A Skilled Worker visa allows you to come to or stay in the UK to do an eligible job with an approved employer.
This visa has replaced the Tier 2 (General) work visa.
It also allows you to work in UK waters.
To qualify for a Skilled Worker visa, you must:
The specific eligibility depends on your job.
You must have a confirmed job offer before you apply for your visa.
You must be able to speak, read, write and understand English. You’ll usually need to prove your knowledge of English when you apply.
You may be eligible for another type of visa to work in the UK.
Your visa can last for up to 5 years before you need to extend it. You’ll need to apply to extend or update your visa when it expires or if you change jobs or employer.
You can apply to extend your visa as many times as you like as long as you still meet the eligibility requirements.
After 5 years, you may be able to apply to settle permanently in the UK (also known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’). This gives you the right to live, work and study here for as long as you like, and apply for benefits if you’re eligible.
You must apply online.
How you apply depends on whether you’re:
If you want to change your job or employer, you must apply to update your visa.
Your partner and children can apply to join you or stay in the UK as your ‘dependants’ if they’re eligible.
You can apply for a visa up to 3 months before the day you are due to start work in the UK. This date is listed on your certificate of sponsorship.
As part of your application, you’ll need to prove your identity and provide your documents.
You may need to allow extra time if you need an appointment to do this. You’ll find out if you need one when you start your application.
Once you’ve applied online, proved your identity and provided your documents, you’ll usually get a decision on your visa within:
You may be able to pay to get a faster decision. How you do this depends on whether you’re outside the UK or inside the UK.
You, your partner or children will each need to:
Check how much money you’ll need.
If you’re a doctor or nurse, or you work in health or adult social care, check if you’re eligible to apply for the Health and Care Worker visa instead. It’s cheaper to apply for and you do not need to pay the annual immigration health surcharge.
With a Skilled Worker visa you can:
You cannot:
If your application is successful, you’ll get a full list of what you can and cannot do with a Skilled Worker visa.
You must meet all of the following requirements to be eligible for a Skilled Worker visa:
The minimum salary for the type of work you’ll be doing is whichever is the highest out of the following 3 options:
Your employer must make sure your job pays at least the minimum wage and follows the UK rules for how many hours a week you work. If your employer does not do this, your application will be refused.
Before you can find out if your job is eligible, you need to know its 4-digit occupation code.
If you already have a job offer, ask your employer for your occupation code.
If you do not know your code, you can search for your job in the ONS occupation coding tool.
Not every job title is included. If you cannot find your exact job title, try searching for similar jobs.
Make sure the job description matches what you’ll be doing. Some similar jobs have different codes, for example chefs and cooks. Chefs are eligible for a Skilled Worker visa, but cooks are not.
When you know your occupation code, view the table of eligible jobs to see if it’s included.
The table is very large. It’s sorted in order of occupation code, with the smallest numbers at the top. You may be able to use your web browser to search for your code on the page.
You’ll usually need to be paid at least £26,200 per year or £10.75 per hour, whichever is higher. If the ‘going rate’ for your job is higher than both of these, you’ll usually need to be paid at least the going rate.
Example
Your salary is £27,000 per year, but the annual going rate for the job you’ll be doing is £30,000. You do not meet the usual salary requirements for this visa.
Each occupation code has its own annual going rate. Check the going rate for your job in the going rates table.
There are different salary rules if you work in some healthcare or education jobs, where the going rate is based on national pay scales.
If you do not meet the usual salary requirements, and you do not work in healthcare or education, you might still be eligible if your salary will be at least £20,960 per year and at least £10.75 per hour.
Check when you can be paid less.
You must have a job offer from an approved UK employer before you apply for a Skilled Worker visa. Approved employers are also known as sponsors, because they are sponsoring you to come to or stay in the UK.
View the list of approved UK employers.
If your employer is not currently approved, they can apply for a sponsor licence if they’re eligible.
They’ll need to pay a fee – £536 for small businesses and charities or £1,476 for medium and large organisations. It usually takes around 8 weeks to process a licence application.
Your employer – also known as your sponsor – will check that you meet the eligibility requirements. They’ll give you a ‘certificate of sponsorship’ to prove this.
The certificate of sponsorship is an electronic record, not a physical document. It will have a reference number, which you’ll need for your visa application.
You must apply for your visa within 3 months of getting your certificate of sponsorship.
Check which documents you’ll need to apply.
