US Citizen Travelling to the UK for Work as Part of a Larger Contract
I am a US citizen (no other passports) hoping to travel to the UK for a week to meet with colleagues as part of a consultancy. We will be completing a report that was begun several months ago.
I am concerned about some of the visa language, namely that one cannot do "paid or unpaid work".
Could anyone advise on whether I need a visa for this trip?
Best Answer
As long as you're employed by a company in the US, there is a great deal of work you can legitimately do for your company on a short trip to the UK as a visitor, which is covered in Appendix V rules. You do not need to obtain a visa before arrival as long as your activities are covered.
General business activities might cover you in terms of just attending some meetings:
Business – general activities
5 A visitor may:
(a) attend meetings, conferences, seminars, interviews;
(b) give a one-off or short series of talks and speeches provided these are not organised as commercial events and will not make a profit for the organiser;
(c) negotiate and sign deals and contracts;
(d) attend trade fairs, for promotional work only, provided the visitor is not directly selling;
(e) carry out site visits and inspections;
(f) gather information for their employment overseas;
(g) be briefed on the requirements of a UK based customer, provided any work for the customer is done outside of the UK.
If you are specifically visiting another part of your own company, e.g. you are from the New York branch of Widgets Incorporated and you are visiting the London division, there's more detail:
Intra-corporate activities
6 An employee of an overseas based company may:
(a) advise and consult;
(b) trouble-shoot;
(c) provide training;
(d) share skills and knowledge; on a specific internal project with UK employees of the same corporate group, provided no work is carried out directly with clients.
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Is a US citizen legally authorized to work in UK?
U.S. citizens who want to work in the United Kingdom must have a valid U.S. passport and a work visa from the UK. The process to obtain a work visa varies depending on the type of work you will be doing. If you do not have a valid work visa when you arrive, you might not be allowed into the country to work.How long can a US citizen work in the UK without a visa?
Holders of the U.S. passport are entitled to stay in the United Kingdom for a period of up to six months with no need of applying for a visa unless they are travelling for work or study.Do you need a work permit to work in the UK?
A worker is eligible to work in the UK, and therefore doesn't need to obtain a work permit, if they are a: British citizen. European Economic Area (EEA) citizen (check the countries this applies to here)Can I work in the UK while visiting?
You cannot live in the UK for extended periods through frequent visits. No work is allowed, except for permitted activities related to your work or business overseas. This might include attending meetings and study for more than 30 days. Note however that none of these activities may be the main reason for your visit.How to Expand Your Business to the UK | UK Immigration | British Passport | FICCI Webinar
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Ethan Wilkinson, Pixabay, Olga Lioncat, Pixabay