The Skilled Worker Visa Explained

This guide is for internationals who have just arrived in the United Kingdom and want to understand how the Skilled Worker visa works, whether they already work here or are planning a job change. After reading it, you will be able to follow the eligibility rules, check the job and salary requirements, see what an application involves and understand how long the visa lasts.

• What the Skilled Worker visa is
• Who is eligible
• Job and salary requirements
• Applying and decision times
• Costs, length of stay and what you can do
• FAQ

What the Skilled Worker visa is

According to the official GOV.UK Skilled Worker visa page, this visa lets you 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. The visa is tied to one job and one employer, and that link shapes most of the rules below.

Who is eligible

To qualify, GOV.UK says you must:

• work for a UK employer approved by the Home Office
• have a certificate of sponsorship (CoS) from that employer describing the role
• do a job on the list of eligible occupations
• be paid a minimum salary, which depends on the type of work and the date you got your CoS

You need a confirmed job offer before applying. You must also be able to speak, read, write and understand English, and you will usually need to prove this.

Approved employers

Approved employers are known as sponsors, and GOV.UK publishes a list of them. An employer that is not approved can apply for a sponsor licence if it is eligible. The GOV.UK page on your job gives the licence fee as £611 for small businesses and charities or £1,682 for medium and large organisations. Processing usually takes around 8 weeks.

In England, care workers (code 6135) and senior care workers (code 6136) need an employer registered with the Care Quality Commission.

The certificate of sponsorship

Your sponsor checks your eligibility and gives you a CoS. It is an electronic record, not a physical document. It has a reference number that you need for the visa application, and you must apply within 3 months of receiving it.

Job and salary requirements

Finding your occupation code

Each job has a 4-digit occupation code. An employer that has made a job offer can provide it, and GOV.UK also points to the CASCOT occupation coding tool. Similar jobs can have different codes. In construction, for example, bricklayers, roofers and carpenters are eligible, but construction labourers are not.

The GOV.UK table of eligible jobs then shows the code’s status:

• Higher skilled: you can apply for this visa.
• Medium skilled: you can apply only if the job is on the immigration salary list or the temporary shortage list, or if you are a prison officer (code 3314) extending or switching to this visa. You can also apply if you are extending your visa and got your first CoS before 22 July 2025.

The salary threshold

The usual minimum salary is £41,700 per year or the going rate for your occupation code, whichever is higher. The going rates are published in the GOV.UK going rates table. In the GOV.UK example, a salary of £42,000 does not meet the usual requirement if the going rate for the job is £45,000.

Your employer must also pay at least the minimum wage and follow the UK rules on weekly working hours. If it does not, the application will be refused.

When a lower salary may be accepted

• If you do not meet the usual requirement and do not work in healthcare or education, a salary of at least £33,400 per year may still qualify.
• Some healthcare and education jobs have different salary rules, with going rates based on national pay scales.
• Lower rates may apply when you extend your visa or update it for a new job or employer.
• Prison officers extending or switching to this visa must be paid at least £31,300 or the lower going rate for prison officers, whichever is higher. The CoS must be issued on or before 31 December 2026 for switching or 31 December 2027 for extending.

Applying and decision times

All applications are made online. The process depends on whether you are coming from outside the UK, extending your visa from inside the UK or switching from a different visa. You can apply up to 3 months before the start date on your CoS. As part of the application, you prove your identity and provide your documents. This may require an appointment, and you find out whether you need one when you start the application.

GOV.UK says you will usually get a decision within 3 weeks if you are outside the UK and 8 weeks if you are inside the UK. You may be able to pay for a faster decision, and you are told whether this is possible when you apply. The decision email explains how you will prove your immigration status.

Costs, length of stay and what you can do

Costs

You, your partner and your children each need to pay the application fee, pay the healthcare surcharge for each year of the stay and prove you have enough personal savings. The GOV.UK pages used for this guide do not give these amounts. GOV.UK publishes them on a separate page about how much money you will need.

Doctors, nurses and people working in health or adult social care can check whether they are eligible for the Health and Care Worker visa instead. GOV.UK says it is cheaper to apply for and has no annual immigration health surcharge.

How long it lasts

The visa can last up to 5 years before it needs extending. You can extend it as many times as you like while you still meet the eligibility requirements. After 5 years, you may be able to apply for indefinite leave to remain. This gives you the right to live, work and study in the UK for as long as you like, and to apply for benefits if you are eligible.

What you can and cannot do

With this visa you can work in an eligible job, study and bring your partner and children as dependants if they meet the eligibility requirements. You can also take on additional work in certain circumstances, travel abroad and return, and do voluntary work. The voluntary work must be unpaid and for a registered charity, a voluntary organisation, an associated fundraising body or a statutory body. You cannot apply for most benefits (public funds) or the State Pension, and you cannot change job or employer without applying to update your visa.

FAQ

Can I change employer on a Skilled Worker visa?

Only by applying to update the visa. Lower salary requirements may apply when you update it for a new job or employer. Anyone unsure how this affects their own situation can contact an immigration adviser regulated by the OISC or a solicitor regulated by the SRA.

What is the minimum salary?

It is usually £41,700 per year or the going rate for the occupation code, whichever is higher. In some cases a salary of at least £33,400 may qualify. Separate rules cover some healthcare and education jobs, extensions, updates and prison officers.

How long does a decision take?

Once you have applied online, proved your identity and provided your documents, a decision usually takes up to 3 weeks if you are outside the UK and up to 8 weeks if you are inside the UK. A faster paid decision may be offered when you apply.

Can my family join me?

Your partner and children may be able to apply as dependants if they meet the eligibility requirements. Each of them pays the application fee and the healthcare surcharge, and each must show enough personal savings.

Official sources: gov.uk · gov.uk

Last verified: 14 October 2026 against the official pages linked above. Rules and fees change; the official page always wins.

This is general information, not legal or immigration advice. Immigration advice in the UK may only be given by advisers regulated by the OISC or by solicitors regulated by the SRA.