A Tier 2 Intra-Company Transfer Visa (ICT) is granted to an applicant under the Long Term Staff sub-category for a period of up to three years and has a chance of being extended for an additional two years, or more in certain cases. However, you cannot get an extension if you have lived there for a total of five years under this visa category and you will have to wait twelve months from expiry date to re-apply for another.
So, if your Tier 2 ICT Visa is about to expire, it is possible to extend it your visa and continue working. You can hire the services of a good L1 Visa Lawyer to help you get through this.
Before You Apply:
In order to submit your application for your extension of Tier 2 ICT visa, you must apply before your current visa expires. It is essential that you keep an eye on the dates of your visa so that you can apply for the extension before your current visa has expired. By doing so, you can continue working for your current employer, while waiting for your extension to be pending. This helps prevent any breach in service owing to pending visa extension. Make sure that you do not leave the country before application and are currently residing within the UK when you apply.
Get Your Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS)
In order to get an extension of your visa, you will need to prove to the authorities that you are still gainfully employed in the country. For this, you will have to submit an application with your employer to obtain an unrestricted Certificate of Sponsorship. Your employer is not legally required to make you go through a new Resident Labour Market Test before giving you your new CoS, however it depends on the company policy and you might have to take it, as per their regulations.
Other requirements
Other than proving your status as gainfully employed as well as providing documentation of your salary, you might have to meet certain requirements in English, to prove your skillfulness in language, in order to get an extension on your visa. This is requires for people who are applying for the extension in the long-term sub-category.
Dependent declaration
During application for an extension you are required to include any and all dependants with you, who have been on your current visa. Make sure you do not forget include any children who were included in your visa, but have already turned 18 during the period of your stay in the country.
Extension Fees
Lastly, once everything is arranged for, you would need to pay a fee to get your visa extension. Currently this fee ranges from £427 to £1408, depending on your kind and length of extension you are applying for, as well as your nationality of origin. You are required to pay an additional fee of £482 to £1408 for each dependent on your visa.
After your application for an extension of your Tier 2 ICT visa, you will have to wait for a period of up to eight weeks to get the extension approved. For priority and super priority applications, you can get it within 2-5 days or even on the same day itself.