Skilled Worker Visa

Once approved, your Skilled Worker visa will be valid for up to 5 years. At the end of this period, you can apply for a renewal or, if you are eligible, you can settle in the UK on Indefinite Leave to Remain.

You can submit your application up to 3 months before the date you are due to start work in the UK. You can find this date in your CoS. However, it is always recommended to allow some extra time, since the Home Office may need additional documentation to confirm your identity and your circumstances.

The Skilled Worker visa application process takes between 3 to 8 weeks, depending if you applied from outside or within the UK.

Dependents of skilled worker visa holders can apply for a UK Skilled worker dependent visa (previously known as the Tier 2 dependent visa).

Dependent family members of a Skilled Worker visa holder include:

• husband, wife, civil partner, or unmarried partner
• children under the age of 18 – including children who were born in the UK during the Skilled Workers visa holder’s time in the UK
• children over the age of 18 living in the UK who are dependent on the Skilled Worker visa holder

A dependent child or partner can apply for a Skilled Worker dependent visa at any time before the Skilled Worker visa expires or when extending or switching their own visa.

Yes- a Skilled Worker visa does allow you to study while staying in the UK.

To be eligible for a Skilled Worker Visa, you should receive a job offer from a UK employer which must meet all the following requirements:

• The job must be eligible for the visa, under the new Skilled Worker Visa route, your role must be skilled to at least RQF level 3 (roughly equivalent to A-levels).
• You must be paid the minimum salary or “going rate” for the type of work you will be doing. The minimum salary is at least £25,600 per year.
• Your employer must have been approved by the Home Office and hold a valid Certificate of Sponsorship
• You must hold an occupation code. If you have already received a job offer, you must ask your employer for your code.

The Skilled Worker Visa grants you permission to work for the employer that originally sponsored your application in the role that you were sponsored for.

If you wish to work for a new employer or if you want to switch to a job of a different occupation code with the same employer you will must apply to update your Skilled Worker Visa.

You must also apply to update your Skilled Work visa if you move from a job that was on the Shortage Occupation List to one that is not on the Shortage Occupation List.

You might be able to apply to switch to a Skilled Worker visa if you’re already in the UK on a different type of visa. You will need to meet the requirements for the Skilled Worker visa including having a job that meets the criteria as well as having the required English Language standards.

You cannot apply to switch to this visa if you’re currently in the UK:

• on a visit visa
• on a short-term student visa
• on a Parent of a Child Student visa
• on a seasonal worker visa
• on a domestic worker in a private household visa
• on immigration bail
• because you were given permission to stay outside the immigration rules, for example on compassionate grounds

Furthermore,

if you plan to switch to this visa from a Student visa, one of the following must apply to you:

• You’ve completed the course you were sponsored to study on your Student visa
• The start date of your job is after the completion date of your course
• You’ve been studying for a PhD for at least 24 months

Skilled worker visa holders may take on freelance work only in limited situations. The freelance position must be on the Shortage Occupation List and be at the same SoC code level as the main work you have received your sponsorship for.

Skilled Worker visa holders are not allowed to become self-employed or set-up a business without permission from the Home Office.

Following Brexit , any EU citizen who is living outside the UK wants to work in the UK must apply for a UK skilled worker visa before they work in the country and must meet all the criteria of the skilled worker visa application.

You must be paid the minimum salary or “going rate” for the type of work you will be doing. The minimum salary is currently at least £25,600 per year.

Recent changes means the Skilled Worker visa has replaced the Tier 2 visa. Since the start of 2021, all EEA nationals and non-EEA nationals must apply for a Skilled Worker visa before starting work in the UK.

The new Skilled Worker visa is largely the same as the Tier 2 but the Home Office has made some changes to the process to allow it to be more straightforward for sponsors and applicants.

Yes, in most cases it is possible to switch from a Youth Mobility visa to a Skilled Worker visa. You will of course need to meet all of the eligibility requirements for the Skilled Worker route.

To learn more about this, please refer to our “How to switch from Youth Mobility to Skilled Worker visa” article.

If you have lost your current job while in the UK on a skilled visa, either through regular dismissal or being made redundant, your employer is required to notify the Home Office so that your visa can be curtailed. You will then be required to leave the UK within 60 days or before the expiry date of visa, whichever is shortest.

For those who are made redundant, it’s important to note that you may only apply for employment in roles that are either at the same or higher skill level of the job you were offered when originally applying for your visa.

If you find a new employer, you will need to make a new skilled worker visa application. This must be done within 60 days of losing your job and will also require a new Certificate of Sponsorship from your new employer, which will need to be provided as part of your application.