The UK Government has recently announced further details of 3 new visa routes which will come into effect in the coming months. These routes provide Scottish companies and inward investors with avenues to have overseas and international talent work for them in Scotland.

Global Business Mobility Route

The first to open is the new Global Business Mobility route which opened on 11 April 2022. This is a temporary visa route for overseas businesses seeking to establish a presence in the UK or to transfer staff to the UK. It has replaced the existing Intra Company Transfer route, the Representative of an Overseas Business route and will add additional visa options to come to the UK for a temporary period.

High Potential Route

The second new High Potential Visa route will open on 30 May 2022. This route will not require employers to sponsor the individual to come to Scotland to work (which helps businesses which do not have a sponsor licence). This may also mean that the High Potential Individual Visa route is likely to be a cheaper option for Scottish employers to employ international talent (as the immigration skills charge won’t be payable, which is a considerable cost saving). The High Potential visa will cost £715 for the visa and the immigration health surcharge will also be payable, however these may be covered by the visa applicant in any case.

Scale Up Route

The third new Scale-up route will open on 22 August 2022. This route is for individuals who have a job offer from a qualifying scale up business. The minimum salary is £33,000 or the going rate for the job. The employer will act as a sponsor but after 6 months, the individual can work in other businesses so this may lead to new international talent coming to the UK. Employers will need a sponsor licence in order to sponsor someone under the Scale-up route for that initial period (but any business can hire the person after the first 6 months).

Webinar recordings with further details are available here.