Overseas newspaper, news agency or broadcasting organisation visa

The Sole Representative of an Overseas Business visa category has a sub-category for employees of an overseas newspaper, news agency or broadcasting organisation being posted in the UK for a long-term assignment as a representative. Requirements for Entry Clearance...

Sole Representative Visa: An Alternative to the Innovator Visa

On 29 March 2019 new rules were introduced for those who want to run a business in the UK, bringing into force Appendix W which includes the Innovator visa and Start-up visa categories. These routes initially seemed like an improvement on the now-closed Entrepreneur...

Sole Representative Visa: The Centre of Operations Test

For a parent company to satisfy the requirements of the representative of an overseas business visa category it must be a genuine commercial enterprise with its principal place of business outside the UK.  Importantly, it must also intend to keeps its main centre...

Can Sole Representatives Be Shareholders?

The Immigration Rules require that an applicant for a sole representative visa is not “a majority shareholder in the overseas business”. What is a majority shareholder? The Home Office guidance states that they will refuse applications where an applicant’s...

What is work? Complying with your visa conditions

Under the Immigration Rules, many people have restrictions on their right to work in the UK. This article will look at some of the main definitions of work used in the Immigration rules in the main work and study based categories and discuss how this will...

How to extend your sole representative of an overseas business visa

If you are reading this, and you are a sole representative looking to extend, you will likely already have met the first criteria by entering the UK with valid UK entry clearance as a sole representative of an overseas business. Your next question should be, “How...

What can I do (and not do) as a sole representative?

The Sole Representative of an Overseas Business Visa is a category which is intended to be used by senior employees of companies which are based abroad and are seeking to establish a branch or subsidiary in the UK. As with all categories of the immigration rules,...

Is your business eligible to establish a UK branch or subsidiary?

The sole representative of an overseas business visa is an excellent route for some companies to set-up a new presence in the UK, and offers an alternative to applying for a Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) visa in some circumstances. However, not all businesses are able...

Choosing a sole representative of overseas business visa candidate

Choosing a sole representative of your overseas business is important.  The applicant must have the relevant skills, experience and status to represent your business in the UK on your behalf. Work for the company and decision-making power The sole representative...

Terms of employment as a sole representative

In this article we examine the working arrangements of sole representatives, looking at the terms and conditions of employment that the Home Office will expect a sole representative to have in order to qualify as a representative of an overseas business.   When...

Can a sole representative bring family members to the UK?

Yes, if you are applying for a sole representative of an overseas business visa, you can be joined or accompanied by your dependant family members.   What family members can a sole representative bring to the UK? A sole representative of an overseas business...

What is a sole representative of an overseas business visa?

If you are a senior employee of an overseas business and would like to come to the UK to set up and run a UK branch or wholly-owned subsidiary of that business, you may be able to make an application for a sole representative of an overseas business visa. If your...