Skilled Worker visa

What the Skilled Worker visa is

A Skilled Worker visa allows you to come to or stay in the UK to do an eligible job with an approved employer. It replaced the Tier 2 (General) work visa and also covers work in UK waters. You must have a confirmed job offer before you apply, and your employer must hold a sponsor licence and assign you a certificate of sponsorship (CoS).

The visa can last for up to 5 years before you need to extend it. You can extend as many times as you like while you still meet the requirements, and after 5 years you may be able to apply to settle permanently in the UK (indefinite leave to remain). You must apply to update your visa if you change job or employer.

Three things decide whether a skilled worker visa application in the UK works: the employer's licence, the occupation code, and the salary. Check the employer on our sponsor licence check, confirm the job's code with the SOC code lookup, then test the pay against the threshold and going rate with the salary calculator.

Eligibility requirements

You must meet all of these requirements to apply for a Skilled Worker visa.

• Approved employer and job offer

  A confirmed job offer from a UK employer approved by the Home Office, with a certificate of sponsorship (CoS) describing the role.

• Eligible occupation

  Your job's 4-digit occupation code must be on the list of eligible occupations. New applications are for codes listed as 'higher skilled' unless an exception applies.

• Salary

  At least £41,700 a year or the 'going rate' for your occupation code, whichever is higher, unless a reduced rate applies to you.

• Knowledge of English

  Read, write, speak and understand English to at least level B2 (CEFR) for a new application. B1 applies if you held the visa before 8 January 2026 and are extending or updating.

• Money to support yourself

  At least £1,270 held for 28 consecutive days, unless you have been in the UK on a valid visa for 12 months or your sponsor certifies maintenance on your CoS.

• Timing

  Apply within 3 months of your CoS being assigned, and no earlier than 3 months before the start date shown on it.

• Minimum wage and working hours

  Your employer must pay at least the minimum wage and follow UK working-hours rules. GOV.UK states your application will be refused if they do not.

Points-based system

You need 70 points to qualify.

Valid job offer from licensed sponsor

20 points

Job at appropriate skill level

20 points

English language at required level

10 points

Salary of £41,700+ or going rate

20 points

Salary requirements in detail

Each occupation code has its own annual going rate. The figures below are the general thresholds; the going-rates table on GOV.UK gives the rate for your code.

Standard rate

£41,700 or the going rate, whichever is higher

Immigration salary list job

At least £33,400 and at least the full going rate

New entrant (see criteria below)

70% of the going rate, at least £33,400

Relevant STEM PhD

80% of the going rate, at least £33,400

Relevant non-STEM PhD

90% of the going rate, at least £37,500

Postdoctoral role in listed science or HE codes

70% of the going rate, at least £33,400

Listed healthcare and education jobs

At least £25,000 or the national pay-scale rate

Prison officer (3314), extending or switching

£31,300 or the lower going rate

First CoS before 4 April 2024, extending or updating

£31,300 or the lower going rate (until 4 April 2030)

You count as a new entrant if you are under 26 on the date you apply; you are in the UK on a Student visa studying at bachelor's level or above (or were in the last 2 years and a Student or visit visa was your most recent visa); you are on a Graduate visa (or were in the last 2 years and a Graduate or visit visa was your most recent visa); you will be working towards a recognised qualification in a UK regulated profession; or you will be working towards full registration or chartered status in your sponsored job.

The postdoctoral discount applies to occupation codes 2111, 2112, 2113, 2114, 2115, 2119, 2162 and 2311. For a PhD discount you need a UK PhD or an Ecctis-confirmed equivalent, and your employer must confirm the qualification is relevant to the job.

If you hold the visa from a certificate of sponsorship issued before 4 April 2024 and have held Skilled Worker visas continuously since, the reduced-rate floors on extension or update are £25,000 (new entrant, STEM PhD, postdoctoral and immigration salary list) and £28,200 (non-STEM PhD). GOV.UK states these lower requirements only apply to applications made before 4 April 2030 and are updated regularly.

Knowledge of English

You can prove your English in one of these ways.

• A UK school qualification you began under 18: a GCSE, an A level, a Scottish National Qualification at level 4 or 5, or a Scottish Higher or Advanced Higher in English.
• A degree-level qualification taught in English and awarded by a UK institution, even if you studied outside the UK.
• A degree taught in English from an institution outside the UK, confirmed by an Ecctis assessment as equivalent to a UK bachelor's degree or higher.
• A Secure English Language Test (SELT) from an approved provider showing at least level B2 in reading, writing, speaking and listening.

