Use the Skilled Worker route unless the person cannot meet the English language requirement. It leads to settlement; the Global Business Mobility Senior or Specialist Worker route does not. That single difference decides most cases.
GBM remains useful in two situations: where English language evidence is a genuine obstacle, and where you are transferring someone who has already worked for the group overseas. Last updated September 2026.
| Skilled Worker | GBM Senior or Specialist Worker | |
|---|---|---|
| Route to settlement | Yes | No |
| English language requirement | Yes, CEFR B2 | No |
| Prior service with the group | Not required | Required, with a high-earner exemption |
| Sponsor licence | Required | Required |
| Immigration Skills Charge | Payable | Payable |
| New external hires | Yes | No, transfers only |
It allows an existing employee of an overseas business to transfer to a linked UK entity. It replaced the Tier 2 Intra-Company Transfer visa in April 2022 as part of the Global Business Mobility routes.
The essential constraint is in the name: it is a transfer route. You cannot use it to hire someone new. The person must already work for the overseas business, and there must be a genuine corporate link between that business and the UK entity.
The main sponsored work route into the UK, usable for new hires and internal moves alike. It requires a sponsor licence, a Certificate of Sponsorship, a role meeting the skill threshold and a salary meeting both the general threshold and the occupation's going rate.
Since 22 July 2025 sponsored roles must generally be at RQF Level 6, degree level or equivalent, and the general salary threshold is £41,700. Full detail is in UK Skilled Worker sponsorship in 2026.
The decisive difference. Skilled Worker leads to settlement. GBM Senior or Specialist Worker does not, and time spent on it does not count toward it.
For a senior person relocating with their family, that matters enormously. It is the reason most employers choose Skilled Worker where both routes are available.
Note that the settlement qualifying period itself has been the subject of proposed change, so confirm the current position before making commitments to an individual.
Skilled Worker requires it. GBM does not.
The Skilled Worker requirement rose from CEFR B1 to B2 on 8 January 2026, which tests reading, writing, speaking and listening. Someone strong in one area and weak in another may now fail where they would previously have passed.
Many applicants are exempt: nationals of majority English-speaking countries, and those holding a degree taught in English where that can be evidenced. Check exemption before assuming a test is needed.
GBM requires the person to have worked for the overseas business for a qualifying period before transferring, with an exemption for high earners. Skilled Worker has no such requirement.
Both routes require a sponsor licence and both attract the Immigration Skills Charge, which rose around 32% in December 2025. The cost advantage the old Tier 2 ICT route once had no longer exists.
Skilled Worker for almost everything: new hires, and internal transfers where the person can meet the English requirement. The route to settlement is worth more to the individual than anything GBM offers.
GBM Senior or Specialist Worker where English language evidence is a genuine obstacle, or where the specific circumstances of the transfer suit it better.
One practical approach where language is the only barrier: use GBM to move the person quickly, have them sit the English test in the UK, then switch to Skilled Worker. Confirm the current switching rules before relying on this, since in-country switching provisions change.
A more common outcome since the July 2025 changes, which removed well over a hundred occupations from Skilled Worker eligibility.
If the role does not require the person to be physically in the UK, employing them where they already live avoids the question. An Employer of Record becomes the legal employer in their country, with no sponsor licence, no skills charge and no immigration timeline.
That will not help where the work genuinely must happen in the UK. Where it need not, it is faster and considerably cheaper. See global immigration for employers.
UK immigration rules have changed repeatedly and substantially since 2024. Salary thresholds, skill levels, English requirements and settlement periods have all moved, and several further changes are in progress.
Confirm current requirements on GOV.UK before committing to a start date or a salary. Anything published more than a few months ago, including comparison tables, should be treated as indicative rather than accurate.
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The Global Business Mobility Senior or Specialist Worker route, introduced in April 2022 as part of the Global Business Mobility routes.
No. Time on this route does not count toward settlement. The Skilled Worker route does lead to settlement, which is the main reason most employers prefer it where both are available.
No. It is a transfer route requiring the person to already work for a linked overseas business. New hires must use the Skilled Worker route or another applicable category.
Broadly comparable. Both require a sponsor licence and both attract the Immigration Skills Charge, which increased around 32% in December 2025. The cost advantage the old ICT route held has gone.
It requires CEFR B2 since January 2026, but many applicants are exempt, including nationals of majority English-speaking countries and holders of degrees taught in English. Check exemptions before arranging a test.
In-country switching has been possible, and is sometimes used where English language evidence was the only obstacle. Switching provisions change, so confirm the current rules on GOV.UK before planning around it.