Canada's Businesses Shift Focus to UK Amid Trade War

Canadian businesses are rethinking their reliance on the US amid the escalating trade war and looking to expand into the UK instead. According to Sunny Sandhu, a London immigration lawyer with AY&J Solicitors, the UK offers lower costs and less red tape compared to American expansion visas.

The UK Expansion Worker visa is one option for companies with no UK presence, allowing senior managers or specialist employees from overseas businesses to set up a branch in the UK. Applicants must have traded in Canada for 12 months to three years and demonstrate that they are coming to expand their business and contribute to the UK economy.

Companies already trading in the UK can use the Senior or Specialist Worker visa to move existing staff between entities, which has no English language requirement but no path to settlement. The salary threshold for new Skilled Worker visa applications is currently £41,700, while expansion workers face a higher bar of at least £52,500 per year.