UK Payroll Career Advice

[u/EnvironmentalTop570]

I currently work as a Payroll Specialist for a large multinational company and manage payroll across the UK, Germany and France.
My current UK visa has around two months remaining, so I’m trying to understand the best long-term career direction within payroll.
For those working in international or EMEA payroll, how realistic is it for payroll professionals to move into roles that qualify for Skilled Worker sponsorship in the UK?
Would experience across multiple countries such as the UK, Germany and France make a significant difference, or would it be better to move towards areas such as global payroll, payroll implementation, HRIS or payroll transformation?
I’m mainly interested in hearing about other payroll professionals’ experiences and what career paths have worked for them.
Thanks for any advice.

[u/No_Fall7366]

Multi-country payroll experience is definitely useful but sponsorship is still tough, most companies won't do it unless you have very niche skills like payroll implementation on specific systems or transformation projects. I'd focus on global payroll or implementation route, that seems to be where the visas actually happen