The Skilled Worker visa is the main route for working in the UK with a job offer from a licensed sponsor. It replaced the former Tier 2 (General) route, and it now carries salary and skill rules that have tightened repeatedly, most recently in 2025. Whether the route works for you turns on three technical questions. Is the job eligible. Is the salary right. And is the sponsor able to sponsor it.

We act on both sides of the route. For employers, we handle sponsorship strategy, certificates of sponsorship and compliance. For applicants and their families, we prepare applications, extensions, switches and refusal responses. That dual perspective is an advantage, because most Skilled Worker problems sit exactly where the employer’s obligations and the worker’s application meet.

The three core requirements

To qualify, the job must be eligible for the route, the employer must be a Home Office approved sponsor, and the pay must meet the minimum salary rules for the work in question.

Job eligibility and occupation codes

Job eligibility runs on occupation codes. Every role has a 4-digit code under the SOC 2020 system, and the Home Office publishes a table of eligible occupations. Roles listed as higher skilled qualify. Roles listed as medium skilled qualify only if they appear on the immigration salary list or the temporary shortage list, with narrow exceptions including prison officers extending or switching, and transitional cover for workers whose first certificate of sponsorship predates 22 July 2025. Choosing the right code is not cosmetic. Similar-sounding jobs carry different codes and different outcomes, and a wrongly coded role is a refusal waiting to happen.

Sponsorship means the employer holds a Worker licence and assigns a certificate of sponsorship. The visa application must follow within 3 months of the certificate being assigned. If your employer is not yet licensed, our sponsor licence applications page explains the process.

The salary rules

The salary rules are where most Skilled Worker cases are won or lost. GOV.UK states the position as follows, checked 7 July 2026, and these figures change, so always confirm the current position before relying on them.

The standard requirement is the higher of £41,700 per year or the going rate for the specific occupation code. Each code has its own going rate in the published going rates table, and being paid above the general threshold does not help if the going rate for your code is higher still.

Lower salaries can qualify in defined circumstances. If the usual requirement is not met, a salary of at least £33,400 can suffice where a listed exception applies, for example certain qualifications or shortage circumstances set out in the “when you can be paid less” rules. Some healthcare and education roles work differently again, with going rates set by national pay scales. Prison officers extending or switching have a separate minimum of £31,300, and must get their certificate of sponsorship on or before 31 December 2026 to switch, or 31 December 2027 to extend. Workers extending or updating an existing Skilled Worker visa may benefit from transitional salary provisions, particularly where their first certificate of sponsorship predates the 2024 and 2025 rule changes.

The employer side has its own trap. The job must also comply with the national minimum wage and working hours rules, and GOV.UK is explicit that an application will be refused where it does not.

We calculate the correct salary floor for the specific role, code and applicant history before anything is submitted. It is the single highest-value check in the route.

The employer’s obligations

Sponsoring a Skilled Worker means holding a licence, choosing the right occupation code, meeting the salary rules, assigning a correctly drafted certificate of sponsorship, and paying the fees the law places on the sponsor, which include the certificate fee and, in most cases, the immigration skills charge. Care providers in England face an extra requirement, because care workers and senior care workers can only be sponsored by Care Quality Commission registered providers.

Our employer services cover the full sequence, from licence application through certificate assignment to the compliance systems that keep the licence safe.

The worker’s application

Beyond the job, sponsorship and salary requirements, applicants must prove knowledge of English and meet the financial requirement unless exempt, and must apply within 3 months of their certificate of sponsorship. Applications are made online, from outside or inside the UK depending on your situation.

Partners and children can usually apply as dependants. Time on the route can count towards settlement, and the rules on qualifying periods are under active reform discussion, so the position should be checked at the date you plan to apply.

Switching, extensions and changes of job

Many applicants switch into the Skilled Worker route from inside the UK, including from the Graduate and Student routes. Extensions and changes of employment have their own salary and eligibility rules, including transitional protections tied to when your first certificate of sponsorship was assigned. Because those protections can make the difference between qualifying and not, we always check an applicant’s sponsorship history before advising.

Refusals

Skilled Worker refusals cluster around salary calculation errors, wrong occupation codes, genuineness doubts and sponsor-side problems such as a licence issue arising mid-application. The right response depends on the ground. Some cases are best answered with a fresh, corrected application. Administrative review can address casework errors on eligible decisions. Where the refusal is unlawful, judicial review may be arguable within strict time limits. And where the problem is the sponsor’s, the employer needs advice as much as the worker does.

FAQs

What salary do I need for a Skilled Worker visa?

The higher of £41,700 per year or the going rate for your occupation code, as at 7 July 2026. Lower floors apply in defined cases, including a £33,400 floor where a listed exception applies, national pay scale rules for some healthcare and education roles, and transitional rules for existing Skilled Workers. These figures change, so check the current position or ask us to confirm it for your role.

Does my employer need a sponsor licence?

Yes. Only Home Office approved sponsors can employ Skilled Workers. If your employer is not licensed, they can apply, and licence applications usually take around 8 weeks on GOV.UK’s stated timescale.

Can I switch to a Skilled Worker visa inside the UK?

In most cases yes, including from the Graduate and Student routes, provided the job, salary and sponsorship requirements are met. Some categories cannot switch and must apply from abroad. We confirm your position before you commit.

Can I bring my family?

Partners and children can usually apply as dependants with their own applications and fees. Their applications need the same care as the main one, because a dependant refusal can derail the family’s plans.

What can I do if my Skilled Worker visa is refused?

It depends on the refusal ground. Options include a corrected fresh application, administrative review for casework errors, or judicial review for unlawful decisions, each with strict time limits. Send us the refusal notice and we will set out your options.

Does time on this visa count towards settlement?

Skilled Worker leave can lead to settlement once the qualifying requirements are met. The rules around qualifying periods are under active reform discussion, so check the position at the date you plan to apply.

Related services

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