Representative of an Overseas Business Visa

What is a Representative of an Overseas Business Visa in UK?

The Representative of an Overseas Business Visa, previously known as Sole Representative Visa, allows employees of overseas newspapers, news agencies or broadcasting organisations to come to the UK if they’ve been posted on a long-term assignment.

This is a visa route was launched by the UK government in the summer of 2022 and was formerly known as the ‘Representative of an Overseas Newspaper, News Agency or Broadcasting Organisation Visa’.

Sole representatives who wish to open a UK branch for their overseas company or business can no longer apply for sole representative visas. Instead, you must apply through the UK Expansion Worker visa under the Global Business Mobility category of visas.

However, workers with existing permission as sole representatives on UK Sole Representative visas can still extend their stay and settle in the UK through this route.

What Can I Do With a Representative of an Overseas Business Visa?

A Representative of an Overseas Business visa holder will be able to do the following:

• Work for your employer full-time in the UK
• Bring your family members (also known as dependants) with you to the UK
• Apply to extend your visa
• Apply to permanently settle in the UK after you’ve been here for 5 years through indefinite leave to remain
• Switch to this visa from inside the UK

You cannot:

• Work for yourself or any other business other than your employer
• Claim public funds

A Representative of an Overseas Business visa will initially allow you to stay in the UK for 3 years. After this time, you may apply to extend your visa for another 2 years. You must still comply with the visa’s conditions and eligibility criteria.

After you’ve been in the UK for 5 years, you may apply for permanent settlement through indefinite leave to remain.

Eligibility Criteria for Representative of an Overseas Business Visa

To apply for this visa, you must:

• Be an overseas newspaper, news agency or broadcasting organisation employee working on a mostly UK-based long-term assignment.
• Your employer must have its headquarters and principal place of business outside the UK.

You must also:

• Have enough money to support yourself without having to access public funds
• Meet the minimum English language requirement (if applicable)

Most applicants for this visa will be journalists. However, other employees may also apply, such as the following:

• Producers
• News cameramen
• Front-of-camera personnel

Secretaries and other administrative support staff will not qualify for this visa and must apply under an alternative work visa.

What is the Minimum English Language Requirement?

You may have to prove that you meet the minimum English language requirement when you apply for a Representative of an Overseas Business visa.

You may do this by either:

• Passing an approved English language test with at least CEFR level A1 in speaking and listening
• Having an academic qualification that was taught in English and is recognised by Ecctis as being equivalent to a UK bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or PhD

However, you will not have to prove your knowledge of English if you’re a national of one of the following countries:

How To Apply for UK Representative of an Overseas Business Visa?

You must apply for a Representative of an Overseas Business visa online through the Gov.uk website.

Here, you will fill in your personal details and details of your work and employment.

Note that the earliest you can apply for this visa is 3 months before your travel date.

As part of the application process, you must also attend a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) service point to give your biometric information, including your fingerprints and photograph.

You will also be asked to supply various supporting documents with your application. To do this, you may either:

• Upload them into the online service when you submit your application
• Have them scanned at your UKVCAS appointment

Note that you must not travel to the UK until you’ve received a decision on your application; otherwise, it may be withdrawn.

Documents Needed for Representative of an Overseas Business Visa Application

You will need to provide the following documents with your application:

• A current passport or other valid travel identification
  • You must ensure your passport has a blank page where the visa will be placed.
• Evidence that you can support yourself and any dependants during your stay in the UK, such as bank statements or payslips for the last 6 months
• Proof that you meet the English requirement
• Confirmation that you will be representing your employer in the UK in a long-term, full-time role
• Details of where you’ll be staying in the UK during your stay
• Your tuberculosis test results, if you’re from a country where you have to take the test

Note that this is not an exhaustive list. You may be asked to provide additional documents not listed here, depending on your circumstances.

You must provide a certified translation of any document not in English or Welsh.

Representative of an Overseas Business Visa Processing Time

You should normally get a decision on your visa within 3 weeks when applying from outside the UK.

If applying from inside the UK, you will normally get a decision within 8 weeks.

Note that your application may take longer if UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) need to contact you about your application, such as if:

• Your supporting documents need to be verified
• You need to attend an interview
• Your personal circumstances need to be discussed, such as if you have a criminal conviction

In certain circumstances, you may be eligible to pay to receive a faster decision on your visa application through UKVI’s priority processing service. However, note that this service may not be available in your country.

How Much Does a Representative of an Overseas Business Visa Cost?

