Important Warning For Sole Representative (Overseas Business Representative) Visa Holders

HIGH LEVEL OF HOME OFFICE SCRUTINY ON SOLE REPRESENTATIVE EXTENSIONS AND SETTLEMENT APPLICATIONS

Sole Representative (Overseas Business Representative) visa route is closed for new applicants as of spring 2022. The Sole Representative visa has been replaced by the Global Business Mobility Expansion worker visa category, which is a sponsored visa route and requires employer to first obtain Expansion Worker sponsor licence.

Those individuals who already hold the Sole Representative visa must be aware that Home Office currently puts the Sole Representative visa extension and Indefinite Leave to Remain applications under high scrutiny. It appears that thorough checks are done by the Home Office, including checks of any information available online (e.g. at Companies House), to establish if each application meets the relevant criteria for the extension or Settlement/ILR. The Home Office approach to applications is strict. This unfortunately results in increased number