The United Kingdom has become a hub for global business enthusiasts to establish their own businesses in the queen’s land. Considering the global demands, the UK visa and immigration offer tremendous opportunities along with ultimate UK visas for business trips. Today, in this specific piece of knowledge, you will get to know about some of the essential visa options, their requirements, visa fees and how much time it can take to process. All this information is essential to know if you really want to explore the UK business market to establish your own venture. So what are we waiting for? If you are also going on a business trip to the UK, you must read out the entire piece of information. In this blog, you will also get to know about the self-sponsorship visa UK.
An Overview Of UK Visa For Business Trip
Before we go further and get to know about the essential factors of the business visa route, it is vital to know what exactly it is.
First of all, it is essential to know that whenever you decide to set up your business in the United Kingdom, it is important to know that you have to apply for a certain UK visa for a business trip.
There are several visa options which we are going to mention in our next section, such as the innovator founder visa, the UK self-sponsorship visa, the global talent visa, etc.
Innovator Founder Visa
This visa route is basically curated for business professionals with innovative business ideas. It means your business should be unique, viable and have the potential to thrive in the UK business market. The UK government has mandated the fact that innovator founder visa applicants cannot opt for already existing businesses in the UK; it is compulsory to have a unique business idea. Along with this essential factor, it is also crucial that you must fulfil other eligibility requirements to obtain this visa route.
Requirements, Fees & Processing Time of Innovator Founder Visa
- To obtain this option, it is essential that your business idea is endorsed or sponsored by someone. It means that you must have an endorsing body or a UK-based sponsor.
- Your business should be entirely different from all the existing businesses in the UK market.
- Your business should be scalable and viable as well to meet the UK business’s competitive edge.
- To obtain this visa, all the applicants must have appropriate knowledge of the English language. You must know how to speak, read and write this language. To prove your proficiency in English, it is crucial that you have a certificate in the English language.
Fees
If you are applying for this visa route from outside the UK, you have to pay £1,191 as a visa application fee. You may need to pay more in case you want to extend the validity of this visa option.
Processing Time
If everything goes well with your visa application, you may obtain this visa within three to eight weeks.
Self-sponsorship visa UK
This visa route is specifically created for every type of business owner. Basically, it is a combination of a sponsor licence and a skilled worker visa. The best and most effective benefit of this visa route is that it does not ask for any kind of sponsorship. You can absolutely sponsor yourself on behalf of your business, which means there won’t be any interference from a third party. You can solely operate your business as per your own requirements.
Requirements of self-sponsorship visa UK
- There is no financial requirement for this visa option. You can invest as much as you require for your business.
- To obtain this route, it is essential to first register your business in the UK as a partnership, sole trader or limited private company.
- You must have a sponsor licence and a skilled worker visa to obtain this route in the first place.
- All applicants must be beyond 18+ and should have a valid passport.
- You must have proficiency in speaking, reading and writing the English language.
Fees
To obtain this visa route, it is essential to pay the visa application fee of a skilled worker and sponsor licence.
Processing Time
If you are successfully able to apply for self-sponsorship visa UK without discrepancies, you may obtain this route within 8 weeks. However, if you fail to obtain it in the first place, it is advisable to seek help from immigration solicitors. There are immigration service providers in the UK, such as A Y & J. Their team of experienced and knowledgeable solicitors can make it easier for you to obtain this route in the first place. If you successfully obtain this route, you may become eligible to apply for an indefinite leave to remain within three years, and after completing five years on this visa route, you can even apply for British citizenship.
Global Talent Visa
If you own a big enterprise or business, you can choose a Global Talent visa to enter the UK business front. This business visa is designed for high-net-worth individuals to set up their business in the United Kingdom. This visa allows individuals to live and work in the UK for five years, and after that you can apply for citizenship. It has been said that this route is curated specifically for those who want to settle down in this country and run their own business while adding value to the government funds. If we talk about the requirements, you must own a business which is already famous in any sector. You must have a hefty amount to invest in the huge UK business market, and last but not least, you must have a vision to get settled in the United Kingdom.
The UK Business Visitor Visa falls under the Standard Visitor Visa category and is designed for individuals travelling to the UK for short-term business-related activities.
Permitted Activities
With a UK visa for a business trip, you can:
- Attend meetings, conferences, and training sessions.
- Negotiate and sign business deals.
