India-UK Free Trade Agreement explained: No new work visa, but these professionals gain easier access

LONDON July 17: The India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which came into force this week, has raised expectations among many Indians that it could make moving to Britain easier. However, the agreement does not introduce a new UK work visa, relax immigration rules or create a pathway to permanent residency or British citizenship. Instead, the deal focuses on temporary business mobility, making it easier for companies in India and the UK to send professionals across borders for specific assignments while leaving Britain’s points-based immigration system unchanged.

No new UK work visa
The FTA does not create a new immigration route for Indians seeking employment in the UK. Anyone planning to work in Britain must still qualify under existing visa categories, such as the Skilled Worker or Global Business Mobility (GBM) routes. Applicants must continue to meet all existing requirements, including employer sponsorship, salary thresholds, qualifications and other eligibility criteria. The UK government also retains full authority to revise salary thresholds, sponsorship rules and broader immigration policies in the future. Professionals travelling under the FTA will still be required to pay visa application fees, the Immigration Health Surcharge and any other charges introduced under UK immigration law. The agreement also does not offer visa-free travel, permanent settlement or British citizenship. Anyone who breaches visa conditions—including overstaying—will continue to face penalties such as deportation, re-entry bans or difficulties obtaining future UK visas.

What is business mobility?
Business mobility refers to the temporary movement of professionals between countries to provide services or support business operations. This may include an engineer working on a client project, an executive attending negotiations, a consultant advising a customer or a specialist transferring to another office within the same company. Unlike immigration, business mobility is designed for temporary assignments and does not provide a route to long-term employment or settlement.

Who benefits under the FTA?
The agreement guarantees continued access to several existing UK visa routes for temporary business travel while expanding opportunities in certain sectors.

Business visitors
Professionals travelling for meetings, conferences, negotiations, trade fairs and similar business activities will continue to use the UK’s Standard Visitor visa, which allows approved business visits of up to six months. However, visitors cannot take up employment with a UK company or receive a UK salary under this route.

Intra-company transferees
The FTA provides greater certainty for multinational companies operating in both India and the UK. Senior managers and specialist employees transferring between offices under the UK’s Global Business Mobility Senior or Specialist Worker route will continue to have access to the visa. Current UK rules allow stays of up to five years—or up to nine years for higher earners—but the FTA guarantees Indian applicants access to a stay of at least three years, even if the UK reduces visa durations in the future. Existing salary and sponsorship requirements remain unchanged.

Graduate trainees
Graduates enrolled in structured management or specialist training programmes can continue transferring to UK branches for up to 12 months through the Graduate Trainee visa route, subject to current eligibility rules.

Investors and expansion workers
Senior employees of Indian businesses establishing their first UK office can continue using the UK Expansion Worker route, which allows temporary stays of up to 12 months to help launch British operations.

Contractual service suppliers
Indian companies that secure service contracts in the UK can send employees to deliver those services for up to one year, provided workers meet the required professional qualifications and experience. While this route already existed under World Trade Organization (WTO) commitments, the FTA expands it to include additional service sectors.

Independent professionals
One of the agreement’s notable additions is wider access for self-employed professionals. Eligible independent professionals can now travel to the UK to fulfil service contracts in specified sectors, including architecture and engineering, provided they meet qualification and experience requirements.

Expanded opportunities in selected sectors
In addition to protecting existing mobility routes, the FTA broadens access for contractual service suppliers and independent professionals in selected industries. It also introduces a combined annual quota of 1,800 visas for Indian: Chefs de cuisine, Yoga teachers, Classical musicians. These professionals can travel to the UK temporarily to provide services under qualifying contracts.

What remains unchanged?
Despite the expanded business mobility provisions, the FTA does not:
Create a new UK work visa for Indians.
Make it easier to obtain permanent residency.
Lower Skilled Worker visa salary thresholds.
Remove employer sponsorship requirements.
Allow visa-free travel.
Exempt applicants from UK immigration rules or the Immigration Health Surcharge.
Restrict the UK’s ability to tighten immigration policies in the future.

The UK government has emphasised that the agreement “does not affect the UK’s right or ability to control our borders” and is “not expected to have a long-term impact on net migration.”

Summary
The India-UK FTA is a trade agreement centred on business mobility rather than immigration. It provides greater certainty for companies sending employees on temporary assignments, expands access for contractual service suppliers and independent professionals, and creates a limited annual quota for chefs, yoga teachers and classical musicians. For Indians hoping the deal would open a new pathway to jobs or permanent settlement in Britain, however, the position remains unchanged: anyone seeking to live and work in the UK must still qualify under the country’s existing immigration system. CLICK TO READ THE FULL DETAILS