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Skilled Worker Visa UK

→ UK Immigration and Visa Advice → SKILLED WORKER VISA - UK

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UK Skilled Worker Visa Advice

In 2025, contact our UK Immigration Advisers and UK Lawyers for advice and assistance with your UK Skilled Worker visa application. Schedule a meeting at our offices in Parramatta, Sydney, Australia and Singapore and Hong Kong.

Eligibility - Skilled Worker Visa

To be eligible to apply to come to the United Kingdom under the Skilled Worker visa, you must meet the following eligibility criteria:

1. Job offer - offered a skilled job in the UK, which is on the list of eligible occupations.

2. Non-EEA Citizen - you are from outside the EEA and Switzerland.

3. Salary - The Salary threshold was increased on April 2024 from £26,200 to £38,700.

4. Certificate of sponsorship - you have a valid certificate of sponsorship for your employment, from an approved licensed UK sponsor.

5. English Ability - To meet the English requirement, you must pass an approved English language test with at least CEFR level B1 in reading, writing, speaking and listening or having an academic qualification that was taught in English and is recognised by UK NARIC as being equivalent to a UK bachelor's degree, master's degree or PhD. Exceptions to the English language requirement apply if you are a national of a list of English-speaking countries, such as Australia or USA.

6. Personal Savings - you have personal savings (£945 in your bank account) so you can support yourself when you arrive in the UK.

7. Criminal Record certificate - provide police certificate from any country you have lived in for 12 months or more in the last 10 years.

Licensed Sponsor - Responsibilities

1. Licensed Sponsor Application - The Licensed Sponsor application fee is £536 for small businesses and charities or £1,476 for medium and large organisations. It usually takes around 8 weeks to process a licence application.

2. Your sponsor checks that you can do the job they are hiring you for and if it qualifies you for a visa.

3. They will assign you a certificate of sponsorship to prove you can undertake the job.

4. Your Sponsor is also responsible for giving you your salary information when you make your application.

Certificate of Sponsorship

A certificate of sponsorship is a register of your personal details and information about the job you have been offered. The Certificate is an electronic record, not a paper document. Your sponsor will give you a certificate of sponsorship reference number to add to your application.

You can only use your certificate of sponsorship reference number once. You must use it 3 months after it has been issued.

Conditions of a Skilled Worker Visa

Applicants who have an approved Skilled Worker visa UK can do the following in the UK:

  • Work for their sponsor in the job described in their certificate of sponsorship
  • They can do additional work, in certain circumstances
  • Do Voluntary work
  • Study provided it does not interfere with the job you are sponsored for
  • Travel overseas and return to the UK
  • Include Family members in their visa application

Duration of Stay in the UK - Skilled Worker Visa

  • You can stay in the UK with a Skilled Worker visa for a maximum of 5 years.
  • You can start your stay up to 14 days before the start date on your certificate of sponsorship
  • You can apply to extend the Work visa for up to another 5 years, and then you may be eligible to apply to settle permanently in the UK (Indefinite Leave to Remain).

New UK Immigration Rules for Skilled Worker Visa - April 2025

Priority for Care Workers Already in England

The new UK immigration Rules for SKilled Workers require employers in England to prioritise recruiting international care workers who are already in England and seeking new sponsorship, before recruiting from overseas.

From 9 April 2025, Care providers who want to recruit a new worker from overseas will have to first show evidence that they have attempted to recruit a worker from within England who needs new sponsorship.

Increase in Minimum Salary for Care Workers

As at 9 April 2025, the minimum salary floor will be updated from £23,200 (about US$30,171) per year (or £11.90 per hour) to £25,000 per year (or £12.82 per hour). The annual salaries for these jobs are based on a working week of  37.5 hours.

Health and Care Worker Visa

Purpose of the Health and Care Worker Visa

The Health and Care Worker visa UK allows medical professionals to travel and stay in the UK to do an eligible job with the NHS, an NHS supplier or in adult social care.

Eligibility Criteria

To qualify for a Health and Care Worker visa, you must meet the following eligibility criteria:

  1. 1. be a qualified doctor, nurse, health professional or adult social care professional
  2. 2. work in an eligible health or social care job
  3. 3. work for a UK employer that’s been approved by the Home Office
  4. 4. have a ‘certificate of sponsorship’ from your employer with information about the role you’ve been offered in the UK
  5. 5. be paid a minimum salary - how much depends on the type of work you do
  6. 6. Care workers or Senior Care workers, working in England must also be registered by their Employer, with the Care Quality Commission

Work you can do on Health and Care Worker Visa

The type of work you can do on the Health and Care Worker Visa is confined to the following:

work in an eligible job

take on additional work in certain circumstances

do voluntary work

study

bring your partner and children with you as your ‘dependants’, if they’re eligible

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.