India-UK Trade Deal Visas: What Changes for Indian Workers and Businesses

The India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, often called the India-UK free trade agreement, came into force on 15 July 2026. In October, more than 100 British businesses travelled to India on the first UK trade mission since then. According to the Department for Business and Trade, deals worth nearly £12 billion have been announced since the agreement was signed.

As featured in Eastern Eye

The headlines have been about whisky, cars and textiles. But every one of those deals depends on people. An Indian IT firm that wins a UK contract needs engineers on site. A restaurant group needs an experienced chef. A UK buyer may want to bring an Indian team leader to London for a year.

So businesses keep asking the same question: what do India-UK trade deal visas actually look like, and what has stayed the same? Our Senior Immigration Associate, Parvez Khan, explained the answer in Eastern Eye. This guide sets it out in more detail for any business planning to move staff from India to the UK.

The short answer

In short, India-UK trade deal visas are not new visas. The agreement protects and widens the UK's existing routes for Indian businesses.

• Professionals and IT staff still come through the UK's Global Business Mobility routes, now with more certainty.
• Chefs, yoga instructors and classical musicians share 1,800 new places a year.
• Indian employees on temporary UK assignments can stay in India's social security system for longer.
• Settlement, family visas and Skilled Worker rules have not changed.

Which visas can Indian professionals and IT staff use?

The India-UK free trade agreement opens 137 services sub-sectors in the UK to Indian businesses. It covers business visitors, intra-company transferees, investors, contractual service suppliers and independent professionals.

For most firms, India-UK trade deal visas mean one of the UK's existing Global Business Mobility routes. The deal does not replace them. It locks them in, so they cannot easily be narrowed for Indian businesses, and it widens them a little.

Each Global Business Mobility visa needs a UK sponsor. Choosing the wrong one is one of the most common mistakes we see. A worker who comes as a business visitor and then starts delivering project work for a UK client is breaking the visa rules, and so is the business that sent them.

What does the deal mean for Indian chefs?

For many British Asian businesses, this is the most practical part of the deal. The UK has agreed to 1,800 places a year for Indian traditional chefs, yoga instructors and classical musicians, shared across all three.

For restaurant owners looking into an Indian chefs UK visa, this matters. Since 22 July 2025, employers have not been able to sponsor new chefs on the Skilled Worker route. The trade deal places run through the Service Supplier visa instead. The chef works for an Indian company that holds a contract with the UK business, and can stay for up to 12 months. The places are limited, so businesses should prepare early.

Is there a National Insurance saving?

Yes. A separate agreement, the Double Contributions Convention, came into force on the same day. Indian employees on temporary UK assignments, and their employers, can stay in India's social security system instead of paying UK National Insurance. The exemption now lasts up to five years, up from three.

The Indian government expects more than 75,000 professionals and over 900 Indian companies to benefit. For a firm sending engineers to the UK, this can lower the cost of each assignment.

What have India-UK trade deal visas not changed?

Some expectations have run ahead of the detail. India-UK trade deal visas do not:

• create a new route to settle permanently in the UK
• change the family visa rules or the income needed to bring a spouse or parent
• remove the salary thresholds or sponsor licence rules for Skilled Worker visas
• let staff switch freely between employers on Global Business Mobility visas

What should businesses do now?

For Indian companies sending staff to the UK, and for British Asian businesses hiring from India, four steps make the biggest difference:

1. Match each worker to the right route. Each route has different rules on salary, length of stay and the work allowed. For example, an Indian chefs UK visa under the trade deal runs through the Service Supplier route, not the Skilled Worker route.
2. Check your sponsor licence. A UK branch or client that sponsors workers needs a valid licence. According to Home Office figures, around 3,100 sponsor licences were revoked in 2025, the highest number since records began in 2012.
3. Budget for the full cost. Visa fees, the Immigration Health Surcharge and the Immigration Skills Charge can add several thousand pounds per worker, even with the National Insurance saving.
4. Keep records from day one. Sponsors must report many changes to the Home Office within 10 working days.

How can AY&J Solicitors help?

AY&J Solicitors advises Indian and British businesses on sponsorship, staff transfers and India-UK trade deal visas. Our business immigration team can help you:

• choose the right Global Business Mobility route for each worker, from the Service Supplier visa to the UK Expansion Worker visa
• apply for a sponsor licence or add a new route to an existing one
• prepare visa applications for staff moving from India
• run compliance checks so a growing UK team does not put the licence at risk

Frequently asked questions

Are India-UK trade deal visas a new type of visa?

No. The agreement uses the UK's existing routes, such as the Service Supplier and Senior or Specialist Worker visas. It protects them for Indian businesses and widens them in some sectors.

How many Indian chefs can come to the UK under the trade deal?

Up to 1,800 places are available each year, shared between traditional chefs, yoga instructors and classical musicians.

How long can a contractual service supplier stay in the UK?

Usually up to 12 months, to deliver a registered contract for a UK client.

Does the trade deal lead to settlement in the UK?

No. It does not create a new route to settle permanently in the UK.

Do Indian employees still pay UK National Insurance?

Under the Double Contributions Convention, Indian employees on temporary UK assignments can stay in India's social security system for up to five years instead.

Speak to our team

If your business plans to send or hire staff from India, contact AY&J Solicitors. We will explain which India-UK trade deal visas suit your staff and help you find the right route.

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