Skilled Worker visa – at a glance
- You need a job offer from a UK employer that holds a sponsor licence.
- The salary must be at least £41,700 a year, or the going rate for the job – whichever is higher.
- The job must be skilled to degree level (RQF 6).
- You must show English at level B2 (required for new applicants from 8 January 2026).
- The visa can lead to settlement (ILR) after 5 years.
Not sure if you qualify? Our UK visa specialists can assess your eligibility in a free initial consultation.
The Skilled Worker visa, which has replaced the Tier 2 (General) visa, is the main UK immigration route for non-UK resident workers.
Whether you are an employer looking to hire a skilled worker from overseas or are an individual applying for a sponsored visa, it will be important to understand the Skilled Worker visa eligibility and application requirements to avoid issues or delays with the Home Office application. A refused application will mean you lose the application fee. The rules in this area have changed substantially since 2024, so it is well worth getting current advice rather than relying on older guidance.
For skilled workers and their sponsors, with so much at stake, it is important to seek legal advice to understand the migration options available and to confirm that the Skilled Worker visa is the correct route.
As specialists, Visalogic bring substantial experience and recognised expertise in advising employers and workers on UK employment sponsorship and the Skilled Worker visa application – all on a transparent, fixed-fee basis with no surprises.
What is the Skilled Worker Visa?
The Skilled Worker visa allows employers to recruit non-UK resident workers for certain eligible, skilled roles.
The visa is open to individuals who attain 70 points by meeting specific requirements such as skill and salary level, English language ability and having a qualifying job offer from a UK sponsor.
The Skilled Worker visa makes provision for a spouse, partner and dependant children to apply to join the main visa applicant in the UK and is also a route to settlement and Indefinite Leave to Remain.
What are the Skilled Worker visa requirements?
The rules and requirements for the Skilled Worker visa route are set out in Appendix Skilled Worker. Under this route, applicants need to accrue a total of 70 points to be eligible for a visa, including EEA nationals recruited from outside the UK after 1 January 2021 who are not eligible for status under the EU Settlement Scheme.
The 70 points are made up of 50 points for mandatory or ‘non-tradeable’ criteria (the job offer, speaking English, and the required skill level for the job on offer), and 20 points for ‘tradeable’ criteria, usually met through salary.
An important change applies from 22 July 2025: the required skill level rose from RQF Level 3 to RQF Level 6, which is graduate (degree) level. This removed many lower-skilled roles from the route. Some roles below degree level can still be sponsored where they appear on the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List, or under transitional rules for workers already in the route.
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Skilled worker requirement
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Points
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Mandatory or tradeable?
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A genuine job offer from a licensed sponsor
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20 points
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Mandatory
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Speak English to the required standard (B2)
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10 points
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Mandatory
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Job offer is at a skill level of RQF Level 6 (degree level) or above
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20 points
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Mandatory
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Salary that meets the relevant threshold and the going rate for the occupation
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20 points
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Tradeable
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You must reach 70 points in total. The 50 mandatory points (the job offer, English and the skill level) cannot be traded. The remaining 20 tradeable points come from your salary. There are several ways to meet the salary requirement: the standard option, or one of a number of lower-salary options for people such as new entrants, those with a relevant PhD, or those in a job on the Immigration Salary List. You can only rely on one of these options – they cannot be combined.
Skilled Worker minimum salary requirement
This is the part that catches most people out, because there are two separate tests and you must meet both. For most new applications you must be paid at least the general salary threshold of £41,700 per year, and at least the ‘going rate’ for your specific occupation. Whichever of these two figures is higher is the salary you must be paid.
The going rate is based on typical UK pay for the role and, for many professions, is well above £41,700. There is also a minimum hourly rate of £17.13 for most roles, so the salary is checked by the hour and not just annually.
Lower salary floors are available in certain cases, where you also meet the relevant percentage of the going rate:
- £37,500 – where you have a PhD relevant to the job (you must also be paid at least 90% of the going rate);
- £33,400 – where you have a relevant STEM PhD (80% of the going rate), where you are a ‘new entrant’ (70% of the going rate), or where the job is on the Immigration Salary List;
- £31,300 – for certain health and education roles that use national pay scales.
A new entrant is, broadly, someone at the start of their career – for example switching from a Student or Graduate visa, or within a few years of a relevant PhD. New entrant status is time-limited, normally to a maximum of four years, after which you must meet the full salary threshold to extend.
Because the salary rules are detailed, and getting them wrong is one of the most common reasons for refusal, it is well worth taking advice before an application is made.
