If an individual works for a United Kingdom company in its overseas branch, he can apply for a Tier 2 Intra Company Transfer Visa (ICT) to transfer to the UK in order to undertake work on a specific project. The employer must be able to demonstrate that the salary for the role is appropriate and that a new recruit who is a UK resident cannot fill the position the applicant is being sent for.
Types of Intra Company Transfer visa
The intra company transfer visa can be categorized into the following 4 types:
- Long- term Staff: Transfers of more than 12 months into a role that can't be filled by a new UK recruit, are done with this kind of visa. The applicant needs to have served his employer overseas for a minimum of 12 months.
- Short- term Staff: Transfers of up to 12 months or less for an irreplaceable employee who has worked for his employer overseas for a minimum of 12 months, are done with this kind of visa.
- Graduate Trainee: This visa is for transfers into graduate trainee programmers for specialist roles. The applicant must be a recent graduate with a work experience of at least 3 months with his employer overseas.
- Skills Transfer: Transfers that allow people to gain certain skills and knowledge important for their role overseas, or pass on their skills and knowledge to UK colleagues are done with this visa. The applicant does not need to have been with his employer overseas for a set time period.
To apply under any of the ICT subcategories an individual must satisfy the point’s assessment by achieving a minimum total of 60 points for the following criteria:
- Certificate of Sponsorship- 30 points
- Appropriate salary- 20 points
- Maintenance- 10 points
For achieving maintenance requirements the applicant need to show evidence of available funds of £800, that has been in his account for at least 3 months before applying. This evidence of saving will not be needed if his potential employer is an 'A-rated' sponsor and can provide him with a letter that will cover him for meeting the maintenance requirements.
One can apply for this visa up to 3 months before the day he is due to start work in the UK. This date is listed on his certificate of sponsorship. A decision on the visa is given in approximately 3 weeks. An individual can stay in the UK with this visa for the time given on the certificate of sponsorship plus one month, or up to a maximum stay allowed for your visa type, whichever is shorter. The maximum stay for each type of intra-company transfer visa is:
- Long-term Staff (if annual earning is more than £155,300): 9 years
- Long-term Staff (if annual earning is less than £155,300): 5 years,1 month
- Graduate Trainee: 12 months
- Short-term Staff: 12 months
- Skill Transfer: 6 months
Do's and Don’ts
An individual can:
- Work for his sponsor.
- Do voluntary work.
- Study as long as it does not hinder the job he has been sponsored for.
- Travel abroad and return to the UK.
- Bring his dependents along to stay in the UK for the duration of his stay.
An individual can't:
- Get public funds
- Start working before he gets a visa.