You might still be able to apply for a Skilled Worker visa if your job is eligible but your salary is less than £26,200 or your job’s usual ‘going rate’. You must still be paid at least £10.75 per hour.
You can be paid between 70% and 90% of the usual going rate for your job if your salary is at least £20,960 per year and you meet one of the following criteria:
There are different salary rules if you work in some healthcare or education jobs.
A ‘shortage occupation’ is a skilled job where there is a shortage of workers in the UK.
If your job is on the shortage occupation list, you can:
View the shortage occupations list to see if your job is included and how much you’ll need to be paid.
Make sure you check there’s a shortage in the part of the UK you’ll be working in – England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
You can be paid 70% of your job’s usual going rate if one of the following applies:
If this applies to you, check how much you’ll need to be paid to qualify for this visa.
Your total stay in the UK cannot be more than 4 years if you apply for one of these reasons. This includes any time you’ve already spent in the UK on a Tier 2 (General) work visa.
If your job is eligible for a PhD salary discount, you can be paid 80% or 90% of the job’s usual going rate, depending on which subject you are qualified in.
If you have a science, technology, engineering or maths (STEM) qualification, you can be paid 80% of your job’s usual going rate, as long as you will still be paid at least £20,960 per year.
If you have a non-STEM qualification, you can be paid 90% of your job’s usual going rate, as long as you will still be paid at least £23,580 a year.
In both situations, you must:
View the list of jobs that qualify for a PhD salary discount to see if your job is included and how much you need to be paid.
If you’re a research or academic leader, you may also be eligible to apply for the Global Talent visa. This visa has no language or minimum salary requirements.
You can be paid 70% of your job’s usual going rate if you’ll be working in a postdoctoral position in certain science or higher education roles.
Your job must be in one of the following occupation codes to qualify for this salary discount:
If this applies to you, check how much you’ll need to be paid to qualify for this visa.
Your total stay in the UK cannot be more than 4 years if you apply to work in a postdoctoral position at 70% of the usual going rate. This includes any time you’ve already spent in the UK on a Tier 2 (General) work visa.
There are different salary rules if you work in some healthcare or education jobs. Your salary must be at least £20,960 – or more if your job’s ‘going rate’ is higher.
The going rates for these jobs are based on the national pay scales set by the relevant independent body, for example the NHS.
View the list of eligible healthcare and education jobs to see if your job is included.
If your job is on the list, your salary must be at least the national pay scale rate for the job you’ll be doing.
These going rates apply whether you’ll be working in the public or private sector.
Check how much you’ll need to be paid in the:
Ask your employer if you’re not sure what your role or pay band will be.
You and your family will pay a lower application fee if your job is in a shortage occupation.
View the list of healthcare and education shortage occupations to see if your job is included.
Make sure you check there’s a shortage in the part of the UK you’ll be working in – England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
If your job is on the list, the reduced fee for each person applying is:
The fee is the same whether you’re applying from inside or outside the UK.
You’ll also need to pay the healthcare surcharge and prove you can support yourself in the UK – check how much money you’ll need.
You’ll usually need to prove your knowledge of the English language when you apply, unless you did this in a previous successful visa application.
You must prove you can read, write, speak and understand English to at least level B1 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) scale.
You can prove your knowledge of English by:
You do not need to prove your knowledge of English if you’re a national of one of the following countries or territories:
You do not need to prove your knowledge of English if you’ve already passed an English Language assessment that is accepted by the relevant regulated professional body.
If you’re a vet, you may need to prove that you passed an English Language assessment with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.
When you apply for a Skilled Worker visa, you’ll need to have enough money to:
You’ll pay a lower application fee if your job is on the shortage occupation list.
You’ll be told how much you need to pay when you apply.
For example, you’re applying to come to the UK from Argentina for 2 years on a Skilled Worker visa.
Your job is not in a shortage occupation so your visa will cost £719, plus £1,035 for each year of your stay for the healthcare surcharge. This means you’ll pay a total of £2,789 when you apply for your visa.
You’ll also need to prove you have £1,270 available to support yourself in the UK if your employer cannot cover these costs.
If you’re applying from outside the UK, the standard fee depends on whether you’ll be in the UK for:
If you’re applying from inside the UK to extend, switch or update your visa, the standard fee depends on whether you’ll be in the UK for:
You and your family will pay a lower application fee if your job is on the shortage occupation list.
