Changing jobs on a Skilled Worker visa: new certificate of sponsorship, timing and costs (2026)

You can change employer on a Skilled Worker visa, but not by simply handing in your notice and starting somewhere new. Your new employer must be a licensed sponsor and assign you a new certificate of sponsorship, and you must apply to update your visa and get a decision before you start the new job. You can apply up to three months before the new start date and keep working in your current job, including your notice period, while you wait. All of this is from gov.uk, checked on 23 October 2026.

This is general information, not immigration advice. For your own case, check gov.uk, talk to the new employer's HR team, or use a regulated adviser from the Immigration Advice Authority register.

When do you need to update your visa?

Gov.uk's update your visa page says you must apply if:

• your new job is with a different employer
• your job changes to a different occupation code, and you are not on a graduate training programme
• you leave a job on the Immigration Salary List for a job that is not on it
• you take on a second job of more than 20 paid hours a week on top of your sponsored job

You do not need to apply if you stay in the same job and it is taken off the Immigration Salary List. A promotion or new duties with the same employer, within the same occupation code, does not need a new application either, but your sponsor must report significant changes to the Home Office within 10 working days.

Does the new job have to meet the 2026 salary rules?

Yes. The new role is assessed against the rules in force when you apply, as described on gov.uk's Your job page. For most people that means:

Going rates are pro-rated to your hours, and only guaranteed basic pay counts. Overtime, allowances and one-off bonuses do not. Our Skilled Worker salary calculator applies the published figures, and our guide to Skilled Worker salary thresholds for graduate jobs works through real examples.

Can you move into a medium-skilled job?

Only in limited cases. Since 22 July 2025, most jobs below degree level (listed as "medium skilled" in gov.uk's eligible occupations table) are closed to new sponsorship. Gov.uk says you can update your visa into a medium-skilled code only if both apply:

• you got the CoS for your first Tier 2 or Skilled Worker visa before 22 July 2025
• you have continuously held Skilled Worker visas since then

Otherwise, a medium-skilled job is only possible if it is on the Temporary Shortage List or the Immigration Salary List. Both currently require the CoS to be issued before 31 December 2026, except care workers and senior care workers, whose date is 22 July 2028.

Can a care worker change employer?

Yes, if you already hold a Skilled Worker or Health and Care visa as a care worker or senior care worker. Paragraph SW 6.1B of Appendix Skilled Worker allows an in-country application with a new sponsor in the same codes. In England the new employer must be registered with the Care Quality Commission and carrying on a regulated activity.

If your contract has a repayment clause, check it against the government's code of practice for international recruitment of health and social care staff in England. It says repayment clauses must be in writing before you accept, itemised and interest-free, and should taper down, giving an example of 100% in the first year, 50% in the second, 25% in the third and nothing after 36 months. It also says employers must never reclaim the agency fee, the Immigration Skills Charge, the sponsor licence fee or the certificate of sponsorship.

How much does it cost to change employer?

From the gov.uk Skilled Worker costs page, which matches the Home Office fees table from 8 October 2026:

On a Skilled Worker visa you also pay the healthcare surcharge, usually £1,035 for each year. Health and Care Worker visa holders and their families do not pay it. Your partner and children must apply separately to update their own visas, either at the same time or before their current visas expire.

The new employer pays the CoS fee and any Immigration Skills Charge. Home Office sponsor guidance says it must not recover either from you.

How long does it take?

Gov.uk says you will usually get a decision within 8 weeks. You must not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you get a decision. Gov.uk says your application will be withdrawn if you do.

A step-by-step timeline for changing employer

1. Before you accept the offer, check the employer. Search the Home Office Register of Licensed Sponsors or use our sponsor licence check. Look for a Skilled Worker licence with an A rating. A B-rated sponsor cannot assign a CoS to a new worker.
2. Agree the occupation code and salary in writing. The employer chooses the code. Ask which code it will use and check the going rate before you resign.
3. Get your CoS. It must be used in an application within 3 months of being assigned, and the start date on it can be no more than 3 months after your application.
4. Apply to update your visa, up to 3 months before the new start date and before your current visa expires.
5. Hand in your notice. You can keep working in your current job, or work out your notice, while the application is decided.
6. Wait for the decision, then start. Gov.uk says you should not start your new job until you have confirmation of your new permission.

Do you need to prove your English again?

Usually not. Gov.uk's knowledge of English page says that if you had this visa before 8 January 2026 and are updating it, you need level B1 and do not need to prove it again. People switching from a different visa need level B2.

Does changing employer affect settlement?

Gov.uk's settlement guide counts time on any combination of Skilled Worker visas towards the five years, so a granted update application keeps your time on the route. Timing still matters: when you apply for settlement, the sponsor from your most recent permission must still be licensed and must confirm that it still needs you and will pay you at least the required salary. If settlement is close, think carefully about moving in the final months.

Sources: every gov.uk page linked in this article was checked on 23 October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Can I change employer on a Skilled Worker visa? Yes. Your new employer must be a licensed sponsor and assign you a new certificate of sponsorship, and you must apply to update your visa. Gov.uk says you should not start the new job until your new permission is confirmed.

Can I work my notice period while my new visa application is processed? Yes. Gov.uk says you can continue working in your current job while the application is considered, or to work out your notice, as long as you applied before your current visa expired.

Do I need a new visa if I get promoted by the same employer? Only if the new role is in a different occupation code. A promotion within the same code does not need an update application, but your sponsor must report significant changes to the Home Office.

How early can I apply to change employer? Up to 3 months before the start date of your new job, using a certificate of sponsorship assigned within the previous 3 months.

Can I move to a lower-skilled job with a new employer? Only if you got the certificate of sponsorship for your first Skilled Worker or Tier 2 visa before 22 July 2025 and have held Skilled Worker visas since, or if the job is on the Temporary Shortage List or Immigration Salary List.

Can my new employer make me pay for my certificate of sponsorship? No. Home Office sponsor guidance says sponsors must not recover the certificate of sponsorship fee or the Immigration Skills Charge from sponsored workers. You pay your own visa fee and, where it applies, the healthcare surcharge.