UK Skilled Worker visa
The Skilled Worker visa is a work permit issued on the strength of a Certificate of Sponsorship from a Home Office-approved employer. It replaced Tier 2 (General), and the job has to sit on the published list of eligible occupations.
2 dakikalık form · ücretsiz · kayıt gerekmez
- A job offer from an employer holding a Home Office sponsor licence.
- A Certificate of Sponsorship issued for that specific job.
- An occupation code that appears on the published eligible list.
- A salary meeting the rule set out in the next section.
- English at CEFR level B2 across reading, writing, speaking and listening.
A graduate finishing a UK degree holds a route that carries no sponsor; moving into long-term work in the UK means moving onto a sponsored route, and that is a different set of published conditions. For the post-study route itself, see the UK Graduate visa.
01
What is the Skilled Worker visa?
The Skilled Worker visa permits work in an occupation on the published eligible list, on the basis of a Certificate of Sponsorship issued by a Home Office-approved employer. Without that certificate the route is closed, whatever the applicant's qualifications.
The route replaced Tier 2 (General). The sponsoring employer, not the applicant, holds the licence: an employer without one cannot issue a Certificate of Sponsorship, and the Home Office publishes the register of licensed sponsors.
02
What conditions apply to a Skilled Worker visa?
GOV.UK publishes five: a job offer from an approved sponsor, a Certificate of Sponsorship, an occupation on the eligible list, the salary rule, and English at CEFR level B2. A regulated adviser assesses each case.
03
What is the Skilled Worker salary threshold?
The salary rule takes the higher of two figures: £41,700 a year and the published going rate for the job. The published example is a £42,000 salary in a role whose going rate is £45,000, which does not meet the requirement.
| Figure | Amount | How it applies |
|---|---|---|
| General threshold | £41,700 a year | The floor for the route |
| Going rate | Set per occupation code | Read from the published table |
| Rule | The higher of the two | Both have to be satisfied |
The going rate is published per occupation code rather than per employer, so two people with the same salary in different occupations reach different outcomes. Which code a job falls under is a question for the sponsoring employer and a regulated adviser.
Free starter report
Let us draw up your free starter report
Five short questions. In return you get a one-page report setting out the steps, the documents, the official fees and the timings for the route you chose, each with its source.
04
What are the steps in a Skilled Worker application?
GOV.UK publishes the order: a job offer and a Certificate of Sponsorship, the online form, payment of the fee and the healthcare surcharge, identity verification, and uploading the documents. The clock starts once all of that is complete.
- The employer issues a Certificate of Sponsorship for the role.
- The online application form is completed.
- The application fee and the healthcare surcharge are paid.
- Identity is verified through the app or at a visa application centre.
- Supporting documents are uploaded.
05
What does a Skilled Worker visa cost?
The fee from outside the UK is £819 for up to three years and £1,618 beyond three years; from inside the UK, to extend, switch or update, the figures are £943 and £1,865. The healthcare surcharge adds £1,035 a year.
| Where the application is made | Up to 3 years | More than 3 years |
|---|---|---|
| From outside the UK | £819 per person | £1,618 per person |
| From inside the UK | £943 per person | £1,865 per person |
06
How long does a Skilled Worker application take?
The published decision time is three weeks for applications made from outside the UK and eight weeks for applications made from inside it. That period runs from the point the form, the identity check and the documents are all complete.
The published time is a service standard rather than a deadline, and it does not begin at payment. Applications where the identity check or a document is outstanding sit outside the count until the file is complete.
Sources
- GOV.UK — A Skilled Worker visa requires a Certificate of Sponsorship from a Home Office-approved employer; the published decision time is three weeks from outside the UK and eight weeks from inside it.
- GOV.UK — The salary requirement is the higher of £41,700 a year and the going rate for the occupation; a £42,000 salary in a role with a £45,000 going rate does not meet it.
- GOV.UK — The application fee is £819 from outside the UK for up to three years and £1,618 for longer; from inside the UK the figures are £943 and £1,865, and the healthcare surcharge is £1,035 a year.
