UK-India Trade Deal in Force: What CETA and the Social Security Agreement Mean for Indian Professionals

The UK-India Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and a separate social security agreement both took effect on 15 July 2026. CETA gives treaty backing to five categories of temporary business mobility, and the Home Office has used it to give Indian nationals up to 12 months on the Service Supplier route. The social security agreement lets staff whom an Indian employer sends to the UK stay in India's system for up to 60 months. Neither changes the Skilled Worker visa, its salary thresholds or the settlement rules.

What Came Into Force on 15 July 2026

gov.uk records that CETA and the DCC both entered into force on 15 July 2026. India's Press Information Bureau reports that CETA was signed on 24 July 2025 and the DCC on 10 February 2026. Chapter 10 covers the temporary movement of people, and the UK's commitments sit in its Annex 10A schedule.

The Five Mobility Categories

The UK schedule sets minimum conditions the UK has committed to for Indian nationals in each category. Entry still happens through Home Office visas, which carry their own sponsor, fee and evidence rules.

Contractual service suppliers cover listed sectors such as computer services, engineering, accounting, architecture and management consulting. Independent professionals have a shorter list. UK licensing rules still apply where a regulator requires a licence.

The only numerical cap applies to professional Indian traditional chefs, classical musicians and yoga instructors, with a combined total of 1,800 a year. The Immigration Rules count granted applications in each calendar year. The cap does not limit software engineers or consultants.

How the Home Office Applied CETA

The Statement of Changes HC 1691, laid on 5 March 2026, amended the Service Supplier appendix. Its explanatory memorandum says the change implements the UK's CETA commitments by allowing entry for up to 12 months at a time. Indian nationals are now eligible where the service is covered by CETA, while nationalities without a specific agreement default to 6 months. It is the only CETA-related change we found in that statement.

According to gov.uk, the Service Supplier route works as follows:

• You supply services to a UK business under a contract covered by a valid trade agreement, as an employee of an overseas business or as a self-employed provider.
• An approved UK sponsor gives you a certificate of sponsorship.
• You have 12 months with your employer outside the UK, or 12 months of professional experience if self-employed.
• Your job is on the eligible occupation list, or you hold a degree and 3 years of relevant experience (6 if self-employed).
• The fee is GBP 340, the healthcare surcharge is usually GBP 1,035 per year and you normally need GBP 1,270 in funds. A decision usually takes 3 weeks from outside the UK.
• Dependants can apply, and the route does not lead to settlement.

Intra-corporate transfers go through the Senior or Specialist Worker route, whose Rules set a general salary requirement of GBP 52,500 a year plus a going rate check, and 12 months of work for the sponsor group outside the UK. Ask the employer which route applies.

The Social Security Agreement

A Double Contributions Convention makes sure an employee moved temporarily between two countries pays social security in only one of them. Workers generally pay where the work takes place, and the DCC creates an exception for employees sent abroad temporarily by their employer.

Indian employees sent to the UK

• An employee sent from India on or after 15 July 2026 remains under Indian social security rules if the UK stay is not expected to exceed 60 months. Neither employee nor employer pays UK National Insurance, and the employee should hold a certificate of coverage from India's Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO).
• Before the DCC, UK law exempted such employees for 52 weeks only. Those sent between 15 July 2025 and 14 July 2026 keep a 52-week period counted from 15 July 2026, less time already worked in the UK, and then pay UK National Insurance.
• The government's explainer says these employees do not build UK State Pension or other UK contributory benefits. A family member who takes up UK work pays UK National Insurance.

What this means on a Skilled Worker visa

The exemption is for people who live in India, work for an India-based employer and are sent temporarily to the UK. A professional hired directly by a UK employer on a Skilled Worker visa is in a different position. The government's explainer says that someone in India who secures a UK job pays UK National Insurance in the same way as everyone else from the start, and so does anyone who plans to stay more than 60 months.

If your Indian employer moves you onto a UK group company payroll, you may fall outside the exemption, but we found no official guidance that settles that case. Ask payroll and HMRC which certificate, if any, applies before you travel.

What CETA and the DCC Do Not Change

• Skilled Worker salary. The minimum is the higher of GBP 41,700 or the going rate. Some new entrants and Immigration Salary List roles can be paid from GBP 33,400, and listed health and education roles from GBP 25,000. See our UK Skilled Worker visa guide.
• English and fees. New applicants still need B2 English. The fee from outside the UK is GBP 819 for up to 3 years, plus GBP 1,035 per year for the healthcare surcharge.
• Settlement. Chapter 10 does not apply to residence, citizenship or permanent employment. The earned settlement model confirmed on 2 November 2026 is separate; our earned settlement guide covers it, and the UK immigration changes guide covers the wider 2026 changes.
• Visas and local law. Requiring a visa does not breach CETA, and UK employment law, minimum wage rules and licensing continue to apply.

What Indian Professionals Should Do Now

1. Hired directly by a UK employer: use the Skilled Worker route. CETA does not change eligibility.
2. Working for an Indian firm with a UK client: ask whether the contract falls under a CETA service category and whether the UK client holds a sponsor licence.
3. Self-employed consultant: check that you have a degree, 6 years of experience and a contract of no more than 12 months.
4. Posted by an Indian employer: ask for the EPFO certificate of coverage and plan without UK State Pension for that period.

Our UK-India CETA mobility reference page keeps the categories and limits in one place, and the UK immigration hub lists the other routes.

What Is Not Yet Known

• No source we opened publishes how many Service Supplier visas have gone to Indian nationals since 15 July 2026.
• CETA requires a working group on temporary movement to meet within one year of entry into force, so by 15 July 2027.

Frequently Asked Questions

When did the UK-India trade deal come into force?

The UK-India Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and the social security agreement, known as the Double Contributions Convention, both entered into force on 15 July 2026.

Does CETA create a new work visa for Indian professionals?

No. CETA sets out what the UK will allow in five categories of temporary business mobility, but entry still goes through Home Office visa routes with their own sponsor, fee and evidence rules. The Home Office changed one route for Indian nationals: Service Supplier now allows up to 12 months in one assignment.

Does CETA change the Skilled Worker visa or its salary threshold?

No. The Skilled Worker minimum is still the higher of GBP 41,700 or the going rate, with lower floors for some roles. English, fees and settlement rules are also unchanged.

I move to the UK on a Skilled Worker visa. Does the social security agreement help me?

Not directly. It covers employees who live in India, work for an India-based employer and are sent temporarily to the UK. The government's explainer says someone who moves to the UK for a UK job pays National Insurance in the same way as everyone else from the start.

What does the 60-month National Insurance exemption mean in practice?

An employee sent from India on or after 15 July 2026 stays under Indian social security rules if the UK stay is not expected to exceed 60 months. Neither the employee nor the employer pays UK National Insurance, and the employee should hold an EPFO certificate of coverage. The employee does not build UK State Pension.

Can my family come with me on a Service Supplier visa?

Yes. A partner and children can apply as dependants, and a dependant partner can work except as a professional sportsperson or coach.