Professional Service

A company with its headquarters and main activities based in France won a contract to work on a large construction site in the UK. The company needed to send a significant number of its overseas staff to the UK to work on this project immediately. Challenges and solutions: - Interim immigration solution: The company needed to transfer some of its overseas staff straightaway to start the project but did not have a presence in the UK. Therefore, it was unable to sponsor its staff to work in the UK in the usual way – under the Skilled Worker visa route. Our immigration team assessed that the workers’ initial activities fell under a permitted activity for visitors under the immigration rules. Thanks to our support, the company’s staff were able to come to the UK temporarily as visitors – without the need for visas – to undertake the permitted activity for a few months while the company was working on establishing a presence in the UK - Establishing a presence in the UK: To be able to sponsor its overseas staff to work in the UK on a longer-term basis, the company first needed to create either a UK branch or a UK subsidiary. We promptly directed the company to our corporate law department to obtain advice on the best structure to use and how to establish the UK entity rapidly. - Identifying an Authorising Officer and obtaining a sponsor licence: The company needed to appoint a UK-based director or employee to be the Authorising Officer in charge of its sponsor duties. We advised on the requirements for the Authorising Officer as well as the sponsor duties. This prevented a refusal of the sponsor licence and ensured that the company was compliant with the immigration rules. Our immigration team prepared the sponsor licence application and supporting documents efficiently, explaining the contract won by the French company, in order to secure the sponsor licence quickly.

Successfully transitioned multiple employee visa statuses from visitor to worker categories. Comprehensive immigration compliance achieved with minimal business disruption.