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Eligibility
Who qualifies for a Skilled Worker visa?
Four things have to line up. You need a confirmed job offer from a UK employer the Home Office has approved as a sponsor. The job must be on the list of eligible occupations. The salary must meet the minimum for that type of work. And you must be able to show English at the required level.
Checked against gov.uk on : Skilled Worker visa: overviewSkilled Worker visa: your job
Eligibility follows the job's four-digit occupation code, not its title. Since 22 July 2025, new applicants generally need a job classed as 'higher skilled', which is roughly graduate level. Jobs classed as 'medium skilled' are only open to new applicants if they appear on the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List.
Checked against gov.uk on : Skilled Worker visa: your jobStatement of changes to the Immigration Rules: HC 997, 1 July 2025
If you got your first Certificate of Sponsorship before 22 July 2025 and have held Skilled Worker permission ever since, you can usually stay in a 'medium skilled' job when you extend or change employer.
Checked against gov.uk on : Skilled Worker visa: extend your visaSkilled Worker visa: update your visa if you change job or employer
Care workers are a special case: see our Health and Care Worker visa guide.
The sponsor
Which employers can sponsor you?
Only an employer holding a Home Office sponsor licence can sponsor a Skilled Worker, and every licensed organisation appears on the public register of licensed sponsors. GoRizzume mirrors that register daily, so you can search it by city and sector or check a single employer by name.
Checked against gov.uk on : Skilled Worker visa: your jobRegister of licensed sponsors: workers
A licence means the employer can sponsor, not that it will sponsor every role. Licences are also rated. An A-rated sponsor can assign certificates. A sponsor downgraded to a B rating cannot assign them to new workers until it is back to an A rating, though it can still do so for workers it already sponsors who need to extend.
Checked against gov.uk on : UK visa sponsorship for employers: your licence rating
An employer without a licence can apply for one, for £611 (small businesses and charities) or £1,682, and gov.uk says it usually takes around 8 weeks. Our guide to how visa sponsorship works covers the employer's side.
Checked against gov.uk on : Skilled Worker visa: your jobUK visa sponsorship for employers: apply for your licence
The paperwork
What is a Certificate of Sponsorship?
A Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) is an electronic record, not a paper document. Your employer assigns it to you and it has a reference number, which you enter on your visa application. It confirms who you are, that you are being sponsored as a Skilled Worker, the job, the salary and the start date.
Checked against gov.uk on : Skilled Worker visa: your jobImmigration Rules: Appendix Skilled Worker
- You must apply for your visa within 3 months of the certificate being assigned to you.
- You cannot apply more than 3 months before the start date on the certificate.
- A certificate used in an application that was granted or refused cannot be used again.
Checked against gov.uk on : UK visa sponsorship for employers: certificates of sponsorshipImmigration Rules: Appendix Skilled Worker
A certificate is not a visa. You still have to meet every requirement, including salary and English, and it is the employer, not you, who pays for it.
Checked against gov.uk on : UK visa sponsorship for employers: certificates of sponsorship
The number
How much do you need to be paid?
The usual rule is that your salary must be at least £41,700 a year or the going rate for your occupation code, whichever is higher. Each code has its own going rate in a table on gov.uk. If a job pays £41,700 but its going rate is higher, the going rate is the figure you have to meet.
Checked against gov.uk on : Skilled Worker visa: your jobSkilled Worker visa: going rates for eligible occupation codes
Going rate or general threshold: which applies?
Both, and the higher one binds. The general threshold is a flat annual figure. The going rate depends on the occupation and assumes a 37.5-hour week, so it is scaled to your contracted hours; the flat threshold is not reduced for part-time work.
Checked against gov.uk on : Immigration Rules: Appendix Skilled Worker
Only guaranteed basic pay counts. Overtime, bonuses, allowances such as London weighting, employer pension contributions and benefits in kind are left out, and only the first 48 hours a week count towards the thresholds. The rules also say the required salary must be paid in each pay period, not just across the year. You can test an offer against both figures with our salary calculator.
Checked against gov.uk on : Immigration Rules: Appendix Skilled Worker
The new-entrant rate
New entrants can be paid 70% of the going rate, as long as the salary is at least £33,400. You count as a new entrant if you are under 26 on the date you apply, if your most recent visa is a Student visa for a bachelor's degree or above or a Graduate visa (or was, and expired less than 2 years ago), or if you are working towards a recognised professional qualification, full registration or chartered status.
