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Settlement on the Skilled Worker route

The Skilled Worker visa is the most common work route to settlement. After 5 years of continuous residence you can apply for indefinite leave to remain. This guide sets out what GOV.UK asks for, and the two things people most often get wrong: the salary figure and when you may start a new job.

Checked 23 February 202612 min readWritten by the Rowan Editorial Team
Section
ILR & Settlement
Reading time
12 min
Last checked
23 February 2026
Source
The published Immigration Rules and GOV.UK guidance, linked throughout this guide.
Rowan does not
Look at your own case, tell you which route to choose, or say what the Home Office will decide. This guide shows the published rules and where to read them.

In short

  • 5 years of continuous residence, which can combine several work routes.
  • Salary at the higher of £41,700 or the standard going rate, with lower figures for some cases.
  • No more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12 months.
  • The Life in the UK test if you are 18 to 64; no fresh English test on this route.
  • You should not start a new job until your updated permission is confirmed.
  • No healthcare surcharge on the settlement application, and no refund of surcharge already paid.

Settlement on the Skilled Worker route asks for 5 years of continuous residence, a salary at or above the figure for your case, no more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12 months, a letter from your sponsor confirming you are still needed, and the Life in the UK test if you are 18 to 64. You do not have to prove English again — you did that for the visa. It costs £3,226, there is no healthcare surcharge on the application, and once it is granted you no longer need a sponsor.

Eligibility Requirements

To settle on the Skilled Worker route you must meet all of these at the time you apply:

  • 5 years continuous residence: on a Skilled Worker visa, and GOV.UK lets you count time on Health and Care Worker, Tier 2 (General), any Tier 1 visa except Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur, Scale-up Worker, Minister of Religion, International Sportsperson, Innovator Founder, Global Talent and Representative of an Overseas Business. Time spent as someone else's partner or child on a visa does not count. The earliest you can apply is 28 days before the 5 years is up; earlier than that risks refusal. See our qualifying period guide for how to calculate your start date.
  • Your sponsor confirms the job continues: GOV.UK asks for a document from your employer saying you will continue to be needed for the job and will keep meeting the salary requirement. It is not a new Certificate of Sponsorship.
  • Salary: the higher of £41,700 a year or the standard going rate for the job. Lower figures apply to some cases: £33,400 for a job on the Immigration Salary List, £31,300 if you were sponsored before 4 April 2024, £25,000 for eligible health and education roles paid on a national pay scale, and £35,800 for an International Sportsperson. See our guide to the salary threshold.
  • Absence limits: No more than 180 days absent from the UK in any 12-month period during the qualifying period. See our absence rules guide.
  • English language: GOV.UK says you do not need to prove it again on this route, because you did so when you applied for the visa. Skilled Worker applications made on or after 8 January 2026 need B2; extensions on the same route still take B1. See our guide to English for settlement.
  • Life in the UK test: if you are 18 to 64. See our Life in the UK test guide.

For full official guidance, see the GOV.UK settlement pages for the Skilled Worker route.

The Application Process

  1. Confirm eligibility: Check that you have completed 5 years and meet all the requirements listed above.
  2. Gather documents: See our settlement documents checklist for everything you need.
  3. Apply online: Complete the application on GOV.UK.
  4. Pay the fee: £3,226 for each person applying. There is no healthcare surcharge on a settlement application. See our cost breakdown.
  5. Give your fingerprints and photo: there is no fee for this.
  6. Wait for the decision: usually within 6 months of giving your fingerprints and photo. You must not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you have it. Paid faster services exist: see our guide to priority services and our processing times guide.

Changing Employers During the Qualifying Period

You can change employers during the 5 years. GOV.UK sets out the order:

  • The new employer must hold a sponsor licence and assign you a new certificate of sponsorship. The new job must meet the eligibility requirements in its own right.
  • You apply to update your visa. You can do this up to 3 months before the new job's start date.
  • You wait. GOV.UK's words are that you should not start your new job until you have got confirmation of your new permission — not when you apply, but when the permission comes through. This is the point most often got wrong in writing about the route.
  • Time on section 3C leave continues your existing permission while an in-time application is undecided.

What Your Employer Needs to Do

The application is yours, not your employer's. What GOV.UK asks of them is one document: confirmation that you will continue to be needed for your job and that you will keep meeting the salary requirement. In practice that letter carries your job title, salary and start date. Your sponsorship needs to still be in place when the application is decided.

Documents for a Skilled Worker Settlement Application

Key documents specific to the Skilled Worker route include:

  • All passports covering the 5-year period
  • Proof of your immigration status: a share code from your UKVI account, which lasts 90 days. Biometric residence permits stopped being issued at the end of 2024, and GOV.UK now says all of them have expired and been replaced by eVisas. An expired card can still be used to sign in to the account for 24 months after the date printed on it, or until 31 December 2026, whichever is first
  • Employer letter confirming current employment, salary, and start date
  • Payslips for the qualifying period (at least 6 months, ideally all 5 years)
  • P60s for each tax year
  • Bank statements showing salary payments
  • Life in the UK test pass certificate
  • English language evidence

See our settlement documents checklist.

After Settlement on the Skilled Worker Route

Once you are settled you are no longer tied to your sponsor. See our guide to the rights settlement brings for what changes. If you want to pursue British citizenship, see our guide to the route from settlement to citizenship.

One thing that is often stated the wrong way round: there is no refund of healthcare surcharge already paid. GOV.UK lists "you're applying for indefinite leave to remain" among the cases where no refund is due. You simply stop paying it, because settlement is not charged the surcharge. See our guide to healthcare surcharge refunds.

Questions and answers

How long does it take to get ILR on the Skilled Worker route?

The qualifying period is 5 years. GOV.UK says the 5 years can also include time on any Tier 1 visa except Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur, Health and Care Worker, Tier 2 (General), Scale-up Worker, Minister of Religion, International Sportsperson, Innovator Founder, Global Talent, and Representative of an Overseas Business. The earliest you can apply is 28 days before the 5 years is up. A decision usually arrives within 6 months of giving your fingerprints and photo.

Can I change employers during the 5-year qualifying period?

Yes. GOV.UK says you need a new certificate of sponsorship from the new employer and must apply to update your visa, which you can do up to 3 months before the new job starts. It is explicit about the order: you should not start the new job until you have confirmation of your new permission. Submitting the application is not enough.

What salary do I need for Skilled Worker ILR?

The general figure is the higher of £41,700 a year or the standard going rate for the job. GOV.UK publishes lower figures for some cases: £33,400 if the job is on the Immigration Salary List, £31,300 if you were sponsored before 4 April 2024, £25,000 for eligible health and education roles paid on a national pay scale, and £35,800 for an International Sportsperson.

Do I still need my employer to sponsor me after ILR?

No. Once you are settled you no longer need a sponsor. You can work for any employer, be self-employed, or start a business, with no immigration conditions on the work you do.

This guide is general information about published immigration rules. It is not advice about an individual application under s.82 Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, and Rowan is not regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority. Immigration rules change several times a year. For advice on a particular situation, contact an adviser authorised by the Immigration Advice Authority or an immigration solicitor. Always check GOV.UK for the authoritative current rules.

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