Is your business eligible to establish a UK branch or subsidiary?

The sole representative of an overseas business visa is an excellent route for some companies to set-up a new presence in the UK, and offers an alternative to applying for a Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) visa in some circumstances.

However, not all businesses are able to set up a branch or subsidiary in the UK in reliance on the sole representative of an overseas business route.

Place of business

The employer must have its headquarters and principal place of business outside the UK. The business must be genuine and trading, so it must have an established presence outside the UK.  The business must provide evidence of their assets and accounts and share distribution to show they are based overseas and genuinely trading.

Other representative

Some businesses are excluded through already having a representative or branch in the UK.  This route is for companies to establish a new presence. However, this does not apply as strictly to media companies as all others: an overseas media company can have more than one representative in the UK at the same time.

Share distribution

Even where there is no representative in the UK,  if the business would effectively move to the UK through the set-up of a branch by the applicant, then this would exclude the company.  Where the applicant is a majority shareholder in the parent company, they cannot apply for entry as sole representatives of that company.

Contact our Sole Representative Visa Lawyers

For expert advice regarding an application for a sole representative of an overseas business visa, contact our immigration barristers on 0203 617 9173.