Checked against gov.uk on : Skilled Worker visa: when you can be paid lessImmigration Rules: Appendix Skilled Worker
The catch is time. When you use the new-entrant rate, your combined time on the Skilled Worker and Graduate routes cannot go over 4 years. After that, an application has to meet another salary option, usually the standard rate.
Checked against gov.uk on : Skilled Worker visa: when you can be paid lessImmigration Rules: Appendix Skilled Worker
Other lower rates
- A PhD relevant to the job: 90% of the going rate with at least £37,500, or 80% with at least £33,400 for a STEM PhD.
- A postdoctoral role in certain science and higher education codes: 70% of the going rate with at least £33,400.
- A job on the Immigration Salary List: at least £33,400 and the full going rate, with a lower visa fee.
- Some health and education jobs: at least £25,000, or the national pay scale rate for the role where that is higher.
- People first sponsored before 4 April 2024 who have held Skilled Worker permission ever since: lower transitional rates, for applications made before 4 April 2030.
Checked against gov.uk on : Skilled Worker visa: when you can be paid lessSkilled Worker visa: if you work in healthcare or educationSkilled Worker visa: if you got your first certificate of sponsorship before 4 April 2024
Language
What level of English do you need?
New applicants need English at level B2 on the CEFR scale. You can usually prove it with a degree taught in English by a UK institution, an English-taught degree from elsewhere that Ecctis confirms, a GCSE or A level from a UK school you started before you were 18, or an approved English test. Nationals of the countries gov.uk lists, including the USA, Canada and Australia, are exempt.
Checked against gov.uk on : Skilled Worker visa: knowledge of English
If you had a Skilled Worker visa before 8 January 2026 and are extending or updating it, the level is B1 and you do not need to prove it again. If you switch from a different visa, the level is B2.
Checked against gov.uk on : Skilled Worker visa: knowledge of English
Money
How much does it cost, and who pays what?
| Cost | Amount | Who pays |
|---|---|---|
| Visa fee, applying from outside the UK | £819 for up to 3 years, £1,618 for longer | You |
| Visa fee, extending, switching or updating inside the UK | £943 for up to 3 years, £1,865 for longer | You |
| Visa fee if the job is on the Immigration Salary List | £628 for up to 3 years, £1,235 for longer | You |
| Immigration health surcharge | Usually £1,035 for each year | You, and each family member |
| Money to support yourself | £1,270 held for 28 days in a row, unless you are exempt | You, unless your employer certifies it |
| Certificate of Sponsorship fee | £525 | Your employer |
| Immigration Skills Charge | £1,320 for the first 12 months, then £660 for each 6 months (medium or large sponsor); £480 then £240 (small or charitable sponsor) | Your employer |
Checked against gov.uk on : Skilled Worker visa: how much it costsUK visa sponsorship for employers: certificates of sponsorshipUK visa sponsorship for employers: immigration skills charge
Your employer must pay the Immigration Skills Charge, the certificate fee and its own licence fee itself. Sponsor guidance lists asking a worker to pay any of them, or taking the money back from the worker, as grounds on which the Home Office will normally revoke the licence. The visa fee and health surcharge are yours. An employer can choose to cover them, but money it pays towards immigration costs does not count towards your salary.
Checked against gov.uk on : UK visa sponsorship for employers: immigration skills chargeSponsor guidance part 3: sponsor duties and complianceImmigration Rules: Appendix Skilled Worker
You do not need to show savings if you have been in the UK on a valid visa for 12 months, or your employer covers your first month on your certificate. The Immigration Skills Charge is not due if you hold a Student visa on the day the certificate is assigned, but there is no such exemption for a Graduate visa.
Checked against gov.uk on : Skilled Worker visa: how much it costsSponsor guidance part 2: sponsor a worker
Family
Can you bring your partner and children?
Usually yes, if your job is classed as 'higher skilled'. Your partner and children apply separately as your dependants, each paying the fee and the health surcharge, and they can work and study.
