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Your next step for a UK business

Set up and expand a UK business, with work-visa support

Moving into a new market starts with the company, the funding, and the role you will hold. ETEFORM brings those together: the UK entity, the business file, and the sponsor and work-visa steps that fit your case.

Lawyers, accountants, and immigration specialists review your company and expansion plan, set the requirements for you and qualifying family members, and follow the file through its stages.

Start your assessmentCompare the two routes

For company owners in the UAE, the Gulf, and outside the UK who plan to launch and run a British business.

Two routes, depending on the company and the move

UK Expansion Worker

Expand your company into the UK

For an existing company outside the UK that is preparing a linked British operation and needs a senior manager or specialist to oversee the expansion.

We review the business, its history, and its ability to fund the expansion, then arrange the UK entity, the sponsor file, and the visa application.

Stay: temporary, up to two years in total. This route does not lead directly to settlement.

Expansion requirements

These limits and the nature of the route are in the UK government guidance. www.gov.uk

Skilled Worker

Work in your UK company

For owners who plan to run a UK company and work in it in an eligible role, through a business that holds a sponsor licence and meets the employment rules.

We review the activity, the role, and the funding, and prepare the company, the sponsor file, and the work-visa application as one plan.

Stay: a work permission that can be extended when the rules are met, and that may allow a settlement application under the rules then in force.

Requirements for working in your company

What ETEFORM handles

From the first review to looking after the company after setup

Eligibility and the plan

We review the company, the applicant’s experience, and the reason for the move, then identify the route, the documents, and the expected costs before work starts.

The UK entity

We arrange registration, ownership, and the address, and the link to the overseas company when the route needs it. UK company formation

Business plan and funding

We work with you on a plan that can be carried out, backed by your activity, financial documents, and operating forecasts.

Sponsor licence

We prepare the licence application and the documents it needs, and arrange sponsor management, record-keeping, and reporting inside the company.

Visa and family applications

We review the evidence, prepare the applications and supporting documents, and follow requests for further information.

Accounting and ongoing duties

Accounting, payroll, and company and sponsor duties are provided for the scope and period written in the service proposal. Annual compliance · Payroll setup

Requirements for expanding into the UK

The UK Expansion Worker assessment starts from the company that already exists outside the UK. We look at the real activity, the commercial and financial record, the plan for the British operation, and the role the applicant will hold.

  • An active overseas company, usually with three years of trading, subject to specific exceptions.
  • A UK entity linked to the overseas company by an ownership or control structure the route accepts.
  • A UK footprint that has not yet started trading.
  • A credible expansion plan and funding that can carry it out.
  • A senior manager or specialist moving into an eligible role.

GOV.UK

Your role and salary

We review how long you have worked for the overseas company, your duties, the occupation code, and the proposed salary. The usual requirement is 12 months with that company outside the UK, with exceptions. The current salary floor is £52,500 a year or the going rate for the job, whichever is higher.

Last reviewed: 22 October 2026

GOV.UK

Requirements for working in your UK company

We look at Skilled Worker when you plan to run a real UK business and work in a role that matches the company’s needs and your experience. The review covers the company’s ability to hold a sponsor licence, whether the job fits, whether it can pay the salary, English language, and sponsor management.

People sometimes call this “self-sponsorship”. That is a common description, not the name of a separate official visa. The official route here is Skilled Worker, through a company that holds a sponsor licence.

  • A company that meets the sponsor-licence conditions.
  • An eligible job with a clear description and real duties.
  • A salary that meets the job rules. The usual floor is currently £41,700 a year or the going rate, whichever is higher.
  • A certificate of sponsorship tied to that job.
  • English at the required level, or a recognised exemption. For new applications the usual level is currently B2.

Owning the company does not by itself give a work visa. The file turns on the company’s activity, the job you will do, and its ability to meet its duties.

Last reviewed: 22 October 2026

GOV.UK

Documents we review

We start with a short list for the assessment, then send a list that matches the route. Visa documents are not the same as company-formation or sponsor-licence documents, so you do not need everything below before you contact us.

1. Initial assessment

This is ETEFORM’s reception list, not a single mandatory list published by the government.

