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Last updated: 31 Oct 2026 · Facts checked against official sources on 31 Oct 2026

General information, not legal advice. Rules change often – always confirm on gov.uk. For advice use an OISC-registered adviser or an SRA-regulated solicitor.

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Skilled Worker

Eligibility

Job offer from a Home Office-licensed sponsor, a job on the eligible occupations list (higher-skilled RQF 6+; medium-skilled only if on the ISL or Temporary Shortage List since 22 July 2025), salary requirement, English at B2 (CEFR) level for new applicants since 8 January 2026 (B1 still accepted if your last Skilled Worker permission was granted at B1).

Key facts (checked 31 Oct 2026)

ItemDetail
Sponsor needed?Yes – a licensed sponsor and a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS)
Salary threshold£41,700 or the occupation’s going rate, whichever is higher. New entrants: 70% of going rate, min £33,400 (max 4 years incl. Graduate time). PhD/ISL discounts apply
Fees + IHSOutside UK £819 (≤3 yrs) / £1,618 (>3 yrs); inside UK £943 / £1,865; ISL jobs £628 / £1,235. IHS £1,035 per year
Length of stayUp to 5 years, then extend
ProcessingUsually 3 weeks (outside UK), 8 weeks (inside UK)
Switch in UK?Yes (Student visa holders must normally have completed the course, or 24 months of a PhD)
Route to ILRAfter 5 years (ILR fee £3,226 per person)

What changed in October 2026 (checked 31 Oct 2026)

Announced in Budget 2026 (28 Oct 2026) — proposed, NOT yet law. No Statement of Changes has been laid yet. Do not plan on these until gov.uk confirms:
  • Salary rules “from spring 2027”: occupation going rates cut from the median to the 25th percentile; general threshold re-based on 2026 wage data (no new figure given); annual updates; one single new-entrant discount; PhD discount removed.
  • HPI widened to graduates of the top 150 global institutions, with a larger cap. No new list has been published; the latest official list is still 2025.
  • Graduate visa kept at 2 years for graduates of “high-compliance universities with strong labour market outcomes”. No list of those universities published yet.
  • Up to 6 months to find a new job for the highest-skilled sponsored workers (2027).

Sources: HC 584, explanatory memorandum, Budget 2026.

What you can and cannot do, how long you can stay (official)

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.

Source: GOV.UK – Overview

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:

You may be able to pay to get a faster decision - you’ll be told if you can when you apply.

If your application is successful, your decision email will tell you what you’ll get to prove your immigration status and what you need to do next.

Source: GOV.UK – Overview

What you can and cannot do

With a Skilled Worker visa you can:

Any voluntary work you do must be unpaid and for one of the following:

You cannot:

If your application is successful, you’ll get a full list of what you can and cannot do with a Skilled Worker visa.

Source: GOV.UK – Overview

Full eligibility criteria (official)

Your job

You must meet all the following requirements to be eligible for a Skilled Worker visa:

The minimum salary for the type of work you’ll be doing is whichever is the highest of:

The minimum salary may be lower if you’re extending your Skilled Worker visa, updating it because you have a new job or employer or switching to this visa to become a prison officer.

Your employer must make sure your job pays at least the minimum wage and follows the UK rules for how many hours a week you work. If your employer does not do this, your application will be refused.

Check if your job is eligible

Before you can find out if your job is eligible, you need to know its 4-digit occupation code.

If you already have a job offer, ask your employer for your occupation code.

Look up your job’s occupation code

If you do not know your code, you can search for your job in the CASCOT occupation coding tool.

Not every job title is included. If you cannot find your exact job title, try searching for similar jobs.

Make sure the job description matches what you’ll be doing. Some similar jobs have different codes, for example in construction. Bricklayers, roofers and carpenters are eligible for a Skilled Worker visa, but construction labourers are not.

Check if an occupation code is eligible for this visa

When you know your occupation code, view the table of eligible jobs to see if it’s included.

The table is very large. It’s sorted in order of occupation code, with the smallest numbers at the top. You may be able to use your web browser to search for your code on the page.

If your occupation code is listed as a ‘higher skilled’ job, you can apply for this visa.

If your occupation code is listed as ‘medium skilled’, you can apply for this visa if your job is:

You can also apply if you’re extending your visa and you got your first certificate of sponsorship before 22 July 2025.

Salary requirements

You’ll usually need to be paid the ‘standard’ salary rate of at least £41,700 per year, or the ‘going rate’ for your job, whichever is higher.

Example

Your salary is £42,000 per year, but the annual going rate for the job you’ll be doing is £45,000. You do not meet the usual salary requirements for this visa.