Employers should also be aware of a change that applies from 8 April 2026: salary compliance is now checked across each pay period, not just as an annual figure. In practice this means the salary paid in any given period must support the required rate for the hours worked, so payroll needs to stay aligned with what is stated on the Certificate of Sponsorship throughout the sponsorship, not only at the application stage. We can help sponsors put the right checks in place.
The Immigration Salary List and Temporary Shortage List
The Immigration Salary List (ISL) replaced the old Shortage Occupation List in April 2024. Roles on it qualify at the reduced £33,400 threshold. The ISL is being phased out and is scheduled to close by 31 December 2026.
The Temporary Shortage List (TSL) allows some roles below degree level to be sponsored on a time-limited basis, with a salary floor of £25,000, also until 31 December 2026. Workers sponsored under the TSL cannot bring dependants.
English language requirement
From 8 January 2026, new Skilled Worker applicants must show English at a minimum of level B2 (upper-intermediate) on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages scale, up from the previous B1 standard. All four skills are tested: reading, writing, speaking and listening.
Most Skilled Worker visa applicants will need to prove they meet the English language requirement, unless they have already done so as part of a previous UK immigration application or if they are a national of one of a number of exempt countries.
Unless exempt, language ability is usually evidenced by holding a degree-level academic qualification that was taught in English (confirmed by Ecctis if it is from outside the UK), or by passing an approved Secure English Language Test (SELT).
Applicants are exempt from the English language requirement if they are nationals of a majority English-speaking country, which include:
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Australia
- the Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- Canada
- Dominica
- Grenada
- Guyana
- Jamaica
- Malta
- New Zealand
- St Kitts and Nevis
- St Lucia
- St Vincent and the Grenadines
- Trinidad and Tobago
- USA
Certificate of sponsorship requirement
Before the worker can submit their visa application, their UK sponsor must first issue them a valid Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) to confirm that the individual and role meet the sponsorship eligibility requirements.
The CoS is a reference number that the Skilled Worker visa applicant will need to provide with their Home Office application. Only licensed sponsors can issue a CoS.
There are two types of Certificate of Sponsorship: the defined Certificate of Sponsorship and the undefined Certificate of Sponsorship. These replaced the old restricted and unrestricted CoS, which applied prior to 1 December 2020.
- Defined CoS are for applications made from outside the UK.
- Undefined CoS are for applications made from inside the UK, including workers switching into the Skilled Worker category from another route.
Sponsors apply to the Home Office for a defined CoS individually, providing details of the specific job and salary. For undefined CoS, sponsors either request a yearly allocation in advance of April or are allocated a quantity automatically, and can apply for additional CoS during the year.
How to apply for a Skilled Worker visa
To apply for a Skilled Worker visa, the applicant submits an online application together with their supporting documentation, pays the relevant fee, and provides their biometric information at a visa application centre, either overseas or in the UK.
Applications can be made up to 3 months before the worker’s intended employment start date in the UK, as stated on the Certificate of Sponsorship, and must be made within three months of being assigned the certificate.
The necessary documentation will include:
- A current passport or other travel document
- The Certificate of Sponsorship reference number
- Proof of their knowledge of English, where applicable
- Proof of personal savings (£1,270 held for 28 days), unless the sponsor certifies maintenance on the CoS
- Their tuberculosis test results if they are from a listed country
- A criminal record certificate from any country they have lived in for 12 months or more in the last 10 years, where they will be working in the education, health or social care sector in the UK.
The Home Office will assess the application on the basis of how many points have been accumulated under the points-based system.
It is important to note that the offer of a genuine job with a valid certificate of sponsorship does not guarantee the grant of a Skilled Worker visa. The applicant must still meet all the other relevant criteria, and the Home Office will also consider the general grounds for refusal, including any relevant criminal history or previous immigration violations.
Skilled Worker visa processing times
Skilled Worker visa applications generally take up to 8 weeks if applying from within the UK, or up to 3 weeks if the application is made from outside the UK.
It may be possible to pay for priority processing, depending on where your application is being processed.
How long does a Skilled Worker visa last?
The Skilled Worker visa is usually granted for up to 5 years per Certificate of Sponsorship. At that point the visa holder needs to apply to extend, or on completing the 5 year residency requirement, may become eligible to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain.
There is no limit on the number of times you can extend the Skilled Worker visa, provided you continue to meet the requirements. Note that at the settlement stage you must meet the full £41,700 (or the going rate) – the new entrant, PhD and transitional discounts do not apply when you apply for ILR.
If the visa holder changes sponsor or jobs, they will need to apply for a new period of leave. Please also note that the government has proposed extending the qualifying period for settlement from five to ten years for most work routes. As of now this is not in force, and the five-year period still applies. We will advise you on the current position when you apply.