The fee for each person applying is:
The fee is the same whether you’re applying from inside or outside the UK.
There’s a different list of shortage occupations if you work in healthcare or education.
You’ll also have to pay the healthcare surcharge for each year of your stay – this is usually £1,035 per year. Check how much you’ll have to pay before you apply.
You must have at least £1,270 in your bank account to show you can support yourself in the UK.
You will need to have had the money available for at least 28 days in a row. Day 28 must be within 31 days of applying for this visa.
You’ll usually need to show proof of this when you apply, unless either:
Your partner and children will also need to prove they can support themselves while they’re in the UK. Check how much they’ll need.
Read the guidance on financial evidence for more information about the money you need and how to prove it.
Your certificate of sponsorship must confirm this. Your employer will need to complete the ‘sponsor certifies maintenance’ section on your certificate. This is under ‘Additional data’.
When you apply you’ll need to provide:
Ask your employer for a copy of your certificate of sponsorship if you do not have one.
Depending on your circumstances, you might be asked to provide:
You’ll need a blank page in your passport for your visa if you’re:
If your documents are not in English or Welsh you’ll also need to provide a certified translation.
You’ll need to provide a criminal record certificate if you’re applying from outside the UK and you work in:
Check how to apply for criminal records checks.
If you work in healthcare, you might be able to apply for the Health and Care Worker visa instead.
You might need to provide a certificate from each country you’ve lived in, depending on your age and how long you stayed in each country.
If you’re under 28, you’ll need a certificate from any country you’ve stayed in for a total of 12 months or more since you turned 18.
If you’re 28 or over, you’ll need a certificate from any country you’ve stayed in over the last 10 years.
You can apply online once your documents are ready.
How you apply depends on whether you’re:
If you’ve read the guidance and you’re not sure if you’re eligible, you can use a Home Office checker tool. You’ll be asked to confirm that you meet all of the eligibility requirements.
You must apply online for a Skilled Worker visa.
Check which documents you’ll need to apply.
As part of your application, you’ll need to prove your identity. How you do this depends on where you’re from and what type of passport you have.
You’ll either:
You’ll be told what you need to do when you apply.
If you do need an appointment:
Once you’ve started your application, you can save your form and complete it later.
Find out how to sign in to your account.
Once you’ve applied online, proved your identity and provided your documents, you’ll usually get a decision within 3 weeks.
You’ll be contacted if your application will take longer, for example because:
You may be able to pay to get a faster decision – you’ll be told if you can when you apply.
You can ask to cancel your application. You’ll only get your fee refunded if UKVI has not started processing your application.
You’ll get an email containing the decision on your application. This will explain what you need to do next.
Your partner and children can also apply to join you or stay in the UK as your ‘dependants’ if they’re eligible. They’ll need to complete separate applications.
If your partner or child’s application is successful, their visa will usually end on the same date as yours. If a child’s parents have visas with different expiry dates, the child’s visa will end on the earlier date.
A dependant partner or child is any of the following:
You’ll need to provide evidence of your relationship to your dependant when you apply.
If you’re the first person in your family to apply, you can get a ‘family linking code’ to connect your applications together. Your family members can enter the same code when they apply.
You must be able to prove one of the following:
If you’re not living together, you’ll need to prove that you have an ongoing commitment to each other, for example by providing evidence that you:
They must:
You’ll need to provide evidence of their address, such as:
Your partner and children must have a certain amount of money available to support themselves while they’re in the UK.
You – or your partner or child – will need:
Example
You – or your partner or child – would need to have £600 to bring your partner and one child with you to the UK (£285 for your partner and £315 for your child).
You would also need to have £1,270 available to support yourself for your own application.
You – or your partner or child – will need to have had the money available for at least 28 days in a row. Day 28 must be within 31 days of you or them applying for this visa.
You’ll usually need to show proof of this when they apply, unless either:
If your partner or child is applying at a different time to you, they’ll only need to prove they have enough money to support themselves if they have been in the UK for less than 1 year.
Your partner and children must either:
Each family member will need to complete a separate application and pay the visa fee. They must apply before they travel to the UK.
They’ll need your application number – you’ll get this when you apply. This number is called a Global Web Form (GWF) or a Unique Application Number (UAN). You’ll find it on emails and letters from the Home Office about your application.
They can also enter a ‘family linking code’ if you got one when you applied. This will connect your applications.
As part of an application, your partner and children will need to prove their identity.
