UK Lists 7 Visa Routes Subject to 5-Year Stay Rule for Foreign Workers

• The UK government has published official guidance naming seven visa routes subject to a five-year stay cap within any rolling six-year period
• Multiple Global Business Mobility visa categories are among those affected, alongside the Intra-company Transfer and Graduate Trainee visas
• Workers on the listed routes must also meet a three-month overseas employment requirement before submitting their applications

The UK government has published formal guidance identifying seven visa routes under which foreign workers are limited to a maximum five-year stay within any rolling six-year period.

The restriction applies regardless of whether the time spent in the country was accumulated through a single continuous stay or across several separate visa applications.

Crucially, time served under any of the seven listed routes counts collectively towards the cap, making the rule particularly significant for workers who transfer to the UK repeatedly or in rotation.

The seven visa routes affected

The routes named in the guidance are the Intra-company Graduate Trainee visa, the Intra-company Transfer visa, the Graduate Trainee visa under the Global Business Mobility scheme, the Secondment Worker visa, the Senior or Specialist Worker visa, the Service Supplier visa, and the UK Expansion Worker visa. The latter four all fall under the Global Business Mobility category.

Read also

UK outlines 6 conditions foreigners must satisfy for Health and Care Worker visa

These routes are predominantly used by multinational corporations moving employees to the UK on short to medium-term assignments.

The broad inclusion of Global Business Mobility categories indicates the restriction covers the full range of routes designed for international business transfers, not just individual visa types.

Pre-application employment requirement

In addition to the stay cap, the guidance sets out a work history condition that applicants must satisfy before applying. Workers must have been continuously employed by their sponsoring employer outside the United Kingdom for a minimum of three months immediately prior to the date of application.

The continuity requirement means any break in overseas employment within that three-month window could affect an applicant's eligibility.

This condition applies across all seven listed routes and must be met regardless of how long the applicant has previously worked for the same organisation.

The combined effect of the stay limit and the pre-application employment requirement adds a layer of complexity for large organisations that rely on these routes to rotate staff into the UK on an ongoing basis.

Read also

UK Graduate Trainee visa: 5 eligibility requirements Ghanaians and other foreigners must meet

Workers approaching the five-year threshold within a six-year window would need to remain outside the UK long enough to reset their eligibility before applying again under any of the named categories.

UK lists 6 foreign nationals eligible for visa

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that the UK had announced the eligibility conditions for the British National (Overseas) visa.

The BNO visa is open to individuals who are at least 18 years old.

Source: YEN.com.gh