Vialto Partners
3 Experts
3 Contributions by Vialto Partners Experts
PRACTICE NOTES
Senior or Specialist Worker and Graduate Trainee
Senior or Specialist Worker and Graduate Trainee are Global Business Mobility categories that, from 11 April 2022, supplanted, respectively, the Intra-Company Transfer and Intra-Company Graduate Trainee routes. Through the Senior or Specialist Worker path, companies with linked overseas affiliates may post established personnel to their UK branch in a skilled position. For the purposes of sponsorship fees, it is treated as a Worker route. Individuals who are partners in business vehicles such as limited liability partnerships (LLPs) are regarded as employees in this context for these specific purposes. This route is prescribed in the Immigration Rules, Appendix Global Business Mobility-Senior or Specialist Worker. Mentions of Senior or Specialist Worker also cover people granted leave under the former Intra-company and Tier 2 (Intra-Company Transfer)/Long-term staff provisions routes. The Graduate Trainee path applies to graduate hires sent to the UK to take up a
Immigration
PRACTICE NOTES
Forthcoming developments:
In December 2025, the Migration Advisory Committee released its review of salary requirements for work visas, advising that the general and occupation‑specific salary thresholds in the Senior or Specialist route should be pegged to the median earnings of eligible occupations. For the Graduate Trainee route, the Committee proposes a single salary threshold of £33,400, aligned with the Skilled Worker new entrant rate, and calls for the removal of occupation‑specific rates. See: LNB News 17/12/2025 33.
Senior or Specialist Worker and Graduate Trainee are Global Business Mobility routes that, from 11 April 2022, replaced the Intra‑Company Transfer and Intra‑Company Graduate Trainee routes respectively. The Senior or Specialist Worker route permits organisations with overseas linked entities to move established employees to their UK offices to perform skilled roles. For sponsorship fee purposes, it is treated as a Worker route, and partners in business
Immigration
Q&As
Immigration Rules, Appendix ECAA: Extension Of Stay
Pursuant to the current Immigration Rules (Immigration Rules, Appendix ECAA: Extension Of Stay) and the applicable guidance (Turkish ECAA guidance: Appendix ECAA extension of stay), holders of the Turkish Worker visa who have been lawfully employed in the UK for at least four years may, from that point, take up any role with any employer. This Appendix took effect at 11pm GMT on 31 December 2020, to encompass those who previously enjoyed rights under Decision 1/80 of the Association Council connected to the ECAA Association Agreement (concluded on 12 September 1963 in Ankara, and later supplemented on 23 November 1970 by the Brussels Protocol). See: Turkey-EEC Association Agreement: Macdonald’s Immigration Law and Practice [6.193]. Immigration Rules Appendix ECAA: Extension Of Stay, paragraphs ECAA 3.1–ECAA 3.2 set out, amongst other matters, that: ECAA 3.1...
Immigration
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