They’ll either:
They’ll be told what they need to do when they apply.
If they do need an appointment:
Once they’ve applied online, proved their identity and provided their documents, they’ll usually get a decision within 3 weeks.
They may be able to pay to get a faster decision – they’ll be told if they can when they apply.
If you extend or switch your visa, your partner or child’s current visa will still be valid until its original end date. Your partner or child need to apply to extend or switch their visa, either:
This includes children who have turned 18 during your stay.
Your partner or children cannot apply to switch to your Skilled Worker visa as your dependants if they are currently in the UK:
If your partner or child is currently in the UK on a Student visa, they can only switch if they have either:
The application form will tell you if you can include your partner and children in your application or whether they need to apply separately.
If your partner or child apply separately, they’ll need to either:
They’ll need your application number – you’ll get this when you apply. This number is called a Global Web Form (GWF) or a Unique Application Number (UAN). You’ll find it on emails and letters from the Home Office about your application.
They can also enter a ‘family linking code’ if you got one when you applied. This will connect your applications.
As part of their application, your partner and children will need to prove their identity. They’ll either:
They’ll be told what they need to do when they apply.
They must not travel outside of the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until they get a decision. Their application will be withdrawn if they do.
Once they’ve applied online, proved their identity and provided their documents, they’ll usually get a decision within 8 weeks.
They may be able to pay to get a faster decision – they’ll be told if they can when they apply.
If you have a child while you’re in the UK, they do not automatically become a British citizen.
You must apply for your child’s dependant visa if you want to travel in and out of the UK with them.
The form you fill in depends on whether your child is inside or outside the UK. Your child must either:
You’ll need to provide a full UK birth certificate for each child, showing the names of both parents.
You must apply for their dependant visa before they turn 18 if they want to stay in the UK.
Your partner or child can:
They cannot apply for most benefits (public funds), or the State Pension.
If their application is successful, they’ll get a full list of what they can and cannot do.
You can usually apply to extend a Skilled Worker visa or a Tier 2 (General) work visa if all of the following are true:
Your partner or child’s visa will not automatically extend if you extend yours. If they do not extend their visa, it will be valid until its original end date.
They can either apply at the same time as you, or at any time before their current visa expires.
You must not travel outside of the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you get a decision. Your application will be withdrawn if you do.
You may need to meet different eligibility requirements, depending on:
The requirements will apply if you either:
If you apply to extend before 24 May 2023, the minimum salary you’ll need to be paid is fixed at a lower rate. You’ll need to be paid at least £20,800 per year unless the ‘going rate’ for your job is higher than this.
If you apply to extend before 1 December 2026, you will still need to meet the new salary requirements, but your salary may also include allowances, such as London weighting. Any allowances must be guaranteed for the length of your stay.
The minimum salary requirement of £10.75 per hour or the going rate for the type of work you’ll be doing does not apply.
For some jobs, the going rate for the Skilled Worker visa is different.
Occupation code | Going rate for Skilled Worker visa | 90% of going rate (for relevant STEM PhD) | 80% of going rate (for relevant non-STEM PhD or shortage occupation) | 70% of going rate (for new entrants) |
---|---|---|---|---|
2113 Physical scientists | £29,000 (£13.94 per hour) | £26,100 (£12.55 per hour) | £23,200 (£11.15 per hour) | £20,300 (£9.76 per hour) |
2119 Natural and social science professionals | £29,000 (£13.94 per hour) | £26,100 (£12.55 per hour) | £23,200 (£11.15 per hour) | £20,300 (£9.76 per hour) |
2311 Higher education teaching professionals | £33,000 (£15.87 per hour) | £29,700 (14.28 per hour) | £26,400 (£12.69 per hour) | £23,100 (£11.11 per hour) |
You’ll need to apply to update your visa instead.
Check how much it costs for your type of visa.
You’ll also need to have your biometric information (fingerprints and a photo) taken. There’s no fee for this.
As part of your application you’ll need to prove your identity. How you do this depends on where you’re from and the type of passport or resident permit you have.
You’ll either:
You’ll be told what you need to do when you apply.
You must apply online before your current visa expires.
Once you’ve started your application, you can save your form and complete it later.
Find out how to sign in to your account.
You’ll usually get a decision within 8 weeks of your application date.
You’ll be contacted if your application will take longer, for example because:
You may be able to pay to get a faster decision – you’ll be told if you can when you apply.