ItemWhy we ask
Nationality and current residenceWhere the application would be made
Career history and current roleYour experience and responsibilities
Trade licence or registration of the existing companyActivity and date of incorporation
Shareholders and ownershipHow the company is held
Products, services, and marketsWhat the business actually does
Latest accounts and a revenue and profit summaryFinancial position
A short plan for the UKRoute and scope
Family members and children’s agesWhich applications may be needed
Earlier immigration applications and decisions, if anyHistory linked to the case
2. Overseas company file — expansion route

Depending on the company, this may include:

  • Registration and current trade licences.
  • Constitution, shareholder records, and group structure.
  • Evidence the business continued for the required period: accounts, bank statements, contracts, and invoices.
  • Evidence linking the UK entity to the overseas company.
  • Expansion plan, budget, and source of funds.
  • The applicant’s role and employment, such as a contract and pay evidence where they apply.
  • Documents for the proposed or existing UK presence, as the route requires.
3. UK company and sponsor licence

We select documents for the company type, the route, and how far the business has gone. That can include registration and ownership, bank and funding evidence, tax and payroll registrations, premises, insurance and licences where the activity needs them, contracts or the expansion plan, the organisation chart, job description and salary, the people who will manage sponsorship, and the procedures for monitoring staff, keeping records, and reporting changes.

The final sponsor-licence list follows Appendix A and the route. Not every item is required of every client. GOV.UK

4. Visa application documents
  • A valid passport or an accepted travel document.
  • Certificate of sponsorship number, and the employer and its licence.
  • Job title, occupation code, and salary.
  • Maintenance funds where they are required.
  • Marriage and children’s documents when family applications are made.
  • A tuberculosis test result when that rule applies.
  • Certified translations of documents that are not in English or Welsh.

Skilled Worker also needs proof of English or of an exemption. A criminal-record certificate may be asked for some jobs, and other documents may follow the role. A criminal-record certificate is not a general requirement for every business owner. GOV.UK

How you start

  1. 1

    Tell us about your company and plan

    Complete the assessment with your activity, your role, and why you want to move.

  2. 2

    Receive the assessment and the service plan

    We set out the suggested route, missing documents, the scope of work, and the costs.

  3. 3

    We prepare the company and the file

    Company setup, operating arrangements, and the sponsor application for the route agreed for your case.

  4. 4

    We follow the visa applications

    Once the necessary requirements are in place, we prepare the applications and follow their progress.

  5. 5

    We arrange what happens after arrival

    The compliance dates, accounting, and sponsor-monitoring duties agreed in the service.

Cost of the service

A written quote based on your file

The fee depends on the visa route, the company’s position, the work involved in the sponsor licence, and how many family members apply.

The quote separates ETEFORM’s fees, government and immigration-health charges, translation, and any extra services. Company running costs, salaries, and continuing costs are shown on their own.

Accounting and annual follow-up cover the period written in the contract. They are not an open-ended service.

Request an assessment and a quote

Who provides the service

ETEFORM.COM LTD

The company you contract with. Companies House 09613257. ACSP agent. Address: 5th Floor, 167–169 Great Portland Street, London W1W 5PF. VAT GB389288918.

Formation and accounting

Company registration, the address, and the business file are handled by ETEFORM. Accounting and payroll run for the period in the proposal.

Sponsorship and the visa

Where the file needs a regulated immigration adviser, that person’s name, capacity, and registration number are written into the service agreement before that part starts. We do not publish names or registration numbers that are not tied to your file.

Common questions

Can I start while I live in the UAE?

The file can be reviewed and prepared while you live in the UAE. We look at your nationality, residence, and where the application would be made, and we explain any identity step or appointment that needs you in person.

Do I need a company that already exists outside the UK?

An existing overseas company is central to the UK Expansion Worker route. Skilled Worker depends on the UK company’s sponsor-licence eligibility, the job, and sponsorship. It does not, by itself, require you to own a UAE company.

Are high profits enough for residence?

Financial records help show funding capacity. The assessment still depends on the route rules, the activity, the role, and the evidence that route asks for.

Can my spouse and children be included?

We review whether each family member can apply as a dependant, and we set out their documents and fees before their application is included in the service.

Does the service lead to permanent residence?

UK Expansion Worker is a temporary route and does not lead directly to settlement. Skilled Worker may allow an application for settlement when the rules in force are met, including residence and the other conditions that apply. See www.gov.uk.

How long does it take?

Timing depends on how ready the documents are, company setup, the sponsor-licence application, and visa processing. We estimate each stage after the file is reviewed. Visa processing time alone is not the length of the whole service.

Do I have to visit an ETEFORM office to start?

You can start the assessment and exchange documents remotely. If a later step needs you in person, we tell you during the process.

Does forming the company guarantee a visa?

Forming the company is one part of the process. ETEFORM prepares and manages the application. Licence and visa decisions are issued by the competent UK authorities.

More in FAQ.

Tell us about your company and your UK plan

Send the basics so we can see what is needed to assess your case and the next step.

The scope and the suitable route are set after the file is reviewed. Applications follow the rules in force at the time they are made. Figures on this page were last reviewed on 22 October 2026. UK Expansion Worker · Skilled Worker · Appendix A

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