Checked against gov.uk on : Skilled Worker visa: your partner and children
If they are coming from outside the UK they must show savings too: £285 for a partner, £315 for one child and £200 for each additional child, unless you have all been in the UK for 12 months or your employer covers it on your certificate.
Checked against gov.uk on : Skilled Worker visa: your partner and children
Jobs classed as 'medium skilled', including care work, are different. Your partner and children can only join or stay with you in limited cases: mainly if you have been continuously employed in that kind of job on a Skilled Worker visa since before 11 March 2024 (care workers and senior care workers) or 22 July 2025 (other medium-skilled jobs), or for a child born in the UK.
Checked against gov.uk on : Skilled Worker visa: your partner and children
Moving on
Can you change job or employer?
Yes, but you must apply to update your visa if you move to a new employer, move to a job with a different occupation code, or leave a job on the Immigration Salary List for one that is not. The new employer has to be a licensed sponsor and assign you a new Certificate of Sponsorship.
Checked against gov.uk on : Skilled Worker visa: update your visa if you change job or employer
You can apply up to 3 months before the new job starts, and keep working in your current job, including your notice period, while you wait, as long as you applied before your visa expires. gov.uk says you should not start the new job until your new permission is confirmed.
Checked against gov.uk on : Skilled Worker visa: update your visa if you change job or employer
Overtime in your sponsored job is unlimited. You can also work up to 20 hours a week in a second job if it is in an eligible 'higher skilled' occupation, on the Immigration Salary List, or in the same sector and at the same level as your main job. More than 20 hours means updating your visa.
Checked against gov.uk on : Skilled Worker visa: taking on additional work
When things go wrong
What happens if you lose your job or your sponsor loses its licence?
Your permission is tied to your sponsor. If it stops sponsoring you, it must tell the Home Office within 10 working days, and the Home Office can use that to cancel your permission. Look for a new licensed sponsor straight away and get advice on your own position.
Checked against gov.uk on : Sponsor guidance part 3: sponsor duties and compliance
If your sponsor's licence is revoked and you were not involved in the reasons, sponsor guidance says the Home Office will normally shorten your permission so that 60 calendar days are left, or leave it alone if you already have 60 days or fewer. Within that time you need to make a new application, usually with a new sponsor, or leave the UK. The Home Office writes to sponsored workers when it revokes a licence.
Checked against gov.uk on : Sponsor guidance part 3: sponsor duties and compliance
Staying for good
Does the Skilled Worker visa lead to settlement?
Yes, under the rules in force today. After 5 continuous years on the route, or on a mix of routes that count, you may be able to apply for indefinite leave to remain. You must pass the Life in the UK test, your sponsor must still need you, and you must meet a salary requirement at that point. Time on the Graduate visa does not count towards the 5 years.
Checked against gov.uk on : Skilled Worker visa: overviewImmigration Rules: Appendix Skilled Worker
Two changes are on the way. From 26 March 2027, settlement applications will need English at B2 in speaking and listening, up from B1; that rule is already written into the Immigration Rules. Separately, the government consulted on 'earned settlement' between 20 November 2025 and 13 February 2026, proposing a standard qualifying period of 10 years with reductions for contribution, 15 years for people sponsored in jobs below degree level, and applying it to everyone who does not yet have settlement. When we checked, gov.uk had published no outcome and the rules had not changed, so the 5-year rule still applies.
Checked against gov.uk on : Statement of changes to the Immigration Rules: HC 1691, 5 March 2026Immigration Rules: Appendix Skilled WorkerEarned settlement: consultation
What changed
What has changed recently, and what is still pending?
| Date | Change | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 22 July 2025 | Degree-level jobs for most new applicants; care worker roles closed to applicants outside the UK | In force |
| 8 January 2026 | English requirement for new applicants rises to B2 | In force |
| 26 March 2026 | Nationals of Afghanistan cannot apply for Skilled Worker entry clearance from outside the UK | In force |
| October 2026 | Recognised victims of modern slavery can work for any employer | In force |
| End of 2026 | Jobs on the Immigration Salary List and Temporary Shortage List due to come off unless the Migration Advisory Committee recommends keeping them (care roles excepted) | Announced |
| 26 March 2027 | English at B2 needed for settlement | In the rules, not yet in force |
| Not set | 'Earned settlement' with a 10-year standard qualifying period | Consulted on, no decision published |
Checked against gov.uk on : Statement of changes to the Immigration Rules: HC 997, 1 July 2025Skilled Worker visa: knowledge of EnglishImmigration Rules: Appendix Skilled WorkerStatement of changes to the Immigration Rules: HC 1691, 5 March 2026Victims freed from abusive employers under new visa rules (Home Office, 9 October 2026)Sponsor guidance: sponsor a Skilled WorkerEarned settlement: consultation
Go deeper
Where to go next
Articles
Tools
Licensed sponsors near you
GoRizzume's copy of the Home Office register lists 126,000+ licensed organisations, last synced 31 October 2026. A licence means an employer can sponsor, not that it will for every role.