If you had this visa before 8 January 2026 and are extending or updating it, you need level B1 and do not have to prove it again. If you are switching from a Health and Care Worker visa you also do not need to prove it again. If you are switching from any other visa you need level B2.

You do not need to prove English if you are a national of Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, the British overseas territories, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Malta, New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago or the USA. Doctors, dentists, nurses, midwives and vets who have passed an English assessment accepted by their regulator are also exempt.

Fees and costs

What you, and each dependant, will pay. The fee depends on where you apply from and how long you will stay.

Applying from outside the UK, up to 3 years

£819 per person

Applying from outside the UK, more than 3 years

£1,618 per person

Extend, switch or update inside the UK, up to 3 years

£943 per person

Extend, switch or update inside the UK, more than 3 years

£1,865 per person

Immigration salary list job, up to 3 years (in or out)

£628 per person

Immigration salary list job, more than 3 years (in or out)

£1,235 per person

Immigration Health Surcharge

Usually £1,035 per person per year

Money to support yourself

£1,270 held for 28 consecutive days

Funds for a dependant partner

£285

Funds for your first child

£315

Funds for each additional child

£200

Biometrics (fingerprints and photo)

No fee

Faster decision (priority services)

Extra fee; availability shown when you apply

Sponsor licence (paid by employer)

£611 small or charity; £1,682 medium or large

GOV.UK gives this worked example: a 2-year visa from outside the UK for a job not on the immigration salary list costs £819 plus £1,035 for each year of the healthcare surcharge, £2,889 in total, and you must show £1,270 in savings unless your employer covers your first month's costs. Dependants pay the fee for the same length of time as you, even if they apply after your visa is granted. Your day 28 of holding the £1,270 must fall within 31 days of the date you apply.

Figures as published on GOV.UK, last updated 4 June 2026.

Processing times

Standard service standards published by UK Visas and Immigration. The clock starts when you have applied online, proved your identity and provided your documents.

Applying from outside the UK

3 weeks

Extending, switching or updating inside the UK

8 weeks

Dependants applying from outside the UK

3 weeks

Dependants extending or switching inside the UK

8 weeks

Priority or super priority service

May be offered for an extra fee; you are told when you apply

UKVI will contact you within the standard time if your application will take longer, for example because your documents need to be verified, you need to attend an interview, further information is needed on a criminal conviction, or demand is unusually high. If you applied inside the UK you can stay while you wait, provided you applied before your previous visa expired. Times published on GOV.UK: applications outside the UK, 26 June 2026; applications inside the UK, 21 July 2025.

Documents you'll need

What every applicant provides, and what you may be asked for depending on your circumstances.

• Your certificate of sponsorship reference number, given to you by your employer.
• Proof of your knowledge of English.
• A valid passport or other document showing your identity and nationality.
• Your job title and annual salary.
• Your job's occupation code.
• Your employer's name and sponsor licence number, as shown on your certificate of sponsorship.

Depending on your circumstances you might also be asked for:

• Evidence of personal savings, such as bank statements, unless your CoS shows your employer can support you.
• Proof of your relationship with your partner or children if they are applying with you.
• Your tuberculosis test results if you are from a listed country.
• A criminal record certificate if you are applying from outside the UK to work in education, healthcare, therapy or social services. If you are under 28 you need one from any country you have stayed in for 12 months or more since turning 18; if 28 or over, from any country you have stayed in over the last 10 years.
• A valid ATAS certificate if your employer tells you your job involves researching a sensitive subject at PhD level or higher.
• Your UK PhD certificate, or your Ecctis reference number for an overseas doctorate, if you are claiming a PhD salary discount.
• A certified translation of any document not in English or Welsh.

Application process

Step-by-step guide to applying for your Skilled Worker visa.

Your partner and children

Your dependants apply separately, and their visas usually end on the same date as yours.

A dependant is your husband, wife, civil partner or unmarried partner; your child under 18, including a child born in the UK during your stay; or your child over 18 who already has permission to be in the UK as your dependant. If you are the first in your family to apply you can get a 'family linking code' so your applications are connected.

