The UK domestic talent pool is often stretched, especially in highly specialised fields like technology. Advancements in artificial intelligence, machine learning, cybersecurity, and other specialised tech disciplines also intensify the need for skilled talent.
While hiring from abroad is an essential solution to the talent gap challenge, other factors, such as immigration compliance and managing relocation logistics, can complicate the hiring process.
However, certain skilled immigration routes, such as the Global Business Mobility Senior or Specialist Worker visa, have been designed to allow multinational tech companies to easily transfer foreign skilled employees to their UK entity. This mobility advantage eliminates the burden of leveraging external recruitment processes to fill key tech roles in the UK.
It is essential for Human Resources (HR) specialists in UK tech businesses to understand how this immigration route can reshape recruitment, fill critical skills gap, and strengthen their organisation’s capacity to compete in fast-moving markets.
Understanding the Senior or Specialist Worker Visa
The Senior or Specialist Worker visa is one of five visas under the UK’s Global Business Mobility route, designed to allow the temporary transfer of workers from an overseas branch to a UK entity.
Tech businesses with a multinational presence can transfer senior or highly skilled IT executives from their international offices to carry out projects in the UK. With this visa route, HR specialists do not need to hire fresh talent from within the UK. They can easily leverage existing internal expertise to maintain project continuity or respond quickly to specific skill demands.
Employees being transferred through this skilled immigration pathway must be paid at least £48,500 or the going rate for their role, whichever is higher. If they earn below £73,900, they must have worked for their employer for at least 12 months outside the UK; otherwise, no minimum time limit is required.
Key Considerations for HR Before Hiring Abroad in 2025
Before transferring international specialists to the UK via the Senior or Specialist Worker visa, HR professionals in tech businesses must assess several key factors to ensure immigration and labour law compliance and a smooth experience for both the company and the employee.
Here are the essential factors to consider before starting the process:
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Sponsorship Compliance
A foundational step to sponsoring foreign workers is to confirm the company’s sponsor licence status. If the UK entity does not hold a valid sponsor licence issued by the Home Office, they must obtain one.
The Home Office typically conducts compliance visits when a sponsor licence application is submitted to determine if an applying organisation meets the requirements. It is the HR team’s responsibility to manage the compliance process, including setting up structures to monitor sponsored workers and assigning key personnel to manage sponsorship.
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Salary and Role Suitability
HR must ensure that the role and salary offered align with the visa requirements. This involves ensuring that the job meets the required minimum salary threshold, which for the Senior Worker visa is £48,500 per annum, or the going rate for the role, whichever is higher.
They must verify that the role fits within permitted job codes for senior or specialist positions, typically aligning with RQF level 6 or above. Some tech job titles that are eligible includes, Chief Information officer, IT Director, and Technical director. These roles fall under occupation code 1137 of the Global Business Mobility: eligible occupations and codes.
Beyond the direct salary, HR must also ensure the applicant has sufficient funds to cater for themselves and any accompanying dependents upon arrival, or that the sponsor guarantees maintenance.
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Assignment Time Limits and Role Flexibility
Assignments under the Senior or Specialist Worker route are typically capped at 5 years in any 6-year period, or up to 9 years in a 10-year periodfor applicants earning £73,900 or more annually.
HR professionals must factor these maximum assignment periods into their workforce and project planning, especially for long-term tech initiatives.
The route does offer potential for role flexibility within the UK branch, allowing HR to move visa holders between projects or roles if the need arises, within the bounds of the original 5 or 10-year visa validity.
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Relocation and Family Considerations
For employees migrating across countries, the ability to bring dependants can impact the attractiveness of an assignment. Under the Senior or Specialist Worker visa, dependants such as partners and minor children can accompany the main applicant, provided they meet the eligibility criteria.
HR teams should be prepared to offer relocation support and guidance, covering schooling options for children, assistance with accommodation searches, community integration resources to ease the transition, and general welfare planning in the UK.
This support is essential for a smooth transition and positive experience for the entire family. It can also directly impact employee satisfaction and retention.
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Financial Implications
Beyond meeting the minimum salary threshold, HR professionals must budget for the associated visa and sponsorship costs of transferirng a worker through the Specialist Worker route.
The key expenses to budget for include:
- Visa Fees: Application fees range from £769 for a stay of up to 3 years to £1,519 for a stay of more than 3 years.
- Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS): The IHS cost £1,035 per year per applicant (main applicant and dependent) and must be paid upfront for the entire visa duration.
- Certificate of Sponsorship Fee: The cost of assigning a certificate of sponsorship to a senior or specialist worker is £525.
- Immigration Skills Charge: Large tech companies must pay a skills charge of £1,000 for the first year and £500 for each additional six months each time they sponsor a worker. Small tech companies must pay £364 for the first year and £182 for each additional six months per sponsored worker.
- Sponsor Licence Fee: Organisations applying for a sponsor licence must pay £574 if they are a small company or £1,579 for large companies.
Conclusion: Post-Hiring and Ongoing HR Management
HR departments are responsible for ensuring the company complies fully with sponsorship duties and that all processes remain aligned with UK immigration rules.
Their responsibilities post-hiring includes:
- Conducting regular right to work checks throughout the employee’s time in the UK. This becomes particularly essential as the visa nears expiry.
- Reporting changes concerning sponsored workers, a change of job title or duties if it impacts the job code or salary, early project completion, resignation, extended unapproved absence, or any other material changes to their employment or immigration status.
- Record-keeping for each sponsored employee, including copies of passports, visas, Certificates of Sponsorship, contracts, payslips, contact details, and any correspondence with the Home Office.
Failure to perform these duties could result in fines or loss of sponsor licence which will halt future international mobility plans. As such, proactive HR management is essential for any tech business looking to sustain its global talent pipeline.
