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How an Indian Construction Director Moved His Business and Family to the UK

How AY&J helped Mr Lalmalsawma, an Indian construction director, set up a UK company, secure a sponsor licence and a 5-year Skilled Worker visa.
Points Based Immigration System
Family with a suitcase walking along a London street after moving to the UK

Background

Mr Lalmalsawma is a successful businessman in the construction industry in India. He wanted to expand his business into Europe, and he and his family chose the UK as both their new home and their European base.

He wanted to own his UK company outright, act as its director, and live and work in the UK with his family. In the longer term, the family hoped to settle in the UK.

The Tier 1 Entrepreneur and Tier 1 Investor visas had already closed, so the older business routes were not open to him. Other advisers had told him there was no UK visa that would let him own and run his own company.

How we helped

Mr Lalmalsawma found us online and booked a paid initial consultation with one of our solicitors. We reviewed his background and his business plans, and set out a three-stage plan.

  1. Set up the UK company. We worked with a chartered accountant to establish his UK business.
  2. Apply for a sponsor licence. We prepared and submitted the company's Skilled Worker sponsor licence application.
  3. Apply for the visas. We prepared the Skilled Worker visa application for Mr Lalmalsawma and the dependant applications for his family.

The Home Office approved the sponsor licence quickly, without a compliance visit. The company then obtained a defined Certificate of Sponsorship and assigned it to Mr Lalmalsawma for five years.

At no stage was he called for a Home Office interview, and none of the applications was delayed.

Result

Mr Lalmalsawma was granted a Skilled Worker visa for five years. He now lives in the UK with his family and runs his company as its director.

What has changed since this case

This case was decided in 2023. The Skilled Worker rules have tightened since then:

  • Skill level: since July 2025, most new roles must be at degree level (RQF 6).
  • Salary: the general minimum salary for new applicants is now £41,700, or the going rate for the job if higher.
  • Settlement: the government has proposed an "earned settlement" model with a longer, 10-year baseline. At the time of writing, it is not yet in the Immigration Rules.

Any business planning to sponsor overseas staff today should check its roles and salaries against the current rules before applying.

Planning to bring your business to the UK?

AY&J Solicitors is SRA-regulated and ranked by The Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners. We help overseas businesses set up in the UK, secure sponsor licences, and move key people and their families. To find the route that fits your business, book a free discovery call with our visa experts.

Written and legally reviewed by Sunny Sandhu, Head of Legal Operations, AY&J Solicitors. SRA regulated, Legal 500, Chambers and Partners. Last reviewed: 22 October 2026.