What the Skilled Worker route requires

Overview

The Skilled Worker visa is the main route for working in the UK with an employer's sponsorship. It replaced the Tier 2 (General) visa. The route was reshaped on 22 July 2025 and again on 8 January 2026, so older descriptions of it are often out of date.

Requirement 1: sponsorship

You must have a job offer from a UK employer that holds a sponsor licence. The employer assigns you a certificate of sponsorship, an electronic record giving the job, the occupation code and the salary. It is not a paper document. You must apply within 3 months of getting it.

There is no application without one, and the details on it have to match the job. Errors on the certificate are a common reason an application fails.

Requirement 2: salary

You must usually be paid whichever is higher of £41,700 a year or the going rate for your occupation code. Each code has its own going rate, published by the Home Office. Our salary threshold guide goes through this in detail.

Different figures apply in these cases:

• Under 26, students, recent graduates, or people in professional training: at least £33,400 a year and 70% of the going rate. Total time in the UK on this basis is capped at 4 years.
• PhD holders: at least £33,400 a year and 80% of the going rate for a science, technology, engineering or maths PhD relevant to the job; for a PhD in another subject, at least £37,500 and 90% of the going rate.
• Postdoctoral positions in certain science occupation codes: 70% of the going rate, again capped at 4 years in the UK.
• Immigration Salary List jobs: at least £33,400 a year. Being on the list does not reduce the going rate — you must still be paid it in full. What the list gives you is the lower salary floor and a lower application fee. The old 80% going-rate discount ended with the shortage occupation list in April 2024.
• Healthcare and education jobs: the going rate comes from national pay scales rather than a single figure, and the floor is £25,000 a year.
• Prison officers (code 3314) extending or switching: at least £31,300 a year or the lower going rate.

From 26 March 2026 the salary must be paid in each pay period, not averaged out across a longer stretch.

Requirement 3: skill level

Since 22 July 2025 the job must be one GOV.UK lists as “higher skilled”, meaning degree level, RQF 6. The previous floor was RQF 3, roughly A-level. A job listed as “medium skilled” is eligible only if:

• it is on the Immigration Salary List;
• it is on the Temporary Shortage List;
• it is prison officer (code 3314) and you are extending or switching; or
• you are extending and you got your first certificate of sponsorship before 22 July 2025.

Every job has a 4-digit occupation code under the Standard Occupational Classification. Your employer puts the code on the certificate of sponsorship, and it has to match what you will actually be doing. Our job eligibility checker looks up a code and shows its going rate and whether it is closed to new applicants.

The skill level is a fact about the job, not about you. You do not need to hold a degree yourself unless the job requires one.

Requirement 4: English

You must be able to read, write, speak and understand English to at least level B2 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. B2 replaced B1 for new applications on 8 January 2026. You can prove it by:

• a Secure English Language Test at B2 or above from an approved provider;
• a UK school qualification begun before you turned 18 — a GCSE, an A level, Scottish National Qualification level 4 or 5, or Scottish Higher or Advanced Higher in English;
• a degree-level qualification taught in English and awarded by a UK institution, even if you studied outside the UK;
• a degree taught in English from an institution outside the UK, assessed by Ecctis; or
• being a national of one of the countries and territories GOV.UK lists as majority English-speaking. Being a country where English is an official language is not the same thing — check the list.

If you held this visa before 8 January 2026 and you are extending or updating it, the level is B1 and you do not need to prove it again. Switching from a Health and Care Worker visa also does not require fresh proof. Switching from any other visa needs B2. See our English language tests guide.

Requirement 5: money to support yourself

You must have at least £1,270 available. It must have been there for 28 days in a row, and day 28 must be within 31 days of applying.

You do not need to show it if you have been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months, or if your employer confirms on the certificate of sponsorship that it will cover your costs during your first month — the “sponsor certifies maintenance” box under “additional data”.

Requirement 6: tuberculosis test, for some countries

If you are applying from a listed country, you need a tuberculosis test certificate from a clinic the Home Office approves. The list of countries and the approved clinics are on GOV.UK.

Requirement 7: criminal record certificate, for some jobs

If you are applying from outside the UK and the job is in education, healthcare, therapy or social services, you need a criminal record certificate. GOV.UK gives examples: teachers, teaching assistants and childminders; nurses, doctors, paramedics, pharmacists, dentists and opticians; psychologists, speech and language therapists and counsellors; social workers, probation officers and housing officers.

If you are under 28, you need a certificate from any country you have stayed in for 12 months or more in total since you turned 18. If you are 28 or over, you need one from any country you have stayed in over the last 10 years.

Other documents

Depending on the job you may also need an ATAS certificate, if your employer says the role involves research in a sensitive subject at PhD level or above, and your PhD certificate or an Ecctis reference number if you are claiming a PhD salary rate. Any document not in English or Welsh needs a certified translation.

Costs

The application fee is £819 for up to 3 years or £1,618 for more than 3 years when applying from outside the UK, and £943 or £1,865 when applying from inside. An Immigration Salary List job costs £628 or £1,235. On top of that comes the immigration health surcharge at £1,035 a year. Your employer pays for the certificate of sponsorship and, in most cases, the immigration skills charge; since 31 December 2024 a sponsor may not pass the licence fee, its administrative costs, or the certificate fee on to you. Our cost guide has the full breakdown.

How long a decision takes

The published service standard is 3 weeks for an application made outside the UK and 8 weeks for one made inside it. Faster services are offered at extra cost. See our processing time guide.

Settlement

After 5 years in the UK you may be able to apply for indefinite leave to remain, and afterwards for British citizenship. For what the whole journey costs, see our visa fees guide and hidden costs guide.

Questions and answers