Sole Representative Visa
The sole representative of an overseas business visa provides an attractive option to foreign investors and business people looking to expand their international activity into the UK. The requirements for applicants are different to some extent comparing to other visa categories. The applicants of sole representative visa can apply for settlement (after 5 years staying in the UK) if their overseas parent company plans to set up a UK branch or office.
Advantages:
• No fixed amount of investment required
• No educational background or studying-abroad experiences required
• No scheduling time
• No interview required
• No requirement for the employees
• Only basic competence of English language required
• Eligible to come with the family members (spouse and/or dependent children)
• Eligible to apply for employer sponsorship licenses
• Eligible to hire overseas (Non-EU) staffs
• Eligible to apply for UK settlement after five years
Key Requirements of applying the Sole Representative Visa
Applicants should:
• pass an IELTS for Life Skills with level A1 in only speaking and listening
• be employed and are a senior employee in your overseas parent company
• be assigned to set up a first UK branch or office
• not own a majority shareholder in your overseas company (even 50% shareholding is acceptable)
• make sure that your overseas company have no branch or office before in the UK
• provide bank statements, tax statements, or payroll for the last six months
Key requirements for Applying Leave to Remain
Applicants should provide:
• evidence that the overseas company maintains its operations outside the UK
• evidence that the UK branch or office has set up and operated
• evidence that you are a full-time employer of your overseas parent company in five years
• relevant evidence of the business activities of your parent company
The process of visa application:
Basic Cost:
For reference only. Fees below are charged by third-parties only, fees vary depending on the applicant’s home country. 7Plan Business fee is not included.
Why Choose Us?
• Thoroughly evaluate your background in accordance with visa standards
• Answer all immigration-related questions
• Develop a bespoke immigration plan for you
• Guide you through the preparation for endorsement and visa applications
• Provide you with a professional covering letter – written by a qualified solicitor to UKVI- to ensure all eligibility requirements are met
• Match you with innovative entrepreneur(s) relevant to your background
• Assist you in communicating and negotiating the agreement with the entrepreneurs / founders matched
• Provide a comprehensive entrepreneurship training course to prepare you for the endorsement application
We endeavour to help you start a new chapter in the UK smoothly. From airport pick-up to GP registration, we are at your service. To help you secure your settlement status after three years, we will plan ahead for you upon your first arrival in the UK: our post-visa care service is designed to ensure that your personal and business development is on the right track, in order to meet the requirements for the UK settlement or naturalisation.
Q&A
Sole representative visas are initially granted for a period of 3 years and can be extended by a further 2 years on application.
Looking further ahead, the sole representative may qualify to settle in the UK permanently after 5 continuous years in the UK.
To be eligible for an extension, the company would need to show it satisfies certain criteria.
The company headquarters and principal place of business has to remain outside the UK.
The sole representative will need to show they:
- are employed full time as a representative of the overseas entity and is still required for the employment in question;
- have established and are in charge of the overseas entity’s UK branch or wholly-owned subsidiary;
- have generated business, principally with businesses in the UK; and
- can maintain and accommodate and any dependants adequately without recourse to public funds.
Q2: What activities are not permitted under the Sole Representative visa?
The visa holder is prohibited from
- working for another company
- working for themselves
- claiming benefits or public funds
- switching to this visa eg: if you are in the UK on the basis of a business visitor visa
- remaining in the UK if the sole representative arrangement with the employer ends
Q3: What is required of the overseas company?
The overseas company also has to meet a number of requirements. These include:
- Being headquartered and having main place of business outside the UK
- Having no other active branch, subsidiary or representative in the UK
- Intending to establish a commercial presence by operating a registered branch or wholly-owned subsidiary of that overseas business in the UK and that branch or subsidiary will operate in the same type of business activity as the overseas business
Q4: What happens once the UK operation has been established?
You have one month from the opening of our UK operation to register the entity with Companies House.
Once the branch or subsidiary has been set up, or other representatives are required in the UK, employees must apply under the UK points-based system. This requires the UK operation to apply for a sponsorship licence.
It is possible to admit a sole representative after a branch is established in the UK, as long as that branch exists only as a legal entity, has set up a bank account, and has identified and set up premises, and provided no staff are employed and the branch has not yet transacted any business.
Q5: Can a company send 2 or more people to UK under same visa?
Companies are not permitted to apply for two individuals to act as sole representatives. One may be admitted, and then later apply as a sponsor to allow the other employee to apply under Tier 2 of the points-based system.
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