Talk of granting further concessions within the UK visitor rules to make business travel more flexible was raised again most recently in the Chancellor's Autumn Budget. Further to this, the Home Office published a Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules on 7 December 2023. 

Intra-corporate activities 

The rules are changing to permit intra-corporate activities which are not just internal, but also client-facing. This is a welcome change and one that has caused a barrier for many businesses who often resort to obtaining short-term work visas to facilitate this type of activity. 

Under the new rules, a business visitor may "advise and consult, troubleshoot, provide training and share skills and knowledge, directly with clients providing that: the employee's movement is in an intra-corporate setting and the client-facing activity is incidental to their employment abroad; and these activities are required for the delivery of a project or service by the UK branch of the visitor's employer overseas". This must therefore be a UK-led project and it is not possible to provide client-facing services in the UK if the project or service is being delivered directly to the UK client by the overseas employer. 

Remote working in the UK 

Whilst the current Home Office guidance states that remote working is allowed in some contexts, changes to the immigration rules will confirm that visitors can "undertake activities relating to their employment overseas remotely from within the UK, providing this is not the primary purpose of the visit". Employers should keep in mind that the visitor's main purpose for coming to the UK should not be for work and that they should remain genuinely employed overseas. The visitor should also not live in the UK for extended periods through frequent or successive visits. 

EU settlement scheme (EUSS)

The EUSS has undergone several amendments. These changes include the addition of Appendix Returning Resident to the Rules, allowing individuals with lapsed indefinite leave to enter or remain under the EUSS to return and settle in the UK. Additionally, measures have been implemented to prevent irregular arrivals and illegal entrants from making applications as joining family members. It is now required for visitors to the UK to make any EUSS application as a joining family member within three months of their arrival.

Youth mobility scheme (YMS)

The YMS has been expanded to include Uruguay, adding to the list of countries participating in this cultural exchange programme for young people. Furthermore, the existing reciprocal arrangements with Japan and the Republic of Korea have been enhanced – the number of allocated places will increase and for nationals of the Republic of Korea the age group will expand from 18-30 to 18-35.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to our Mobility team directly