Each occupation code has its own annual going rate. Check the going rate for your job in the going rates table.

If you work in healthcare or education

There are different salary rules if you work in some healthcare or education jobs, where the going rate is based on national pay scales.

If you’re applying to extend or switch to this visa as a prison officer

You’ll be eligible if you’ll be paid at least the higher of either:

You’ll need to get your certificate of sponsorship on or before:

If you apply for a prison officer role now, you will not get a certificate of sponsorship before 31 December 2026.

When you can be paid less

If you do not meet the usual salary requirements, and you do not work in healthcare or education, you might still be eligible if your salary will be at least £33,400 per year.

Check when you can be paid less.

You may also be able to meet lower salary requirements if you’re:

Approved UK employers

You must have a job offer from an approved UK employer before you apply for a Skilled Worker visa. Approved employers are also known as sponsors, because they are sponsoring you to come to or stay in the UK.

View the list of approved UK employers.

If your employer is not currently approved, they can apply for a sponsor licence if they’re eligible.

They’ll need to pay a fee - £611 for small businesses and charities or £1,682 for medium and large organisations. It usually takes around 8 weeks to process a licence application.

Source: GOV.UK – Your job (checked 31 Oct 2026)

When you can be paid less

You might still be able to apply for a Skilled Worker visa if your job is eligible but your salary is less than the standard salary requirement of £41,700 or your job’s standard ‘going rate’.

You can be paid between 70% and 90% of the standard going rate for your job if your salary is at least £33,400 per year and you meet one of the following criteria:

There are different salary rules if you work in some healthcare or education jobs or you’re extending your visa, updating your visa or switching to this visa to become a prison officer.

Your job is on the immigration salary list

The immigration salary list is a list of skilled jobs which have lower salary requirements.

If your job is on the immigration salary list you also pay a lower fee to apply for your visa.

You must be paid at least £33,400 per year if you are being sponsored for a job on the immigration salary list.

You must still be paid at least the standard going rate for your job. Check the standard going rate for your job in the going rates table.

View the immigration salary list to see if your job is included and how much you’ll need to be paid.

Make sure you check whether your job is listed in the part of the UK you’ll be working in – UK-wide, or only in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

You’re under 26, studying or a recent graduate, or in professional training

You can be paid 70% of your job’s standard going rate if your salary will be at least £33,400 per year and one of the following applies:

If this applies to you, check how much you’ll need to be paid to qualify for this visa.

Your total stay in the UK cannot be more than 4 years if you apply for one of these reasons. This includes any time you’ve already spent in the UK on a Graduate visa.

You have a PhD level qualification that’s relevant to your job

If your job is eligible for a PhD salary discount, you can be paid 80% or 90% of the job’s standard going rate, depending on which subject you are qualified in.

If you have a science, technology, engineering or maths (STEM) qualification, you can be paid 80% of your job’s standard going rate, as long as you will still be paid at least £33,400 a year.

If you have a non-STEM qualification, you can be paid 90% of your job’s standard going rate, as long as you will still be paid at least £37,500 a year.

In both situations, you must:

View the list of jobs that qualify for a PhD salary discount to see if your job is included and how much you need to be paid.

If you’re a research or academic leader, you may also be eligible to apply for the Global Talent visa. This visa has no language or minimum salary requirements.

You have a postdoctoral position in science or higher education

You can be paid 70% of your job’s standard going rate if you’ll be working in a postdoctoral position in certain science or higher education roles.

Your job must be in one of the following occupation codes to qualify for this salary discount:

If this applies to you, check how much you’ll need to be paid to qualify for this visa.

Your total stay in the UK cannot be more than 4 years if you apply to work in a postdoctoral position at 70% of the standard going rate. This includes any time you’ve already spent in the UK on a Graduate visa.

Source: GOV.UK – When you can be paid less (checked 31 Oct 2026)

If you work in healthcare or education

There are different salary rules if you work in some healthcare or education jobs. Your salary must be at least £25,000 - or more if your job’s ‘going rate’ is higher.

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:

Ask your employer if you’re not sure what your role or pay band will be.

Source: GOV.UK – If you work in healthcare or education (checked 31 Oct 2026)

Knowledge of English

You’ll usually need to prove your knowledge of the English language when you apply. You can prove it in one of the following ways, by:

If you have already proved your knowledge of English in a previous successful visa application, you may not have to prove it again.

