Changing Jobs on a Skilled Worker Visa: What You Need to Know

When You Need a New Application

Your Skilled Worker visa is linked to a specific employer and a specific job (defined by the certificate of sponsorship). You need a new visa application if:

• You are moving to a different employer
• You are changing to a job with a different SOC code (occupation code) with your current employer
• Your salary changes significantly (in some circumstances)

Minor changes within the same role and employer (such as a modest pay rise or a change of working location) may not require a new application, but your sponsor should report these changes through the Sponsorship Management System.

Check the GOV.UK guidance on changing jobs for the definitive rules. You can apply to update your visa up to 3 months before the start date of the new job.

The Process Step by Step

• 1. Get a job offer: Your new employer must hold a valid sponsor licence and be willing to sponsor you.
• 2. New certificate of sponsorship: Your new employer assigns you a certificate of sponsorship through the SMS.
• 3. Apply to update your visa: Submit the application online and pay the visa fee and the immigration health surcharge.
• 4. Biometrics: Attend a biometrics appointment or use the smartphone app.
• 5. Wait for approval: Continue working for your current employer until the new permission is confirmed. GOV.UK gives the service standard as a decision usually within 8 weeks, and says you must not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man until you get it.
• 6. Start your new job: Once approved, you can begin working for your new employer.

Costs

Changing jobs involves fresh fees:

• Visa application fee: the Skilled Worker fee for an application made inside the UK — £943 for permission of 3 years or less and £1,865 for more than 3 years, or £628 and £1,235 for a job on the Immigration Salary List
• Immigration health surcharge: £1,035 a year, so you may need to pay more if the new permission runs beyond what you have already paid for
• Certificate of sponsorship: £525, paid by your new employer. Since 31 December 2024 a sponsor may not pass the certificate fee, the sponsor licence fee, or its administrative costs on to a Skilled Worker
• Immigration skills charge: paid by the sponsor. £480 for the first 12 months and £240 for each further 6 months for a small or charitable sponsor; £1,320 and £660 for a medium or large one

Some employers cover the worker's own visa costs as part of the recruitment package, which is a matter for your job offer.

Impact on the Settlement Timeline

Changing jobs does not reset your qualifying period for settlement (indefinite leave to remain). Your continuous residence counts from the start of your first Skilled Worker visa, not from when you changed employers. The requirements for settlement are:

• 5 years of continuous lawful residence on a qualifying route
• Meeting the salary threshold — £41,700, or the going rate for your occupation code if that is higher — at the time of the settlement application
• Not exceeding the 180-day absence limit

Ensure there is no gap between your old and new employment. Any period without valid sponsorship could break your continuous residence.

Redundancy and Dismissal

If you lose your job involuntarily:

• Your employer must report the end of your employment to the Home Office
• The Home Office curtails your permission. GOV.UK says your visa is then limited to 60 days, or however long you have left on it if that is less than 60 days
• Within that time, you can find a new sponsor and apply, apply on another route, or leave the UK

Your employment rights are the same as any other worker. You are entitled to notice, redundancy pay (if eligible), and fair treatment.

Tips for a Smooth Transition

• Verify your new employer's sponsor rating before accepting the job
• Do not resign from your current job until your new employer has confirmed the certificate of sponsorship
• Keep copies of all documents from both your old and new employment
• Budget for the visa fee and the immigration health surcharge
• Check the new job against the salary threshold that will apply at your future settlement application

Related guides:

• Skilled Worker Visa: Complete Guide
• Certificate of Sponsorship Explained
• Skilled Worker to Settlement
• A-Rated vs B-Rated Sponsor
• Skilled Worker Salary Threshold

Questions and answers