• Partners must prove a marriage or civil partnership recognised in the UK, or that you have lived together in a relationship for at least 2 years. If you cannot live together, you must show an ongoing commitment, such as regular contact, financial support, shared childcare or time spent together.
• Children must live with you (unless away in full-time education) and must not be married or in a civil partnership. Evidence of their address can include a bank statement, credit card bills, a driving licence, an NHS registration document or a letter from their university or college.
• Each dependant pays the application fee and the healthcare surcharge, and must show funds of £285 for a partner, £315 for one child and £200 for each additional child, held for 28 days, unless you have all been in the UK for 12 months or your sponsor certifies maintenance for your family.
• Dependants can work (except as a sportsperson or coach), study, travel abroad and return, and apply to settle after 5 years. They cannot claim most benefits or the State Pension.
• Dependants inside the UK cannot switch to join you if they are here as a visitor, short-term student, Parent of a Child Student, seasonal worker, domestic worker in a private household, on immigration bail, or with permission granted outside the rules. A dependant on a Student visa must have completed their course or studied a PhD for at least 24 months.
• A child born in the UK does not automatically become British. Apply for their dependant visa before they turn 18, providing a full UK birth certificate naming both parents.

Extending, updating and switching

What GOV.UK requires for each kind of in-country application, and the route to settlement.

Extend your visa if all of the following are true:

• You have the same job as when you were last given permission.
• Your job is in the same occupation code as before.
• You are still working for the employer who assigned your current certificate of sponsorship.
• For a medium-skilled code: you got your first CoS before 22 July 2025 and have held Skilled Worker visas continuously since, or you are a prison officer (3314) with a CoS assigned by 31 December 2027.

Update your visa if any of the following apply:

• You are moving to a different employer.
• Your job changes to a different occupation code and you are not in a graduate training programme.
• You leave a job on the immigration salary list for one that is not on the list.
• You take a second job of more than 20 paid hours a week: you need a new CoS from the second employer and a letter giving your name, date of birth, current CoS reference and the date your permission expires.

You can apply to update up to 3 months before your new start date and keep working in your current job while you wait, but you should not start the new job until your new permission is confirmed. You only need to provide other evidence again if you have been in the UK for less than a year.

Switch from another visa if:

• Your job meets the eligibility requirements and you meet the English requirement at level B2.
• If you are on a Student visa: you have completed your course, your job starts after your course ends, or you have studied a full-time PhD for at least 24 months.
• You are not in the UK as a visitor, short-term student, Parent of a Child Student, seasonal worker, domestic worker in a private household, on immigration bail or with permission granted outside the rules. In those cases you must leave and apply from abroad.
• Prison officers (3314) can switch with a CoS assigned by 31 December 2026, sponsored for up to 3 years at £31,300 or the lower going rate.

Common refusal reasons

Each mandatory requirement of the route is a ground for refusal if it is not met or not evidenced. Applications are refused when:

• The certificate of sponsorship details do not match the job, salary or occupation code claimed, the CoS was assigned more than 3 months before the application, or the sponsor licence is no longer valid.
• The occupation code is not eligible, or is 'medium skilled' and the job is not on the immigration salary list or temporary shortage list and no transitional exception applies.
• The salary is below £41,700 or the going rate for the code, or a reduced rate is claimed without meeting and evidencing the new-entrant, PhD, postdoctoral or list criteria.
• The job does not pay at least the minimum wage or does not follow UK working-hours rules. GOV.UK states the application will be refused in this case.
• English is not evidenced at the required level: the test is not from an approved SELT provider, is below B2, or an overseas degree is relied on without an Ecctis confirmation.
• Funds of £1,270 (plus dependant amounts) are not held for 28 consecutive days with day 28 within 31 days of applying, and the CoS does not certify maintenance.
• A criminal record certificate is missing for an education, healthcare, therapy or social-services role applied for from outside the UK.
• A tuberculosis test certificate is missing where the applicant is from a listed country.
• The applicant is switching from an ineligible category (for example visitor or short-term student), or is on a Student visa and has not completed the course or 24 months of a PhD.
• Documents are false, incomplete or not accompanied by a certified translation, or there are previous immigration breaches.

Tools and resources

Ready to start your application?

Our immigration experts will guide you through every step of your Skilled Worker visa application.

Information sourced from GOV.UK (Skilled Worker visa), last updated 4 June 2026, and the GOV.UK visa processing times guidance (applications outside the UK, 26 June 2026; applications inside the UK, 21 July 2025), reproduced under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Rules change; we verify requirements at the point of instruction.