Mexican nationals and Mexico-based businesses can now use the UK Global Business Mobility (GBM) Service Supplier visa. The Home Office updated its eligible-trade-agreements list on 22 June 2026 to add Mexico to "Table C: location of the business", tagging the change in the GOV.UK version history as "22 June 2026 — Mexico added to table C." For Mexican professionals in covered sectors — accounting, legal advisory, architecture, engineering, management consulting, translation, urban planning and others — this opens the UK as a short-term posting destination under CPTPP commitments, without going through the Skilled Worker route.
Background
The Service Supplier visa is the Global Business Mobility route for two types of cross-border worker: employees of an overseas service provider delivering a contract in the UK (contractual service suppliers), and self-employed professionals working independently (independent professionals). Both paths require the underlying work to fall inside a sector covered by one of the UK's international trade agreements. Mexico is one of the eleven original CPTPP members. The UK joined CPTPP on 15 December 2024, but the accession protocol with Mexico only entered into force on 22 June 2026 — 60 days after Mexico deposited its instrument of ratification on 23 April 2026. That is the trigger for the Table C addition: once the protocol was live with Mexico, the Home Office updated the visa route to reflect it.
What exactly changed
Table C of the Service Supplier guidance lists the countries whose ratification of the UK's CPTPP accession makes the Service Supplier route available. Until 22 June, Table C listed eight countries: Japan, New Zealand, Vietnam, Chile, Malaysia, Brunei, Peru, and Australia. After the update it lists nine, adding Mexico. No other conditions changed: salary thresholds, the 6- or 12-month stay limits, and the sector eligibility requirements are identical to those that already applied to the other CPTPP members in Table C.
Before vs after
- Before 22 June 2026: Mexican nationals and Mexico-based businesses not in Table C — no CPTPP-anchored Service Supplier route available to them.
- From 22 June 2026: Mexico in Table C alongside Australia, Brunei, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, and Vietnam. Mexican contractual service suppliers can now be sponsored into the UK; Mexican independent professionals can apply directly.
- Unchanged: the worker must be sponsored by a UK GBM-licensed sponsor (employees) or hold qualifying eligibility evidence (self-employed); the service must fall in a CPTPP-covered sector from Table A or B; the worker must be a Mexican national. The 6- or 12-month stay caps and the no-settlement feature of the route are unchanged.
Who it affects and what to do
Three groups should take note. First, Mexican professionals employed by a Mexican firm with a UK contract in a covered sector — a consultancy, architecture or engineering practice, translation firm, or tech services company — who now have a lighter-weight route than Skilled Worker sponsorship. Second, Mexican self-employed professionals who want to take a UK assignment in one of the covered sectors. Third, UK GBM-sponsor employers who want to bring a Mexican contractor onto a short-term UK engagement without a full Skilled Worker licence. If you fall into one of these groups: confirm your sector is listed under CPTPP Table A (employees) or Table B (self-employed) on GOV.UK, confirm you meet the nationality and residence requirements, and — for employees — ensure the UK entity has GBM sponsor status before applying. This route does not lead to UK settlement. The maximum stay is 6 or 12 months depending on the specific CPTPP commitment; plan accordingly.
When it takes effect
The change is in effect from 22 June 2026, the date of the GOV.UK page update. No separate commencement order — the operative step for Service Supplier eligibility is Mexico's appearance in Table C of the live guidance document.
Key Takeaway
From 22 June 2026, Mexican service suppliers and self-employed professionals in covered sectors can use the UK's CPTPP-anchored Service Supplier visa — 18 months after the UK joined CPTPP, triggered by Mexico's ratification of the UK's accession entering into force on the same date.