If you need to change something in your application after you’ve sent it contact UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).
You can ask to cancel your application. You’ll only get your fee refunded if UKVI has not started processing your application.
You’ll get an email or a letter containing the decision on your application. This will explain what you need to do next.
You’ll need to apply to update your Skilled Worker or Tier 2 (General) work visa if:
You do not need to apply again if you stay in the same job, but your job is taken off the shortage occupation list.
If you’ll be doing a different job for your current employer, you only need to apply to update your visa if your new job is in a different occupation code.
Your partner or children will need to apply separately to update their visa. They can either apply at the same time as you, or at any time before their current visa expires.
Check how much it costs for your type of visa.
You’ll also need to have your biometric information (fingerprints and a photo) taken. There’s no fee for this.
Your new job must meet the eligibility requirements and you’ll need a new certificate of sponsorship to prove this.
You’ll only need to provide other evidence again if you’ve been in the UK for less than one year.
You must apply to update your visa if you take on a second job that is either:
Your second job must meet the eligibility requirements and you’ll need a new certificate of sponsorship to prove this.
You’ll also need to include a letter with your application explaining that you want to change your current permission to stay.
Your letter must state:
If your application is successful, you’ll get a new visa giving you permission to do both jobs.
You do not need to apply to update your visa if you’re taking on additional work in the same occupation code or you’ll be doing less than 20 paid hours a week.
You can apply to update your visa up to 3 months before the start date of your new job.
You can continue working in your current job while your new application is being considered, or to work out your notice period – as long as you apply before your current visa expires.
You should not start your new job until you’ve got confirmation of your new permission.
You must not travel outside of the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you get a decision. Your application will be withdrawn if you do.
As part of your application you’ll need to prove your identity. How you do this depends on where you’re from and the type of passport you have.
You’ll either:
You’ll be told what you need to do when you apply. You’ll also be told how to provide your supporting documents if you need to.
You must apply online.
Once you’ve started your application, you can save your form and complete it later.
Find out how to sign in to your account.
You’ll usually get a decision within 8 weeks of your application date.
You’ll be contacted if your application will take longer, for example because:
You may be able to pay to get a faster decision – you’ll be told if you can when you apply.
If you need to change something in your application after you’ve sent it contact UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).
You can ask to cancel your application. You’ll only get your fee refunded if UKVI has not started processing your application.
You’ll get an email or a letter containing the decision on your application. This will explain what you need to do next.
You might be able to apply to change (‘switch’) to a Skilled Worker visa if you’re already in the UK on a different type of visa.
Your partner or child’s visa will not automatically switch to this visa if you switch yours. If they do not switch their visa, it will be valid until its original end date.
They can either apply at the same time as you, or at any time before their current visa expires.
You must not travel outside of the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you get a decision. Your application will be withdrawn if you do.
You must meet the following requirements:
If you’re currently in the UK on a Student visa, you must also meet one of the following requirements:
You cannot apply to switch to this visa if you’re currently in the UK:
You must leave the UK and apply for a Skilled Worker visa from abroad if you’re in one of these categories.
Each person applying will need to pay:
You’ll also need to have your biometric information (fingerprints and a photo) taken. There’s no fee for this.
If you’ve been in the UK for less than 1 year, you’ll also need to prove you have enough money to support yourself.
As part of your application you’ll need to prove your identity.
How you do this depends on where you’re from and the type of passport you have.
You’ll either:
You’ll be told what you need to do when you apply.
You must apply online before your current visa expires.
Once you’ve started your application, you can save your form and complete it later.
Find out how to sign in to your account.
You’ll usually get a decision within 8 weeks of your application date.
You’ll be contacted if your application will take longer, for example because:
You may be able to pay to get a faster decision – you’ll be told if you can when you apply.
If you need to change something in your application after you’ve sent it contact UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).
You can ask to cancel your application. You’ll only get your fee refunded if UKVI has not started processing your application.
You’ll get an email or a letter containing the decision on your application. This will explain what you need to do next.
If you work overtime in the job you’re being sponsored for, you do not need to update your visa.
There’s no limit to how many hours of overtime you can do.
You can also work up to 20 hours a week in another job or for your own business, as long as you’re still doing the job you’re being sponsored for.
Your work must be either:
Check if your job is on the list of:
You can also do unpaid voluntary work.
You’ll need to apply to update your visa so that you’re being sponsored to do both jobs.
You’ll need to: