A Skilled Worker visa will allow you to enter or remain in the UK to take up a qualifying occupation with a sponsoring business. This one has replaced the previous Tier 2 (General) work visa. It’s a prerequisite to doing business in British seas.
Suppose you are highly qualified and were born outside of the United Kingdom. In that case, you may be eligible to apply for a qualified Worker Visa, formerly known as a Tier 2 General visa. This long-term visa allows foreign nationals to stay in the country for up to five years. However, you can only maintain eligibility for the visa by continuing to work for the same business. If you change careers or your current permit expires, you must apply for a new one.
A valid Skilled Worker (Tier 2) visa grants you numerous rights. It enables you to:
However, you cannot apply for or receive most social benefits or the State Pension with a UK Skilled visa. You cannot work for many companies while holding the same visa; you must obtain a new visa to change employment. You will be provided with a detailed explanation of all the privileges your visa grants once your application is accepted.
Consequently, those who meet the requirements for the Skilled Worker visa can enter the United Kingdom and begin working for a sponsor in a qualifying position.
To receive a permit to work in the United Kingdom, you must comply with several UK work visa requirements established by the government. The visa is open to individuals who attain 70 points by meeting specific eligibility requirements such as skill and salary level, English language ability and having a qualifying job offer from a UK employer with a valid sponsorship licence. Let’s look at how to get a skilled worker visa in the UK.
A Skilled Worker visa requires a total of 70 points to be met; this includes 50 points for mandatory or “non-tradeable” criteria (such as a work offer, proficiency in English, and adequate qualifications for the position), and 20 points for “tradeable” conditions.
| Skilled worker requirement | Points | Points |
|---|---|---|
| A genuine job offer from a licensed sponsor | 20 points | Mandatory |
| Speak English to the required standard | 10 points | Mandatory |
| Job offer is at a skill level of RQF3 or above | 20 points | Mandatory |
| Salary of £20,480 to £23,039 or at least 80% of the going rate for the profession (whichever is higher) | 0 points | Tradeable |
| Salary of £23,040 to £25,599 or at least 90% of the going rate for the profession (whichever is higher) | 10 points | Tradeable |
| Salary of £26,200 or above or at least the going rate for the profession (whichever is higher) | 20 points | Tradeable |
| Job in a shortage occupation as designated by the Migration Advisory Committee | 20 points | Tradeable |
| Education qualification: PhD in a subject relevant to the job | 10 points | Tradeable |
| Education qualification: PhD in a STEM subject relevant to the job | 20 points | Tradeable |
First of all, you have to find a UK-based company ready to employ you and get a valid job offer from it to be eligible for a visa.
To become eligible for a UK Skilled work visa, you must receive a valid CoS from your employer. This virtual certificate specifies which position you expect to fill, how long you will be employed, etc.
To qualify as a skilled worker, you need skills at least equal to RQF Level 3. At the very least, you’ll have to show proof of sufficient financial resources. It can be done by providing a bank statement or a note proving the company will cover these costs. A minimum of $1,270 must be deposited into the account and kept there for at least 28 days before the application date.
All skilled applicants for a worker visa in the United Kingdom must prove they can understand and speak English well enough. You can prove your English skills in several different ways. The most common way is to pass a test aligned to the CEFR standard. You must prove you can read, write, speak and understand English to at least level B1 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) scale.
For visa or citizenship applications, you may need to prove your knowledge of English by passing a secure English language test (SELT).
| If you are in the UK | If you are outside of the UK |
|---|---|
| IELTS SELT Consortium: IELTS for UKVI’ or IELTS Life Skills | IELTS SELT Consortium: IELTS for UKVI’ or IELTS Life Skills |
| LanguageCert: LanguageCert International ESOL SELT | LanguageCert: LanguageCert International ESOL SELT |
| Pearson: PTE Academic UKVI or PTE Home | Pearson: PTE Academic UKVI or PTE Home |
| Trinity College London: Secure English Language Tests for UKVI – Integrated Skills in English (ISE) or Graded Examinations in Spoken English (GESE) | PSI Services: Skills for English UKVI |
Your sponsored position must also meet several specific criteria to allow you to receive a visa.
A definitive list of positions can be filled with foreign skilled workers. To receive a visa, your role must be on the list. Ask the future employer if you are unsure whether your position is supported. WorkerVisa will only grant a Skilled Worker visa for roles on the eligible occupations list. You must also have the necessary skills and experience to fulfil the position you are being hired in the UK. You may need to request your employer’s standard occupation code (SOC) to double-check if your occupation is eligible.
