According to government officials quoted by Outlook Business today, the long-awaited UK–India Free Trade Agreement will provisionally enter into force in early April 2026 after both parliaments completed ratification last week. The 2,000-page pact not only slashes tariffs but introduces the most extensive mobility chapter the UK has negotiated since Brexit.
Key provisions include: • 90-day visa-free stays for short-term business visitors engaged in market research, trade fairs or after-sales service; • four-year visas for intra-corporate transferees with a light-touch documentation list and no cooling-off period; • mutual recognition of professional qualifications in engineering, architecture and accountancy; and • dependent spouses authorised to work without a separate permit.
For organisations and travellers preparing to use these new routes, VisaHQ’s UK portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) offers an end-to-end solution to check eligibility, generate document checklists, submit applications and monitor progress—making it easier to meet the FTA’s tight 10-day processing benchmarks.
![UK–India FTA set to start in April with sweeping mobility concessions for business visitors and dependants]()
Crucially, the agreement caps processing times at 10 calendar days for 95 % of eligible applications, a standard that outpaces existing UK Service Level Agreements for Skilled Worker visas. Both countries will also open dedicated FTA helpdesks to troubleshoot assignment issues in real time.
Mobility specialists hail the deal as a “game-changer” for UK firms with Indian operations, but note several caveats: the concessions apply only to staff who have worked for the sending entity for at least six months, and salary floors will still reference the UK’s Immigration Salary List. In addition, the dependent-work authorisation hinges on the main applicant earning at least the going rate for the role.
HM Revenue & Customs will shortly publish guidance on how the FTA interacts with the new social-security agreement, expected to save employers around £6,000 per secondee per year. Global mobility teams should update cost-projection models and plan awareness sessions for line managers eager to deploy talent quickly once the agreement goes live.
Key provisions include: • 90-day visa-free stays for short-term business visitors engaged in market research, trade fairs or after-sales service; • four-year visas for intra-corporate transferees with a light-touch documentation list and no cooling-off period; • mutual recognition of professional qualifications in engineering, architecture and accountancy; and • dependent spouses authorised to work without a separate permit.
For organisations and travellers preparing to use these new routes, VisaHQ’s UK portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) offers an end-to-end solution to check eligibility, generate document checklists, submit applications and monitor progress—making it easier to meet the FTA’s tight 10-day processing benchmarks.
Crucially, the agreement caps processing times at 10 calendar days for 95 % of eligible applications, a standard that outpaces existing UK Service Level Agreements for Skilled Worker visas. Both countries will also open dedicated FTA helpdesks to troubleshoot assignment issues in real time.
Mobility specialists hail the deal as a “game-changer” for UK firms with Indian operations, but note several caveats: the concessions apply only to staff who have worked for the sending entity for at least six months, and salary floors will still reference the UK’s Immigration Salary List. In addition, the dependent-work authorisation hinges on the main applicant earning at least the going rate for the role.
HM Revenue & Customs will shortly publish guidance on how the FTA interacts with the new social-security agreement, expected to save employers around £6,000 per secondee per year. Global mobility teams should update cost-projection models and plan awareness sessions for line managers eager to deploy talent quickly once the agreement goes live.
