Free movement of human capital has politically been a contentious issue for many decades, but from start-up entrepreneurs to multinational companies all swear by the importance of putting the right talent at the right place, immigration debates notwithstanding.
In fact, moving skilled employees globally has become a standard practice of many companies these days, both for strategic purposes and to address the skills gap in local markets. To do so seamlessly, companies must comply with immigration laws and business regulations of the host country. The importance of global mobility training, especially for the HR and legal departments of a company, cannot, therefore, be stressed enough.
UK Global Business Mobility Visas: What Are My Options?
As of 2025, the UK offers five different global business mobility (GBM) visas:
- Senior or Specialist Worker visa to assign your overseas senior managers or specialist workers to your company’s UK business for undertaking temporary work assignments
- Graduate Trainee visa, which allows your overseas graduate trainee to gain considerable working experience in the UK, so as to prepare them for a senior management or specialist position in future
- Secondment Worker visa to allow foreign workers take up eligible temporary job assignments in a different, UK-based organisation that is in a significant business relationship with their overseas employer
- Service Supplier visa to allow a skilled migrant (either employed by an overseas service provider or a self-employed independent professional) come to the UK to provide services covered by any of the UK’s international trade agreements
- UK Expansion Worker visa for your overseas senior managers or specialist employees, who will set up your UK business and/or help expand your business footprint here
To know which one of the above options works best given your company’s and your overseas employee’s circumstances, due diligence and an informed decision-making process are of utmost importance. A comprehensive immigration case law training course can make all the difference in the world, by not only facilitating the process but also safeguarding your company’s interests in this era of tightening immigration controls all over the world.
Importance of Immigration Case Law Training for HR Departments
To strategise and manage the company’s global mobility programmes effectively, HR professionals must have a thorough understanding of various relevant topics, including (but not limited to) the immigration and visa requirements, tax implications, issues relating to social security, local employment law, compensation issues, etc.
As more of a rule than an exception, the Home Office goes with the proverbial fine-toothed comb over each GBM visa application these days, to prevent immigration system abuses and illegal employment in the UK. In such a scenario, compliance is utmost when it comes to running a successful global mobility programme as one misstep may considerably impact not only the present case but also your future jobs or visa applications.
In view of increasingly greater immigration law enforcement and harsher penalties, an effective UK immigration law training course must be in place for your HR professionals to address all of the legal, tax and administrative issues involved. To ensure that your company continues leveraging the benefits offered by the GBM visa routes, you must enrol your concerned HR staff into a reputable and distinguished immigration case law training course without unnecessary delay.
Staying Compliant With Immigration Case Law Changes 2025
The UK government has made some major changes to the GBM route in July 2025. From 22 July onwards, the minimum annual salary has increased for three of the GBM visas. For the Senior or Specialist Worker and the UK Expansion Worker visas, the threshold has increased to £52,500 from £48,500 previously. For the Graduate Trainee visa, it has risen to £27,300 from £25,410.
Plus, the revised Appendix Skilled Occupations list mandates that from now on, jobs only at RQF Level 6 or above will be eligible for the purpose of issuing a GBM visa. For the 17 occupation codes that have now been downgraded from their erstwhile RQF level 6, foreign employees working in jobs under these codes can continue working (only until 4 April 2030) if they obtained their GBM visas before 4 April 2024.
On the other hand, the Home Office will now allow an overseas company to sponsor up to 10 workers, compared to five workers previously, under the UK Expansion Worker route. This is to facilitate the UK government’s stand on supporting business growth in the country as outlined in the white paper policy document titled ‘Restoring Control over the Immigration System’ (published on 12 May 2025).
An effective HR immigration compliance training 2025 course must feature the above changes made to the UK GBM visa routes, to ensure you are following the industry best practices when it comes to the global mobility training for immigration professionals working in both your legal and HR departments.
Immigration Compliance Training to Avoid Legal Mistakes
To be eligible to bring your overseas employees to the UK via the GBM route, your company must hold a valid sponsor licence. To ensure that as an employer you are continuously complying with your sponsor licence duties, the Home Office has established many checkpoints, such as periodically running digital documentation checks on your company, gathering relevant data about your business from other government agencies, as well as conducting a compliance audit in-person at your company premises.
Any ‘red flags’ raised during the Home Office audit, such as any discrepancy in foreign staff recruitment practices, gaps in selection and training processes of your key personnel (mostly HR professionals), a ‘hostile’ working environment for your foreign employees, failure to comply with stipulated sponsorship responsibilities, even lack of timely communication with the Home Office regarding any relevant changes will lead to severe penalties, including cancellation or revocation of your licence.
Navigating Complex Immigration Law Through Training 2025
Business immigration laws are not for the ‘uninitiated’. The complexities involved in the process of moving your employees globally are further accentuated by the ever-changing immigration rules and regulations. Having said that, there is no such ‘hurdle’ that a thorough immigration case law training cannot overcome.
We at IAS offer comprehensive training that is designed keeping the diversified needs of you as the owner, your business employees managing or supervising foreign workers, and your legal and HR personnel in mind. Feel free to get in touch with one of our business immigration law specialists today.
