Highly likely as a growing business established outside the UK, you would want to create a global presence and take your business to newer heights.
Amongst other countries in the world, the UK has been the most lucrative market and is amongst one of the top countries allowing ease of doing business.
For such overseas businesses, the UK Home Office has designed a sole representative visa. This visa will enable overseas businesses to send one representative of the main branch overseas, namely, a sole representative to test the UK market by establishing a branch of the overseas business or a wholly owned subsidiary of the overseas business.
Now, the important question is how does this sole representative visa help?
A sole representative visa helps you in sending a representative to the UK to set up a branch or subsidiary without having to worry about the investment.
The set up branch may be small, medium or large dependent on the parent organisation overseas but it must primarily undertake the same business activities as the overseas company.
The representative coming to the UK as a key person of the parent company must be a senior member of the organisation, and must not hold majority shares in the parent organisation.
Permitted and non-permitted activities on a sole representative visa
There are some limitations and permissions for business activities on a sole rep visa:
Permitted activities are:
- Testing the UK market to set up a branch or subsidiary
- Developing a legal existence of the company
- Opening a bank account
- Identifying and establishing the branch or business premises.
- Once your business branch is set up in the UK, then you can apply for a sponsor licence and begin hiring overseas skilled workers for your business.
- You can also allow other workers from your parent company to join your business for a specific period of time on an Intra-company Transfer visa.
Non-permitted activities are:
- You cannot work for another company
- Gain public funds for yourself
- Starting a business of your own
- Switching to another visa while on a sole representative visa
- Engaging in business activity which is apart from the business activity being done by the parent company.
Conditions if you are a stakeholder
As permitted by the Home Office the Sole representative is allowed to be a shareholder in the company overseas, but there are conditions to it
- You cannot be a major stakeholder in the business firm overseas
- You cannot control the voting rights in your parent company by more than 50%.
- You cannot be a self-employer business owner
- You cannot be in a partnership with other person for your parent organisation
- Under some circumstances you are permitted, but for that you must speak with a legal immigration expert. A Y & J Solicitors(UK) have a proven track record of bespoke services in visa and immigration.
Application and fees
You need to make an online application with 4 sets of documents and pay the required fees.
The fee of a sole representative visa application is £610 per person plus immigration health surcharge fees of £624 annually per person. And if you are taking any dependent child who is below 18 years of age then you need to pay £470 per year.
You will also be required to pay £19.20 for biometrics.
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