British business migration rules tightened, but opportunities remain in UK Expansion Worker Visa, fire engineers in demand – Saskia Johnston, Sable International

The British government has significantly tightened visa and settlement rules in a white paper published in May. The reforms have shortened the list of occupations eligible for sponsorship, ended exemptions for social workers, raised salary thresholds, and imposed stricter regulations on businesses seeking to expand into the United Kingdom. However, according to Saskia Johnston from immigration specialists Sable International, opportunities remain for entrepreneurs and business owners looking to establish operations in the UK. One such route is the UK Expansion Worker visa, designed specifically for foreign companies aiming to set up a brand or subsidiary in the UK. In an interview with BizNews, Johnston noted that the pivot favours established businesses and makes it considerably more difficult for smaller entities. With the goal posts constantly shifting, and the list of eligible occupation shrinking, she said there are still viable pathways for skilled workers to the UK and South Africa’s fire engineers are in high demand. 

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Edited transcript of the interview

Linda van Tilburg (00:01)

The British government has tightened immigration rules, raised salary thresholds, and reduced the list of eligible occupations. What does this mean for South Africans looking to start a business or relocate to the UK? Saskia Johnston, an immigration specialist at Sable International, joins us to break it down. Hi, Saskia, great to see you again.  

With the clampdown on immigration, how can people still looking to relocate find a way to do it?  

Saskia Johnston (01:22)

Recently in the UK, immigration has unfortunately been used by multiple political parties as a tool to curb net migration, and it's clear - regardless of which party is in power - that reducing net migration is a priority.  That being said, there are still some routes that the UK Home Office offers that work well for entrepreneurs and business owners looking to expand. I think people just need to look a little deeper into the immigration legislation to understand what might work for their specific circumstances or business.  

Linda van Tilburg (01:57)

Which routes are still open?  

Saskia Johnston (01:59) 

One of the routes we're quite excited about is the UK Expansion Worker route. Technically, it’s been in effect since April 2022, but when it was first launched, it wasn’t managed particularly well, and as a new route, the requirements were still being developed by the Home Office.  

Now that the route has been in existence for a couple of years, it’s much easier to see its purpose, and the application process is a lot more streamlined. It gives foreign businesses - businesses outside the UK - an exciting opportunity to expand into the UK without having any kind of UK business set up beforehand from a logistical perspective.  

Linda van Tilburg (02:46)

Which industries are best suited for this?  

Saskia Johnston (02:49)

It’s industry-agnostic, meaning businesses in any sector can potentially use it. The key requirement is that the business is an overseas entity that is established, operating, and doing well in its home country. For the BizNews audience, that is primarily means South African businesses looking to expand into the UK market. Because of the ongoing skill shortage in the UK, we’ve seen a variety of businesses take advantage of this, including engineering firms, tech companies, and businesses in the building and trades sector - areas where UK employers still struggle to find enough skilled workers.  

Linda van Tilburg (03:37)

What can you do with a UK Expansion Worker visa?  

Saskia Johnston (03:43)

The UK Expansion Worker visa requires an expansion worker sponsorship licence. That essentially means the Home Office does its due diligence on the foreign entity and then determines whether it’s eligible to sponsor workers in the UK.  

With this licence, a company can deploy up to five UK expansion workers - so up to five personnel from the foreign entity can move to the UK for the purpose of setting up the business. They can either work for the UK entity or remain employed by the foreign entity while establishing the UK operation.  

Once the UK business is fully up and running - typically after around six months - the company can then look at upgrading that licence to a full Skilled Worker visa sponsorship licence. That would allow the business to deploy additional personnel from its overseas operation into its UK entity.  

Linda van Tilburg (04:42)

So, what are the reasons given by businesses, why do they still want to move to the UK?  

Saskia Johnston (04:50)

Despite all the shifts in the political landscape over the past few years, the UK is still very much a major hub in Europe. For South African businesses looking to expand, the lack of a language barrier in the UK makes things easier, and the ongoing skill shortages mean foreign businesses able to backfill resources have a real edge in the recruitment market.  

This advantage lets them tender more quickly for larger projects, where local recruitment simply wouldn’t be able to supply the right skills fast enough. And for South African businesses specifically, the ability to earn in pounds sterling is definitely appealing - it helps hedge against the volatility of a rand-based business.  

Linda van Tilburg (05:41)

So, currency stability is one of the key reasons?  

Saskia Johnston (05:40)

Yes, very much so.  

Linda van Tilburg (05:47)

What skills is the UK now looking for?  

Saskia Johnston (06:05)

The list is still broad. Keir Starmer’s recent white paper has shortened the occupation list of skills that can be sponsored, but for highly skilled migrants, there are still viable occupation codes available.  For example, engineers remain in very high demand, and one area where South African professionals have a particular edge is fire engineering. Since the Grenfell tragedy, UK fire safety regulations have changed significantly, and South African fire engineers meet many of the new requirements.  

Broadly speaking, any skilled migrant whose expertise is difficult to find in the UK has a feasible pathway to moving under this system.  

