Migration Overseas
The five categories of temporary business mobility in the UK-India trade agreement, how the Home Office applies them through the Service Supplier route, and what the social security agreement means for Indian employees sent to the UK. Both took effect on 15 July 2026.
These are the conditions the UK has committed to for Indian nationals. Entry still goes through Home Office visa routes.
For meetings, taking sales orders, trade fairs and after-sales service. No UK-source pay and no sales to the general public. Senior staff setting up a UK entity can also qualify.
For staff moved within a company group. You need 1 year with the Indian company (6 months for graduate trainees). A partner and children can come for the same period, and the partner may work.
For senior staff setting up a UK branch or subsidiary of an Indian company. You need 12 months as an employee, and the Indian company must have traded for 3 years.
For employees of an Indian company with a contract to serve a UK client. You need a degree, 3 years of experience and 1 year with your employer, in listed sectors such as computer services, engineering and management consulting.
For self-employed professionals in India with a UK client contract of no more than 12 months. You need a degree and 6 years of experience, in a shorter list of sectors than contractual service suppliers.
These three groups share a cap of 1,800 granted applications per calendar year in the Immigration Rules. The cap does not apply to other professions.
The Home Office route for contractual service suppliers and independent professionals.
Indian nationals can be granted up to 12 months in a single assignment. Nationalities without a specific agreement default to 6 months.
An approved UK sponsor issues a certificate of sponsorship, and the service contract is registered with the Home Office.
You need 12 months with your employer outside the UK, or 12 months of experience if self-employed. Your job must be on the eligible list, or you need a degree and 3 years of experience (6 if self-employed).
The healthcare surcharge is usually GBP 1,035 per year and you normally need GBP 1,270 in funds unless your sponsor covers your costs. A decision usually takes 3 weeks from outside the UK and 8 weeks from inside.
A partner and children can apply as dependants. The route does not lead to settlement, and time on it counts towards a limit of 5 years in any 6 across the Global Business Mobility routes.
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 with the sponsor group outside the UK.
The agreement widens treaty backing for temporary mobility. It does not rewrite the main UK work routes.
Chapter 10 says requiring a visa is not a breach of the agreement. Entry goes through Home Office routes with their own sponsor, fee and evidence rules.
Chapter 10 does not apply to access to the employment market, citizenship, residence or permanent employment.
UK employment law, minimum wage rules and professional licensing continue to apply.
The Skilled Worker minimum is still the higher of GBP 41,700 or the going rate, and new applicants still need B2 English.
CETA requires a working group on temporary movement to meet within one year of entry into force, so by 15 July 2027.
No source we opened publishes how many Service Supplier visas have gone to Indian nationals since 15 July 2026.
Every figure on this page comes from the pages below. Rules change, so check them before you act.
Related reading: our blog article UK-India Trade Deal in Force, the UK Skilled Worker visa guide, the India Young Professionals Scheme page and the UK immigration hub.
Tell us your role, employer and the UK contract, and we will map it to a sponsored route and the documents it needs.
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The UK-India Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and the social security agreement, known as the Double Contributions Convention (DCC), both entered into force on 15 July 2026, according to gov.uk.
No. CETA sets the conditions the UK has committed to in five categories of temporary business mobility, but entry still goes through Home Office visa routes with their own sponsor, fee and evidence rules. Statement of Changes HC 1691, laid on 5 March 2026, amended the Service Supplier route so that Indian nationals can be granted up to 12 months in one assignment.
Business visitors, intra-corporate transferees, investors, contractual service suppliers and independent professionals. Each has its own stay limit, experience requirement and conditions, summarised in the categories section of this page.
The treaty schedule allows up to 12 months in any 24 months, or the length of the contract if shorter. In the Immigration Rules, Indian nationals can be granted up to 12 months in a single assignment, while nationalities without a specific agreement default to 6 months. Time on the route counts towards a limit of 5 years in any 6 across the Global Business Mobility routes.
gov.uk lists a visa fee of GBP 340 and an Immigration Health Surcharge that is usually GBP 1,035 per year. You normally need GBP 1,270 in funds unless your sponsor covers your costs. A decision usually takes 3 weeks from outside the UK and 8 weeks from inside the UK.
Only for professional Indian traditional chefs, classical musicians and yoga instructors, who share a cap of 1,800 granted applications per calendar year under the Immigration Rules. The cap does not apply to other professions.
No. The Skilled Worker minimum is still the higher of GBP 41,700 or the going rate, with lower floors for some roles, and new applicants still need B2 English. See our UK Skilled Worker visa guide.
Not directly. The 60-month exemption covers employees who live in India, work for an India-based employer and are sent temporarily to the UK. The government's explainer says a person in India who secures a UK job pays National Insurance in the same way as everyone else from the start. Our blog article UK-India Trade Deal in Force explains the difference.
On the Service Supplier route a partner and children can apply as dependants. For intra-corporate transferees, the UK schedule allows a partner and children for the same period as the main applicant, and the partner may work.
The Service Supplier visa does not lead to settlement, and Chapter 10 does not apply to residence, citizenship or permanent employment. Settlement rules are separate, and our earned settlement guide covers them.
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Social Security Agreement
The DCC took effect on 15 July 2026 and covers employees sent temporarily between the two countries.
60-Month Exemption
An employee sent from India on or after 15 July 2026 stays under Indian social security if the UK stay is not expected to exceed 60 months. No UK National Insurance is due from the employee or employer.
EPFO Certificate
The employee should hold a certificate of coverage from India's Employees' Provident Fund Organisation.
Transition Rule
Employees 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.
No UK State Pension Build
Detached workers do not build UK State Pension or other UK contributory benefits. A family member who takes up UK work pays National Insurance.
Direct Hires Not Covered
A person in India who gets a job with a UK employer pays UK National Insurance from the start, as does anyone planning to stay more than 60 months.
UK Staff Sent to India
UK-based employees sent to India can remain in the UK social security system for up to 60 months.