Skilled Worker visa Overview and Eligibility
The Skilled Worker visa replaced the Tier 2 (General) visa on 1 December, 2020. The Skilled Worker visa forms part of the UK government’s post-Brexit, points-based immigration system, From 1 January, 2021 newly arriving EU citizens need to also come under the new UK visa points system. As of 4 April 2024, major changes to the Skilled Worker visa have been implemented, including increased minimum salary thresholds, updated occupation codes, and the introduction of the Immigration Salary List, replacing the Shortage Occupation List.
This visa grants initial entry to you, and any dependents, to live and work in the UK for up to five years. You must have an eligible job and be sponsored by a UK employer with a sponsor licence.
If you are a healthcare worker in an eligible occupation, you can apply for the Health and Care visa.
Citizens from the EU, Iceland, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland
If you or a close family member in the UK are an EU, Icelandic, Liechtenstein, Norwegian or Swiss national and started living in Britain prior to 1 January 2021, you could be eligible for the EU Settlement Scheme.
If you qualify for the scheme, you will not need a Skilled Worker visa to work in the UK. The deadline to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme was 30 June, 2021. However, the time period is extended in certain circumstances.
To live and work in the UK on or after 1 January, 2021 you will need to apply for a UK visa.
Citizens of Ireland do not need to apply for a visa or the EU Settlement Scheme.
Skilled Worker visa eligibility
To qualify for a Skilled Worker visa, you must:
Work for a UK employer with a sponsor licence granted by the Home Office
Have a ‘Certificate of Sponsorship’ from your employer with information about the job you have been offered in the UK
Do a job that’s on the list of eligible occupations
Be paid a minimum salary – which is dependent on the type of work you do
Your specific eligibility for this visa is subject to the job that you will be doing in the UK.
You cannot apply for this visa unless you have a confirmed UK job offer and are sponsored by a UK employer with a sponsor licence.
Skilled Worker visa requirements
Applicants will need:
To score 70 points awarded based on meeting minimum salary requirements, English proficiency (proof required), having a job offer with the appropriate skill level and on the Skilled Worker occupation list.
- As of 4 April 2024, the general minimum salary has increased to £38,700 per year or the going rate for the role, whichever is higher. Exceptions apply to certain roles in health and education, positions on the Immigration Salary List, and cases eligible for transitional arrangements.
- New entrants, including those under 26, recent graduates, or those in professional training, must earn a minimum salary of £30,960 per year or 70% of the going rate, whichever is higher.
- Transitional salary arrangements are in place for Skilled Worker visa holders applying to extend their permission or change employers before 4 April 2030. For these applicants, the minimum salary is £29,000 or the going rate, whichever is higher.
For more information about the requirements you need to meet to apply for a Skilled Worker visa, contact Workpermit.com
Your stay in the UK
You can stay in the UK for up to five years on a Skilled Worker visa, and you can bring family members, including a spouse or partner and children under the age of 18. You will need to extend or update your visa when it expires or if you change jobs or employer.
There’s no limit on how many times you can extend your visa. After five years you could be eligible to apply for indefinite leave to remain in the UK. Indefinite leave to remain gives you the right to live, work or study in the UK without any time limits, plus you can apply for benefits – if you qualify.
Applying for a Skilled Worker visa
You make the initial application for this visa online.
How you apply is dependent on whether:
You’re currently based outside the UK and coming to the country
You’re currently based in the UK and looking to extend your current visa
You’re in the UK and looking to switch to a Skilled Worker visa from another visa program
You can apply for this visa up to three months before the day that you are due to start your job in the UK. This date will be shown on your defined Certificate of Sponsorship.
When you apply, you will need to provide supporting documents and proof of your identity. At the biometric appointment you will typically need to provide your passport and, if your employer is not certifying the financial requirement, your bank statements. You may also need to provide proof of English ability. Typical documents for family members are marriage certificates and birth certificates. You should allow extra time to make your application – especially amid the coronavirus pandemic.
UK Immigration Health Surcharge
When you apply for a Skilled Worker visa, you will have to pay the UK Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS). It is claimed by the Government that this is to fund the UK's National Health Service (NHS). The amount you pay depends on the length of your visa and certain other criteria mentioned below.
- For students, their dependants, those on a Youth Mobility Scheme visa, and applicants under 18, the charge is £776 per year.
- For all other visa and immigration applications, including Skilled Worker visas, the charge is £1,035 per year.
If your visa lasts 6 months or less:
- You do not need to pay the surcharge if you're applying from outside the UK.
- If you're applying from inside the UK, you'll have to pay half the yearly cost (£388 for students, their dependants, Youth Mobility Scheme, or under-18 applications; £517.50 for others).
If your visa lasts more than 6 months but less than a year, you must pay the full yearly cost regardless of where you apply from.
For visas lasting more than a year:
- If your visa is for 18 months or less, you'll pay the yearly cost plus half the yearly cost.
- If your visa is for more than 18 months but less than 2 years, you'll pay the cost of 2 full years.
Dependants aged 18 or over usually need to pay the same amount as the main applicant.
Conditions of your Skilled Worker visa
You should make sure you adhere to the conditions of your stay in the UK. Under the Skilled Worker visa, you’re permitted to:
Work in an eligible job
Study
Bring your partner and children with you as your ‘dependents’ - if they qualify
Take on additional employment in certain circumstances
Do voluntary work
Travel overseas and return to the UK
Apply to settle permanently in the UK (also known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’) if you’ve lived in the UK for 5 years and meet the other eligibility requirements
You are prohibited from:
Applying for UK public benefits, including child benefit, housing benefit and more
Accessing a State Pension
Changing jobs or employer, unless you update your visa
Further information, help, and advice
Workpermit.com's team of specialists has over thirty years of experience in international visa services, and have helped thousands of people to study and work in the UK. We work in conjunction with OISC registered advisers who can submit your UK sponsor licence application and visa application to UK Visas and Immigration at the Home Office.
For more information and advice on UK immigration law and UK visa applications please contact us on 0344 991 9222 or at london@workpermit.com
