A UK Skilled worker visa is a route to come and work in the UK for overseas nationals. You can work for an approved sponsor (a company or an organization) in an eligible role. The UK skilled worker visa process can be complex if you don’t have the expertise in it. Therefore you should seek an expert’s advice before you apply for one.
UK skilled worker visa is for people who intend to work in the UK and are not UK nationals or hold relevant visa to work in the UK all non-UK skilled workers to work in the UK. In order to
get a skilled worker, visa an applicant must have a job offer from an approved sponsor (a company or an organization with a valid sponsorship license) in the UK. They must meet other
eligibility requirements for this visa.
Dependents of a skilled worker such as spouse, partner, and children can also apply to join them in the UK as skilled worker dependents, however, the skilled worker may need to have a certain
salary to bring dependents after spring 2024.
You must meet the following requirements to be eligible to apply for a UK skilled worker visa:
You must have a certificate of sponsorship from your employer.
You must score a total of 70 points – that are –
a) 20 points on Certificate of Sponsorship;
b) 20 Points Job at Skilled Level;
c) 10 Points English Language;
d) 20 Points Salary;
You must have a job that is on the list of eligible job roles. To be eligible, the role must be deemed to be at RQF level 3 or above. This is the equivalent of a UK A-level. The Home Office uses ‘Standard Occupation Codes’ for eligible job roles. To find out whether your job is eligible or not, you need to know its occupation code. If you don’t know the code, you can search for your job in the ONS occupation coding tool.
You must be paid the minimum salary for the type of work you will do. Following a government decision in December 2023, the minimum salary threshold for a skilled worker application will rise by nearly 50% from the current level of £26,200 to £38,700.
Health and care workers, and roles such as teachers with national pay scales, will be exempt from the increased threshold.
In addition, the changes announced also include the removal of the 20% salary discount for shortage occupation roles.
Your English level must be B1 in reading, speaking, listening, and writing.
You need the following documents for a UK skilled worker visa:
Your current passport or a valid travel document.
Your Certificate of Sponsorship (COS) reference number. This will be given by your employer.
If you don’t come from an English-speaking country you need to submit documents to show documents proving that you are proficient in the English language. For example, You can prove your English level by passing a Secure English Language Test (SELT) from an approved provider, having a GCSE, A level, Scottish National Qualification level 4 or 5, Scottish Higher or Advanced Higher in English, or having a degree-level academic qualification equivalent to a UK bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or PhD that was taught in English – if you studied abroad.
The title of your job and annual salary.
The occupation code of your job.
Name of your employer and their sponsor license number. This data will be on your certificate of sponsorship.You may have to submit additional documents depending on your circumstances.
Depending on whether you apply from inside or outside the UK and up to 3 years or more than 3 years, you need to pay the fee as follows:
If you are applying from outside the UK for up to 3 years - £719
If you are applying from outside the UK for more than 3 years - £1,420
If you are applying from inside the UK for up to 3 years - £827
If you are applying from outside the UK for more than 3 years - £1,500
If you are applying for shortage occupation roles for up to 3 years - £551
If you are applying for shortage occupation roles for more than 3 years - £1,084
In addition to this the applicant may have to pay for Immigration Health Surcharge.
Usually, it takes up to 8 weeks for UK skilled worker visa application if applying from within the UK, or up to 3 weeks if the application is made from outside the UK.
You can also make fast decisions by paying for fast-tracked processing, depending on where the application is being processed. If you are looking to apply under this route, please contact one of our lawyers on 02034111261 or email us info@visaandmigration.com
Please Note: We do not find employers to sponsor applicant.
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