Overview
A Skilled Worker visa allows you to come to or stay in the UK to do an eligible job with an approved employer.
This visa has replaced the Tier 2 (General) work visa.
Some health workers and their families will get their visas extended for free because of coronavirus (COVID-19).
If you or your family are from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein
If you or your close family member started living in the UK before 1 January 2021, you may be able to apply to the free EU Settlement Scheme.
Otherwise you need a visa to work in the UK.
Irish citizens do not need to apply for a visa or to the EU Settlement Scheme.
Eligibility
Your Job
To qualify for a Skilled Worker visa, you must:
- work for a UK employer that’s been approved by the Home Office
- have a ‘certificate of sponsorship’ from your employer with information about the role you’ve been offered in the UK
- do a job that’s on the list of eligible occupations
- be paid a minimum salary – how much depends on the type of work you do
The specific eligibility depends on your job.
You must have a confirmed job offer before you apply for your visa.
Knowledge of English
You must be able to speak, read, write and understand English. You’ll usually need to prove your knowledge of English when you apply.
If you’re not eligible for a Skilled Worker visa
You may be eligible for another type of visa to work in the UK
How long you can stay
Your visa can last for up to 5 years before you need to extend it. You’ll need to apply to extend or update your visa when it expires or if you change jobs or employer.
If you want to stay longer in the UK
You can apply to extend your visa as many times as you like as long as you still meet the eligibility requirements.
After 5 years, you may be able to apply to settle permanently in the UK (also known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’). This gives you the right to live, work and study here for as long as you like, and apply for benefits if you’re eligible.
How to apply
You must apply online.
How you apply depends on whether you’re:
- outside the UK and are coming to the UK
- inside the UK and extending your current visa
- inside the UK and switching from a different visa
If you want to change your job or employer, you must apply to update your visa.
You can include your partner and children in your application to stay in the UK if they are eligible.
How long it takes
You can apply for a visa up to 3 months before the day you are due to start work in the UK. This date is listed on your certificate of sponsorship.
As part of your application, you’ll need to prove your identity and provide your documents.
You may need to allow extra time if you need an appointment to do this. You’ll find out if you need one when you start your application.
Getting a decision
Once you’ve applied online, proved your identity and provided your documents, you’ll usually get a decision on your visa within:
- 3 weeks, if you’re outside the UK
- 8 weeks, if you’re inside the UK
If you need to go to an appointment, you may be able to pay for a faster decision. How you do this depends on whether you’re outside the UK or inside the UK.
How much it costs
You, your partner or children will each need to:
- pay the application fee
- pay the healthcare surcharge for each year of your stay
- prove you have enough personal savings
Check how much money you’ll need
If you work in public sector healthcare
If you’re a doctor or nurse, or you work in health or adult social care, check if you’re eligible to apply for the Health and Care Worker visa instead. It’s cheaper to apply for and you do not need to pay the annual immigration health surcharge.
What you can and cannot do
With a Skilled Worker visa you can:
- work in an eligible job
- study
- bring your partner and children with you as your ‘dependants’, if they’re eligible
- take on additional work in certain circumstances
- do voluntary work
- travel abroad and return to the UK
- apply to settle permanently in the UK (also known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’) if you’ve lived in the UK for 5 years and meet the other eligibility requirements
You cannot: - apply for most benefits (public funds), or the State Pension
- change jobs or employer unless you apply to update your visa
If your application is successful, you’ll get a full list of what you can and cannot do with a Skilled Worker visa.
If you work in healthcare or education
There are different salary rules if you work in some healthcare or education jobs. The ‘going rates’ for these jobs are based on the national pay scales set by the relevant independent body, for example the NHS.
View the list of eligible healthcare and education jobs to see if your job is included.
National pay scales tables
If your job is on the list, your salary must be at least the national pay scale rate for the job you’ll be doing.
These going rates apply whether you’ll be working in the public or private sector.
Check how much you’ll need to be paid in the:
- table of national pay scales for eligible healthcare jobs – listed by NHS pay band and area of the UK
- table of national pay scales for eligible teaching and education leadership jobs – listed by role and area of the UK
Ask your employer if you’re not sure what your role or pay band will be.
If your job is on the shortage occupation list
You and your family will pay a lower application fee if your job is in a shortage occupation.
View the list of healthcare and education shortage occupations to see if your job is included.
Make sure you check there’s a shortage in the part of the UK you’ll be working in – England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
If your job is on the list, the reduced fee for each person applying is:
- £464 if you’re staying for up to 3 years
- £928 if you’re staying for more than 3 years
The fee is the same whether you’re applying from inside or outside the UK.
You’ll also need to pay the healthcare surcharge and prove you can support yourself in the UK – check how much money you’ll need.
Documents you’ll need to apply
When you apply you’ll need to provide:
- your certificate of sponsorship reference number – your employer will give you this
- proof of your knowledge of English
- a valid passport or other document that shows your identity and nationality
- your job title and annual salary
- your job’s occupation code
- the name of your employer and their sponsor licence number – this will be on your certificate of sponsorship
Ask your employer for a copy of your certificate of sponsorship if you do not have one.
If your certificate of sponsorship was issued before 1 December 2020
Your certificate of sponsorship will need to be updated because it was assigned to you before the Tier 2 (General) work visa was replaced by the Skilled Worker visa.
Ask your employer to update the ‘sponsor notes’ section in the UK visa sponsorship management system.
Other documents you might need
Depending on your circumstances, you might be asked to provide:
- evidence that you have enough personal savings to support yourself in the UK, for example bank statements (unless your certificate of sponsorship
- shows your employer can support you)
- proof of your relationship with your partner or children if they’re applying with you
- your tuberculosis test results if you’re from a listed country
- a criminal record certificate – if you’re working in certain jobs
- your UK PhD certificate or your unique UK NARIC reference number if your qualification is from outside the UK – you’ll need to apply for this through
- the UK NARIC Visas and Nationality Service
You’ll need a blank page in your passport for your visa if you’re:
- from outside the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein
- from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein but do not have a biometric passport with a chip in it
If your documents are not in English or Welsh you’ll also need to provide a certified translation.
Criminal record certificate
You’ll need to provide a criminal record certificate if you’re applying from outside the UK and you work in:
- education, for example teachers, education advisers and school inspectors, childminders, teaching assistants
- healthcare, for example nurses, doctors, paramedics, managers, pharmacists, dentists and dental nurses, ophthalmic opticians
- therapy, for example psychologists, speech and language therapists, counsellors
- social services, for example social workers, managers, probation officers, welfare and housing officers
Check how to apply for criminal records checks.
If you work in healthcare, you might be able to apply for the Health and Care Worker visa instead.
If you’ve lived in more than one country
You might need to provide a certificate from each country you’ve lived in, depending on your age and how long you stayed in each country.
If you’re under 28, you’ll need a certificate from any country you’ve stayed in for a total of 12 months or more since you turned 18.
If you’re 28 or over, you’ll need a certificate from any country you’ve stayed in over the last 10 years.
When you’ve got your documents ready
You can apply online once your documents are ready.
How you apply depends on whether you’re:
- outside the UK and are coming to the UK
- inside the UK and extending your current visa
- inside the UK and switching from a different visa
If you’ve read the guidance and you’re not sure if you’re eligible, you can use a Home Office checker tool. You’ll be asked to confirm that you meet all of the eligibility requirements.
The above information which is from the government website can be accessed in full here.