The Skilled Worker visa general minimum salary threshold is the highest of either £26,200 per year or £10.75 per hour, or the “going rate” for the particular role being recruited. Every “occupational code” is assigned a going rate. The salary level must be calculated by the hour and not just annually. Minimum pay can be no less than £10.75 per hour, even if the annual salary is above the required level. If you’re in a field with higher rates, your wage must match it. The Home Office frequently updates the current rates for such areas.
To apply for a Skilled Worker visa in the UK, you must prepare numerous documents proving your identity or skills and otherwise supporting your application. The most necessary papers you’ll be asked to submit include:
The list is not exhaustive, and various conditions related to your application may require other papers to be provided to the officials. You will also be asked to provide your biometric data. You can provide it by visiting a visa application centre in your home country.
Applying for a Skilled Worker visa outside the UK is completed online on the Home Office website. You can start the application process once you have received a job offer and a valid Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS). Please complete and submit your application once you have your job offer, Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS), and the above-supporting information. If necessary, you can complete part of the application and save your progress, allowing you to complete the process later.
The application steps are as follows:
If submitted outside the UK, you can expect to receive a decision within 3 to 8 weeks of your application date. If more information is needed to support your application, you will be contacted by UKVI.
However, the authorities may reject your application. Several factors contribute to this phenomenon, but the most frequent ones are:
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 outside the UK. It may be possible to pay for fast-tracked processing, depending on where the application is being processed.
However, UKVI sometimes takes additional time to analyse your papers; depending on your circumstances, the Home Office may need extra time to review your documents and prove your identity. For this reason, you should always allow some time to submit your application on time.
When we talk about how to get a Skilled Worker Visa in the UK, fees are an essential aspect of the application you should consider. The total amount you will be asked to pay depends on where you are while filing your application and how long you will stay in the country.
If you apply from outside the UK, the applicant must pay the visa application fee between £610 to £1,408, depending on their circumstances, whether the job is on the shortage occupation and the Immigration Health Surcharge.
| Application type | Application fee per applicant |
|---|---|
| Applying from outside the UK | * up to 3 years – £610 per person * more than 3 years – £1,220 per person |
| Applying from inside the UK (switching, updating or extending) | * up to 3 years – £704 per person * more than 3 years – £1,408 per person |
| Shortage of occupation roles, both in-country and out-of-country applications | * up to 3 years – £464 per person * more than 3 years – £928 per person |
Please note that when the Home Office turns down an application, these fees are not refunded, so pay close attention to how you complete it since the UK Skilled Worker visa cost can seem high for many.
The duration of your visa is limited by the period you expect to spend working in the country specified explicitly in your Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS). However, it can’t be issued for over 5 years. At this point, the visa holder would need to apply to extend the visa, or on completing the 5-year residency requirement, they may become eligible to apply for UK indefinite leave to remain. After 5 years in the country, you can apply for ILR and get citizenship a year later. But you don’t have to do that if you plan to work for a UK-based company without becoming a full citizen.
Once you have indefinite leave to remain, you will not need to make any more visa applications or pay the immigration healthcare surcharge, and you will be able to apply for UK citizenship after 12 months.
In addition, to qualify for ILR, you will need to provide evidence that:
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We have a great lot of experience in this field, and as a result, we are familiar with how to address all problems that may arise along the route. We can help you assemble all of the required documentation, submit your application, and finish the process. All of the legal considerations associated with acquiring a visa can be discussed with our team. You can call us right away to learn more about how we can help you.
The Skilled Worker visa is a long-term visa and will be initially granted for up to 5 years (this will depend on the duration of your Certificate of Sponsorship). You can extend your visa as often as you wish and apply for permanent settlement (ILR) after five (5) years.
If submitted outside the UK, you can expect to receive a decision within 3 weeks of your application date. Applications made in the UK can take up to 8 weeks to process.
If you lose your job on a UK Skilled Worker Visa, you will need to take decisive action as you cannot remain in the country with your current immigration permission. You can either apply to switch to a different type of visa while in the UK or apply for another Skilled Worker visa. If you apply for a new visa, you can remain in the UK while your application is being processed.
To qualify for ILR as a Skilled Worker visa holder after 5 years, you must show evidence of continuous residence in the UK. This means you must not have been outside the UK for more than 180 days in any of the 5 years.
You don’t need a Skilled Worker Visa to work in the UK if you are an EU national and hold EU Pre-Settled or Settled Status under the EU settlement scheme. If you do not hold either status, you will need a work visa for employment in the UK.
The Home Office guidance states that Skilled Worker visa holders can “study (with no limit on the number of study hours if it doesn’t interfere with the job they have been sponsored to do)”.
The Skilled Worker visa has replaced the Tier 2 (General) visa, broadly similar to the old one. However, some changes aim to simplify the process for sponsors and applicants.
