Emotion and Law (CSEL) at Royal Holloway, University of London, which outlines key considerations for interviewing unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, highlighting how development, memory, trauma, culture and early separation affect a child’s ability to recall and explain their experiences. The briefing emphasises adapting communication expectations, using open questioning and creating child‑friendly, rapport‑based interview environments to support accurate, detailed narratives.

HMIP reports on short-term holding facilities at immigration reporting centres

HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) has published a report following an unannounced inspection of short-term holding facilities at immigration reporting centres across the UK. The inspection covered ten short-term holding facilities used to hold individuals briefly after arrest or reporting before their transfer to an immigration removal centre or release.