Linda van Tilburg (06:06)

With restrictions like carers no longer being able to bring families, what skills is the UK looking for?

Saskia Johnston (06:07)

The occupation list for sponsored skills is shrinking, but highly skilled roles like engineers, especially South African fire engineers, are in high demand due to updated UK fire safety regulations post-Grenfell. Any skilled migrant with expertise that’s hard to find in the UK can still find opportunities.

Linda van Tilburg (07:03.018)

So, what should an entrepreneur do? How should they position themselves for this?  

Saskia Johnston (07:09.739)

I think the first step is market research - looking at the UK market and assessing whether their business has a competitive role to play. Once they’ve analysed their business plan and forecasted for the first few years, they can then look at obtaining a UK Expansion Worker licence and redeploying staff.  

The advantage of this route is that, in terms of UK presence, all a South African or foreign business needs to do is incorporate a UK entity. There’s no need for additional logistical setups for the route to be viable. All the Home Office’s due diligence is based on the foreign entity. For example, if it’s a South African business, they will examine the company’s website, tax returns, and financial records to assess its viability before granting the Expansion Worker licence.  

Linda van Tilburg (08:05.227)

What strategies have helped previous companies succeed in market expansion?  

Saskia Johnston (08:09.357)

The first step is assessing whether there’s a real space for their business in the UK market. There are many ambitious South African entrepreneurs with innovative products or services that don’t yet exist in the UK - those businesses often scale rapidly once they enter the market.  If they can leverage migrant or international workers, it gives them a significant competitive edge, particularly in industries where local skills are scarce.  

Linda van Tilburg (08:41.707)

When governments announce immigration changes, how does it affect businesses? Do they rush to act before the rules tighten further?  

Saskia Johnston (08:55.693)

These changes have made it considerably harder for very small businesses, micro-enterprises, or startups that haven’t been operating for long.  What we’re seeing is a shift - previously, smaller businesses had more flexibility to expand into the UK, whereas now, the focus has moved toward more established foreign businesses. The likelihood of them securing a footprint in the UK market, employing local talent, and running a sustainable operation is much higher. The reality is that these reforms have made it much more difficult for newer, smaller entities.  

Linda van Tilburg (09:37.023)

Will these reforms favour early movers, or should we expect more disruptions?  

Saskia Johnston (09:43.894)

The immigration landscape is continuously evolving, and the goalposts keep shifting. The white paper that was released still needs to go through consultation before it becomes law, but we can absolutely expect further immigration reforms in the UK in the coming years.  

At the moment, this route is one of the most viable options for foreign businesses looking to expand into the UK. It presents a fantastic opportunity for entrepreneurs wanting to take the next step in their global business strategy.  

Linda van Tilburg (10:21.984)

Let’s talk about the skills gap in the UK. I’ve spoken to entrepreneurs who say they struggle to find workers - if you moved a large restaurant over, for example, staffing is an issue? Could South Africans benefit from this shortage?  

Saskia Johnston (10:44.429)

From 2021 until June of last year, yes. Post-Brexit, the Home Office expanded the list of occupations eligible for sponsorship, particularly in hospitality. Roles such as chefs, hospitality managers, and bar managers could all be sponsored.  However, the UK government is now tightening restrictions, reverting to a pre-2021 immigration approach. Businesses now need to prove to the Home Office that no suitable candidates are available locally before sponsoring foreign workers.  We anticipate the return of the Resident Labour Market Test, which existed before January 2021. While this hasn’t come back into effect yet, it’s expected to be reinstated.  

For businesses struggling to recruit in the UK, it’s still possible to sponsor workers under the Skilled Worker visa, but they should act quickly before any additional reforms are passed. Employers will also need to show they’ve attempted local recruitment first.  

Additionally, the Home Office is considering introducing training programmes for UK businesses - meaning, for example, a South African restaurant bringing in two sponsored chefs might need to hire and train a local chef as part of the process. While this isn’t law yet, we expect it could become a future requirement.  

Linda van Tilburg (12:23.048)

What about care workers? There are many South African care workers in the UK - what’s their status under the new rules?  

Saskia Johnston (12:29.037)

The care sector has been under intense scrutiny over the past year. Unfortunately, between 2021 and 2024, this route was widely abused - many businesses went through the sponsorship process for care workers but weren’t legitimate operations.  

As a result, there’s now a high number of displaced care workers in the UK who arrived under sponsorship programmes that no longer exist. The Home Office is trying to direct UK employers toward hiring from this displaced pool rather than bringing in new foreign workers.  We don’t expect the government to reverse its stance on this - there’s no indication they’ll reopen this route as freely as it was between 2021 and 2024.  

Linda van Tilburg (13:35.368)

What’s your top advice for entrepreneurs considering a move to the UK?  

Saskia Johnston (13:39.149)

Explore the market. The businesses that have successfully used this route now have thriving UK operations and enjoy the benefits of earning in pounds sterling. This route provides a great opportunity to hedge a business’s revenue portfolio with a hard currency. But with immigration tightening, foreign entrepreneurs should seize the opportunity now before further restrictions come into play.