Sole Representative Visa Business Plans - Overseas Staff

Are you currently employed abroad as a senior member of staff? 

Does your company require you to help expand their business by exploring opportunities in the UK? 

If so, in support of your Sole Representative Visa application we can help you with the plan writing to demonstrate how your company can set up a branch in the UK. With the Tier 1 Investor Visa route closed, the Sole Representative Visa route becomes a great alternative for foreign entrepreneurs and their families. 

Some of the key benefits of having a Representative of an Overseas Visa Business Plan include:

- You do not need to demonstrate a specified amount of investment;

- You do not need to hire two new members of staff as part of the visa extension requirement; and

- This visa category can lead to Indefinite Leave to Remain and even a British Passport. 

This visa route allows senior staff members to relocate to the UK to set up a business: the Sole Representative of an Overseas Business visa category.  

There are some requirements for this visa which means it is not suitable for every employee; however for many senior managers, it could be an excellent option to set up a company in the UK. 

Here are the key requirements to qualify: 

• be recruited and employed outside the UK by a company whose headquarters and principal place of business are outside the UK
• have extensive related industry experience and knowledge
• hold a senior position within the company (but not be a major shareholder) and have full authority to make decisions on its behalf
• intend to establish the company’s first commercial presence in the UK, for example, a registered branch or a wholly-owned subsidiary

Genuine Test for the Sole Representative Visa

From 4 June 2020, the genuineness requirement was introduced to the Sole Representative visa route, meaning applicants are now required to provide evidence that they meet the genuine test of the Representative of an Overseas Business visa. 

An amendment was made to prevent an overseas business sending a representative to facilitate their entry to the UK, where there was no genuine intention for them to establish a branch or subsidiary in the UK.

Applicants must also prove that the subsidiary or branch office has not been “established solely for the purpose of facilitating the entry and stay of the applicant”. 

The UK Home Office will take into account the following questions to further assess applicants' genuineness:

· The number of staff the overseas business has or trading premises;

· The history of the company's headquarters and whether it has been recently set up; 

· Financial statements of the overseas business’s trading presence and business activities;

· Immigration history of the applicant; 

Furthermore, the sole representative route will have certain restrictions placed upon them, including: 

· A broker or sales commission agent (either an individual or through a business);

· A distributor, selling on a commission basis;

· A distributor buying the overseas business’s products and on-selling;

· An individual or a business finding sales leads and passing them back to the overseas business;

· A business where the applicant is the controlling partner even if they hold less than 50% shares.

By meeting the above requirements, getting the visa is practically guaranteed and refusals are generally down to the inadequate of documents submitted. 

One of the key documents is the business plan to demonstrate what the business intends to do in the next five years. At UK Visa Business Plans, our expert plan writers have over 10 years preparing Sole Representative Visa/Representative of an Overseas Visa Business Plans with a 100% success rate.

Our Services 

There are two business plan services we provide that may be of interest to potential sole representative visa applicants.

Sole Representative Visa Business Plan Review 

Applicants who already have a draft of their business plan, but need advice as to whether the document meets the sole representative visa criteria, we offer our comprehensive visa business plan review service.  The result is an bespoke and actionable report with detailed recommendations for the improvement of the sole representative visa business plan.

Sole Representative Visa Business Plan Writing   

If you would prefer to outsource the writing of the business plan to our team, we will gather detailed information about your overseas business, the rationale behind the UK representative branch and the long term vision of the company during an initial consultation and would then transform this information into a commercially viable and UK Visa Immigration compliant business plan. 

We will then review the full draft together and make sure you are familiar with the business plan so you are prepared in the event of an interview with the Home Office. 

For further information on how we can assist you with your sole representative visa business plan, please e-mail us at hello@ukvisabusinessplans.com, or pop a message to one of our expert business plan writers using our enquiry box.

We look forward to hearing about your business! ​​