Youth Mobility to Skilled Worker Visa Switch

Requirements for Switching

To apply to switch from the Youth Mobility Scheme to a Skilled Worker visa, GOV.UK requires:

• A job offer from a licensed sponsor. The employer must hold a valid sponsor licence.
• A certificate of sponsorship. Your employer issues this. It must be used within 3 months of being assigned.
• A job at the right skill level. For applications made on or after 22 July 2025 the occupation must normally be at degree level — RQF level 6. Occupations at RQF levels 3 to 5 can only be sponsored if they appear on the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List. Roles on the Temporary Shortage List cannot bring dependants.
• A qualifying salary. £41,700 a year or the going rate for the occupation code, whichever is higher, unless one of the published lower-rate situations applies.
• English at level B2. GOV.UK says that if you are applying to switch from a different visa, you need level B2 on the Common European Framework — not the B1 that applies to some extensions. See our English language guide.
• £1,270 to support yourself, unless you have been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months or your sponsor certifies it will cover your costs.

Salary Requirements

The general threshold is £41,700 a year or the going rate for the job, whichever is higher. That has applied since 22 July 2025.

GOV.UK also publishes a set of situations in which you can be paid between 70% and 90% of the going rate, provided your salary is at least £33,400 a year:

• you are under 26 on the date you apply
• you are currently in the UK on a Student visa studying at bachelor’s degree level or above, or on a Graduate visa (or have been in the last 2 years, with that or a visit visa as your most recent visa)
• you will be working towards a recognised qualification in a UK regulated profession, or towards full registration or chartered status in the job you are sponsored for
• you hold a relevant PhD: 80% of the going rate with a science, technology, engineering or maths PhD and at least £33,400, or 90% with a PhD in another subject and at least £37,500
• you have a postdoctoral position in one of the listed science or higher education occupation codes

Holding a Youth Mobility Scheme visa is not on that list. Switching from this route does not by itself bring the lower rates. Where one of the age, study or professional-training situations above does apply, GOV.UK says total time in the UK on that basis cannot exceed 4 years.

If the job is on the Immigration Salary List, the salary floor is £33,400 — but the full going rate for the occupation still applies. The list gives a lower application fee, not a discount on the going rate. Check the going rate for the occupation code on GOV.UK.

Finding a Sponsor

Not every UK employer is a licensed sponsor. To check:

• Search the register of licensed sponsors on GOV.UK, which lists every organisation licensed to sponsor workers and the routes each is licensed for.
• An employer that is not on the register can apply for a licence. GOV.UK charges £611 for a small or charitable sponsor and £1,682 for a medium or large one, and says most applications are decided in under 8 weeks. Sponsor licences no longer have to be renewed — renewal ended on 6 April 2024.
• Sponsoring an employee also carries an immigration skills charge, paid by the employer: £480 for the first 12 months plus £240 per further 6 months for small or charitable sponsors, and £1,320 plus £660 for medium or large ones.

Our sponsor licence guide covers what a licence involves for the employer.

Timing and What You Can Do While You Wait

GOV.UK says you must apply online before your current visa expires. A decision on an in-UK Skilled Worker application usually comes within 8 weeks.

Three published rules govern the waiting period:

• Your existing permission continues. If you apply before your Youth Mobility Scheme visa expires, it is extended by section 3C leave until the application is decided, on the same conditions as the visa you already hold.
• Do not start the sponsored job yet. GOV.UK says you should not start your new job until you have confirmation of your new permission.
• Do not leave the country. You must not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you get a decision. GOV.UK says the application will be withdrawn if you do.

A certificate of sponsorship must be used within 3 months of being assigned, which sets the outside edge of how early an employer can usefully issue one.

Costs of Switching

• Application fee, applying from inside the UK: £943 for up to 3 years, or £1,865 for more than 3 years. If the job is on the Immigration Salary List the fee is £628 or £1,235, the same whether you apply from inside or outside the UK.
• Healthcare surcharge: £1,035 a year — the standard rate. The reduced £776 rate you paid on the Youth Mobility Scheme does not apply to the Skilled Worker route.
• Biometric information: GOV.UK says there is no fee for having your fingerprints and photograph taken.

Some employers cover some of these costs; that is a matter between you and the employer, not a rule. The immigration skills charge is different — the sponsor must pay it and cannot pass it to you. See our UK visa fees guide for a full comparison.

Settlement

The Skilled Worker route can lead to indefinite leave to remain after 5 continuous years in the UK on qualifying permission. Time on the Youth Mobility Scheme does not count towards that period — the clock starts with the Skilled Worker permission.

A change extending the settlement qualifying period from 5 years to 10 has been proposed but is not law. Separately, the English requirement for settlement on the Skilled Worker route is due to rise from B1 to B2 from 26 March 2027. After settlement, an application for British citizenship can normally be made 12 months later.

Next Steps

Related guides:

• Youth Mobility Scheme: How It Works
• Skilled Worker Visa Guide
• Sponsor Licence Guide
• Section 3C Leave Explained
• Indefinite Leave to Remain Guide

For the official rules, see the GOV.UK pages on switching to a Skilled Worker visa and when you can be paid less.

Questions and answers