The United Kingdom has announced major updates to the UK immigration policy. The policy statement contains an important development for Indian workers who want to work in the United Kingdom. The UK Home Office published its Statement of Changes on March 5, 2026, outlining significant modifications to the country’s immigration laws.
The Global Business Mobility (GBM) Secondment Worker route’s abroad job requirement will be shortened from 12 to 6 months starting April 8, 2026. Also, Indian workers will be eligible under the UK-India Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement’s GBM Service Supplier route starting on March 26, 2026, with stays of up to 12 months subject to an annual ceiling of 1,800 applications.
The UK has also somewhat expanded the existing contractual service supplier route to include additional sectors not previously committed to India by the UK. Indian companies can now send their employees in specified sectors to the UK for up to one-year.
For a limited number of occupations, including chefs de cuisine, yoga teachers, and classical musicians, access is capped at a total of 1,800 individuals per year.
The Government has highlighted that the provisions agreed with India do not create any new types of visas or visa routes, and that the standards to apply to work in the UK have not changed.
Provisions for Indians
The changes will implement the UK’s entry and temporary stay commitments taken in the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and India, once that agreement enters into force.
These commitments require UK to give service suppliers in the contractual service supplier and independent categories who are providing a service covered by the commitment entry to the UK for up to 12 months leave at a time. However, legislation needs to be in place before rules become effective, which is planned for the end of March.
Reducing the qualifying overseas employment period from 12 to 6 months
The Global Business Mobility (GBM) Secondment Worker route allows overseas employers who have a high-value contract or investment with a UK organisation, worth at least £50 million, to temporarily send their workers to the UK.
Previously, applicants must have worked for their overseas employer for at least 12 months. This qualifying period is being reduced to six months to provide greater flexibility for businesses and attract more high-value contracts to the UK. The requirement of a specific period of overseas employment ensures workers are genuinely employed and maintains the integrity of the immigration system.
Global Business Mobility
The Global Business Mobility (GBM) routes are for overseas businesses that need to temporarily send workers to the UK for a specific purpose that cannot be done by a settled worker.
There are five GBM routes, which are Senior or Specialist Worker, Graduate Trainee, UK Expansion, Worker, Service Supplier and Secondment Worker.
High earner workers are those who are sponsored as a Senior or Specialist Worker or UK Expansion Worker in a job with a gross annual salary of £73,900 or more (based on working a maximum of 48 hours per week) as confirmed by the sponsor.
Alongside the mobility chapter, both the UK and India have also agreed to negotiate a separate Double Contributions Convention (DCC), which allows temporary workers to continue to pay solely into their home country social security schemes, rather than both, for up to three years.