The Representative of an Overseas Business visa cost is £819 when applying from outside of the UK.

If you’re applying from inside the UK, such as if you’re extending your visa or switching to this visa from another one, it will cost £943.

Note that the same costs also apply when you extend your existing visa.

You must also pay the immigration healthcare surcharge as part of your application, which is £1035 for every year you’ll be in the UK.

How Can I Extend a Representative of an Overseas Business Visa in UK?

If you’re a Representative of an Overseas Business visa holder and wish to extend your visa, you must apply online through the Gov.uk site.

If your partner and children are with you in the UK as your dependents, they may also apply with you to extend their visa.

To extend your visa, you must already be in the UK at either:

• A representative of an overseas business
• An employee of an overseas newspaper, news agency or broadcasting organisation

Additionally, both of the following must apply:

• You’re still working for the same employer as when you were issued your previous visa
• Your employer’s principal place of business is still outside the UK

If you’re a sole representative, you must still supervise the UK branch or subsidiary you established for the overseas business.

Your visa can be extended for another 2 years after the initial permission period is granted. If your previous Representative of an Overseas Business visa was issued before 1 October 2009, you may be able to get a 3-year extension.

What Documents Do I Need to Provide When Extending My Visa?

Sole Representatives

When extending your visa as a sole representative, you must provide the following:

• A full description of the UK business’s activities, including accounts, copies of invoices or letters from UK organisations you’ve worked with
• A Companies House certificate of registration as a UK establishment (for a branch) or a certificate of incorporation (for a subsidiary)
• Evidence that the overseas business wholly owns the UK business
• A letter from your employer confirming you’re continuing work in the same role
• Your salary details

Newspaper, News Agency or Broadcast Employees

When extending your visa as a newspaper, news agency or broadcast employee, you must provide the following:

• A letter from your employer confirming you’re continuing work in the same role
• Your salary details

How Can I Bring My Family Members With Me to the UK?

You can bring your family members (otherwise known as dependents) to the UK with a Representative of an Overseas Business visa.

Dependents include the following:

• Your husband, wife or partner
• Your child under 18

If you’re a sole representative, your husband, wife or partner cannot be in the UK as your dependent if they own or control most of the overseas business you will be representing.

Your family must apply for their visa online through the Gov.uk website.

They may also have to attend a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) service point to give their biometric information, including their fingerprints and photographs.

If your family members are already in the UK, they can also apply for or switch their visas to stay with you.

They can apply at the same time as you or anytime before their current visa expires.

Is Switching From A Different Visa To The Representative of an Overseas Business Visa Possible?

If you’re already in the UK on another visa, you can apply to switch to a Representative of an Overseas Business visa instead.

To do so, you must be an employee of an overseas media organisation working on a long-term assignment in the UK.

However, you cannot switch to this visa if you’re currently in the UK on one of the following:

• A visit visa
• A short-term student visa
• A Parent of a Child Student visa
• A seasonal worker visa
• A domestic worker in a private household visa
• Immigration bail
• Permission to stay outside the immigration rules, such as on compassionate grounds

If any of the above apply to you, you must first leave the UK and apply for a Representative of an Overseas Business visa from outside the UK.

Additionally, if you plan to switch to this visa from a Student visa, one of the following must apply to you:

• The start date of your job is after the completion date of your course
• You’ve been studying for a PhD for at least 24 months

You must apply online through the Gov.uk website to switch to this visa.

Note that you must apply to switch before your current visa expires.

When applying to switch to a Representative of an Overseas Business visa, you will normally receive a decision within 8 weeks.

How Can IAS Help?

For those working for media or news organisations overseas, the Representative of an Overseas Business visa can be an essential route to securing work in the UK and eventually settling here permanently.

If you’re an employee of an overseas media or news organisation and need to apply for a Representative of an Overseas Business visa, IAS can help.

We are experienced and professional immigration lawyers with a long history of working within UK immigration and business law.

Whatever your circumstances, our expert immigration advisers can help. Whether you’re an overseas parent company looking to obtain a visa for an employee, a worker tasked with a long-term assignment in the UK, or simply uncertain about the eligibility criteria for this visa, we can help.

We can also help if you’re in a sole representative arrangement, currently in the UK on the Sole Representative visa route, or a wholly owned subsidiary of a parent company with a commercial presence in the UK.

Contact us today for more information about our services and what we can do for you. Call us on +44 (0)333 414 9244 or contact us online.