Related guides
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Can I apply for a Skilled Worker visa without a job offer?
No. You need a confirmed job offer from a licensed sponsor and a Certificate of Sponsorship before you apply. If you do not have one, the Graduate visa or the Youth Mobility Scheme may let you work without a sponsor, depending on your situation.
What is the minimum salary for a Skilled Worker visa?
Usually at least £41,700 a year or the going rate for the occupation code, whichever is higher. New entrants can be paid 70% of the going rate with at least £33,400, and some health and education jobs have a floor of £25,000. Checked against gov.uk on 23 October 2026.
Who pays the Immigration Skills Charge?
The employer. It must not ask you to pay it or take it back from your wages, and sponsor guidance says the Home Office will normally revoke the licence of a sponsor that does.
How long does a Skilled Worker visa last?
Up to 5 years at a time, ending shortly after the end date on your Certificate of Sponsorship. You can extend as many times as you like while you still meet the requirements.
Can I switch to a Skilled Worker visa from inside the UK?
Usually, yes, but not from a visit, short-term student, seasonal worker or certain other visas listed on gov.uk. From a Student visa you must have finished your course, start the job after it ends, or have studied full time for a PhD for at least 24 months.
How long does a Skilled Worker visa decision take?
gov.uk says you will usually get a decision within 3 weeks if you apply from outside the UK, and within 8 weeks from inside the UK, once you have applied, proved your identity and provided your documents.
References
Sources
Every page below was read on 23 October 2026. The Immigration Rules change several times a year; if a gov.uk page says something different from this guide, gov.uk is right.
- 1.GOV.UK, Skilled Worker visa: overview
- 2.GOV.UK, Skilled Worker visa: your job
- 3.GOV.UK, Statement of changes to the Immigration Rules: HC 997, 1 July 2025
- 4.GOV.UK, Skilled Worker visa: extend your visa
- 5.GOV.UK, Skilled Worker visa: update your visa if you change job or employer
- 6.GOV.UK, Register of licensed sponsors: workers
- 7.GOV.UK, UK visa sponsorship for employers: your licence rating
- 8.GOV.UK, UK visa sponsorship for employers: apply for your licence
- 9.GOV.UK, Immigration Rules: Appendix Skilled Worker
- 10.GOV.UK, UK visa sponsorship for employers: certificates of sponsorship
- 11.GOV.UK, Skilled Worker visa: going rates for eligible occupation codes
- 12.GOV.UK, Skilled Worker visa: when you can be paid less
- 13.GOV.UK, Skilled Worker visa: if you work in healthcare or education
- 14.GOV.UK, Skilled Worker visa: if you got your first certificate of sponsorship before 4 April 2024
- 15.GOV.UK, Skilled Worker visa: knowledge of English
- 16.GOV.UK, Skilled Worker visa: how much it costs
- 17.GOV.UK, UK visa sponsorship for employers: immigration skills charge
- 18.GOV.UK, Sponsor guidance part 3: sponsor duties and compliance
- 19.GOV.UK, Sponsor guidance part 2: sponsor a worker
- 20.GOV.UK, Skilled Worker visa: your partner and children
- 21.GOV.UK, Skilled Worker visa: taking on additional work
- 22.GOV.UK, Statement of changes to the Immigration Rules: HC 1691, 5 March 2026
- 23.GOV.UK, Earned settlement: consultation
- 24.GOV.UK, Victims freed from abusive employers under new visa rules (Home Office, 9 October 2026)
- 25.GOV.UK, Sponsor guidance: sponsor a Skilled Worker