All About UK Sole Representative Visa, Setup a UK Branch, Overseas Sole Rep.

All About UK Sole Representative Visa, Setup a UK Branch, Overseas Sole Rep.

The United Kingdom Sole Representative Visa as the name suggests “sole” it is for an individual only. This category of Visa is for that individuals/employee of an organization who wants to come to the UK for the purpose of establishing the commercial presence of that particular company. It is important that the individual has a business which is outside the UK and he/she doesn’t hold more than 50% of shares in that particular business.

The Eligibility criteria for UK sole representative visa:

• There should be a genuine business which is based outside the UK.
• There should be no branch, subsidiary or other representatives in the United Kingdom.
• There should be an intention to establish a branch or a subsidiary in the UK operating the same business line which is in overseas.

The prerequisites of the individual who is visiting would be as follows:

• The individual should be a senior employee of the business
• He should have been recruited outside the UK.
• He should have the authority of making operational decisions
• The Employee should not hold more than 50% shares in the business.
• He / She should not have the intention to take employment in any other business.
• The employee should have related industry experience and knowledge.
• If the business has a legal entity in the UK but has not employed any staff they also this visa can be availed.
• Replacement of the previous representative who could not accomplish the assigned task can also be replaced by the business.
• The Newsagents with a long-term assignment can also apply for this visa

Advantages of UK Sole Representative Visa

• The individual is not required to have financial resources to establish the UK branch or subsidiary as it is expected that the parent company will have the required resources.
• The representative sent by the business is for the benefit of the business not for the individual.
• The funds allocated would not be in the perspective of trading activities to attain profitability so the amount would be realistic.

What all documents do an individual need for applying for this particular visa?

• The description of the parent company, its activities, accounts, and assets.
• Letter from the parent company stating that it will establish the subsidiary or branch in the UK.
• The employee’s job description, employee contract, and salary details.
• A letter stating that the employee is familiar with the operations of the company and can make decisions accordingly.
• The employee should be directly employed by the company.
• He / She would be a full-time employee during the stay in the UK.
• The employee should submit a bank statement showing a minimum balance of £945 for a period of 90 days prior to the application date; this proof is a support to a state that the individual can accommodate himself for a period of 1 month.
• Proof that the individual meets the English language requirement.
• The results of a tuberculosis test.
• The details of accommodation during the period of stay.

The validity of Sole Representative Overseas Business Visa:

The initial time period for the sole representative overseas business visa would be valid for 3 years after which he would be able to extend his stay for a further period of 2 years. After the completion of five years, the individual is eligible to apply for settlement. Your partner and child below 18 yrs can accompany you as your dependents. You can only for the business that you represent while you apply for the visa, you cannot work for any other business.

The sole representative overseas business visa is created with an intention to help overseas companies to establish their new business operations in the UK by deploying their senior employee. If the employee is coming for a period of 6 months then he can apply for Business visitor’s Visa but if it is with a long-term perspective that they should go for UK sole representative visa.