Lebanon is considered one of the best places to trade and start a business in. The UK has a great bilateral relationship with Lebanon. The UK government has always been supportive of UK businesses interested in investing in UK businesses. This is why there are several UK businesses with overseas branches in Lebanon. If you are a business legally operating in the UK and have a branch in Lebanon, chances are you may want to transfer a talented worker from Lebanon to your organisation’s UK office. Your employee will need a “worker” visa called a Senior or Specialist Worker visa (Global Business Mobility) for this relocation. You are most probably familiar with its old name, i.e., the ICT (intra-company transfer) visa. This “worker” visa is the most essential document you need to bring your employee from Lebanon to your UK office.
Transferring skilled personnel from Lebanon to the United Kingdom
U.K. businesses can easily transfer skilled personnel for temporary roles from their overseas Lebanon office to their home country using the Global Business Mobility route. The organisation requires a class A sponsor licence to bring its skilled personnel from Lebanon to the organisation’s UK office. This is issued by the Home Office after ensuring that the organisation has fulfilled all the eligibility requirements stipulated by the government. A CoS is also required when an individual applies for a visa. The Sponsor Management System is responsible for generating this certificate.
Typically, companies can transfer their skilled staff using two Global Business Mobility routes:
Senior or Specialist Worker Visa
This visa is, as the name indicates, for specialist employees and senior managers who desire to work in your organisation’s UK office temporarily. It is important to note that the individual will be allowed to stay in the UK only during the tenure of their visa. They will not be allowed to permanently settle in the country with this visa. The workers can also be accompanied or joined by their partner and any dependent children.
Visa requirements
There are certain necessary requirements that must be met before a skilled worker from your Lebanon office becomes eligible for the visa. These include:
- They should be aged 18 years or above
- The individual should be currently working in your organisation’s Lebanon office. For all personnel drawing an annual remuneration lower than £73,900, they should have a total work experience of 12 months in your Lebanon branch. But if you are attempting the transfer of a worker employed in a high-paying position (£73,900 or higher), then such an experience is not mandatory. Similarly, you can also transfer a worker employed in any joint ventures you may have with other organisations in Lebanon.
- The position your company has offered the employee is genuine.
- The position your company has offered the employee requires an RQF skill level of 6 or higher.
- The annual compensation offered for the employment is higher than or equal to both the “going rate” and £42,400.
- The individual should be in no way prohibited from being employed in or entering the UK.
- They have a legitimate CoS provided by your organisation.
Financial side
There is an application fee of £625 per person that should be remitted when a worker applies for the visa. This covers visa applications for up to three years. The application fee for submissions longer than 3 years is £1,235 for every person. Similarly, your organisation should bear all the Immigration Skill Charges that will be levied during the visa application procedure. There is also a healthcare surcharge of £624 that the employee should pay every year.
The financial situation of the worker also plays an essential role in the approval of the visa. The UKVI (UK Visas and Immigration) department should be convinced that the individual will be able to support themselves in the UK. When they arrive in the country, they should have in their bank account a minimum of £1,270 as evidence that they can support themselves. The money should be accessible to them for a minimum of 28 days consecutively.
Graduate Trainee Visa
This visa is ideal for those employees in your organisation’s Lebanon office who need to be trained in some specialised operation in your business’s UK office. Typically, this transfer is given to fresh graduates who are being trained to become specialist workers or higher-level managers in the future. Same as in the case of the Senior or Specialist Worker Visa, this visa too does not allow the individual to settle in the country permanently. The workers can also be accompanied or joined by their partner and any dependent children.
Visa requirements
There are certain necessary requirements that must be met before a skilled worker from your Lebanon office becomes eligible for the Graduate Trainee visa. These include:
- They should be aged 18 years or above.
- The individual should be currently working in your organisation’s Lebanon office or in a business you have control over. They should have a total work experience of at least three months in your Lebanon branch. You can also transfer a worker employed in any joint ventures you may have with other organisations in Lebanon.
- The position your company has offered the employee is genuine.
- The position your company has offered the employee requires an RQF skill level of 6 or higher.
- The annual compensation offered for the employment is greater than or equal to 70% of the “going rate” and £23,100, whichever is greater.
In this case too, the UKVI (UK Visas and Immigration) department should be convinced that the individual will be able to support themselves in the UK.
Talented and skilled employees are needed for the overall growth and development of a business. With branches in different parts of the world, you will be able to tap into a wealth of talents. With the Senior or Specialist Worker visa (Global Business Mobility), you will be able to bring in cherry-picked talents to your organisation’s base in the UK. It will enable you to use their skills to develop the business in your home country.