If you have a UK school qualification

You can prove your knowledge of English if you have a qualification from a UK school that you began when you were under 18. You must have one of the following qualifications:

If you have a degree from a UK institution

You can prove your knowledge of English if you have a degree-level qualification that was both:

If you have a degree from an institution outside the UK

If your degree was taught in English and was not awarded by a UK institution, you’ll need to apply for an assessment from Ecctis.

Ecctis will give you a code to confirm that your qualification is equivalent to a UK bachelor’s degree or higher and was taught in English.

Passing an English test

If you do not have any qualifications that prove your knowledge of English, you will need to pass a Secure English Language Test (SELT) with an approved provider.

You must prove you can read, write, speak and understand English to at least level B2 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) scale.

If you’re extending, updating or switching your visa

If you had this visa before 8 January 2026 and you’re applying to extend or update it, you need level B1 English. You do not need to prove your knowledge of English again.

If you’re switching from a Health and Care Worker visa, you also do not need to provide proof again.

If you’re applying to switch from a different visa, you need level B2.

Who does not need to prove their knowledge of English

You do not need to prove your knowledge of English if you’re a national of one of the following countries or territories:

If you’re a doctor, dentist, nurse, midwife or vet

You do not need to prove your knowledge of English if you’ve already passed an English Language assessment that is accepted by the relevant regulated professional body.

If you’re a vet, you may need to prove that you passed an English Language assessment with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.

Source: GOV.UK – Knowledge of English (checked 31 Oct 2026)

Documents checklist (official)

Documents you'll need to apply

When you apply you’ll need to provide:

Ask your employer for a copy of your certificate of sponsorship if you do not have one.

Other documents you might need

Depending on your circumstances, you might be asked to provide:

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:

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:

Source: GOV.UK – Documents you'll need to apply (checked 31 Oct 2026)

How to apply, step by step (official)

Apply from outside the UK

You must apply online for a Skilled Worker visa.

Check which documents you’ll need to apply.

Proving your identity and providing supporting documents

As part of your application, you’ll need to prove your identity. How you do this depends on where you’re from and what type of passport you have.

You’ll either:

You’ll be told what you need to do when you apply.

If you do need an appointment:

Apply for a Skilled Worker visa

Once you’ve started your application, you can save your form and complete it later.

Start now

Continue your application

Find out how to sign in to your account.

How long it takes to get a decision

Once you’ve applied online, proved your identity and provided your documents, you’ll usually get a decision within 3 weeks.

You’ll be contacted if your application will take longer, for example because:

You may be able to pay to get a faster decision - you’ll be told if you can when you apply.

After you apply

You can ask to cancel your application. You’ll only get your fee refunded if UKVI has not started processing your application.

You’ll get an email containing the decision on your application. This will explain what you need to do next.

Source: GOV.UK – Apply from outside the UK (checked 31 Oct 2026)

Partner and children (official)

Your partner and children

Your partner and children may also be able to apply to join you or stay in the UK as your ‘dependants’. They’ll need to complete separate applications.

If your partner or child’s application is successful, their visa will usually end on the same date as yours. If a child’s parents have visas with different expiry dates, the child’s visa will end on the earlier date.

A dependant partner or child is any of the following:

They’ll need to provide evidence of their relationship to you when they apply.

If you’re the first person in your family to apply, you can get a ‘family linking code’ to connect your applications together. Your family members can enter the same code when they apply.

If you’re a care worker or senior care worker

If your partner or children are inside the UK, they can apply to stay as your dependant if any of the following are true:

If your partner or children are outside the UK, they can apply to join you as your dependant if either:

If your occupation code is a ‘medium skilled’ job (not care worker or senior care worker)

If your partner or children are inside the UK and your job is listed as ‘medium skilled’, they can apply to stay as your dependant if any of the following are true:

If your partner or children are outside the UK, and your job is listed as ‘medium skilled’, they can apply to join you as your dependant if either:

Your partner

You must be able to prove one of the following:

If you’re not living together, you’ll need to prove that you have an ongoing commitment to each other, for example by providing evidence that you:

Your child

They must:

You’ll need to provide evidence of their address, such as:

Money they need to support themselves

Your partner and children must have a certain amount of money available to support themselves while they’re in the UK.

You - or your partner or child - will need:

Example

You - or your partner or child - would need to have £600 to bring your partner and one child with you to the UK (£285 for your partner and £315 for your child).

You would also need to have £1,270 available to support yourself for your own application.

You - or your partner or child - will need to have had the money available for at least 28 days in a row. Day 28 must be within 31 days of you or them applying for this visa.

You’ll usually need to show proof of this when they apply, unless either:

If your partner or child is applying at a different time to you, they’ll only need to prove they have enough money to support themselves if they have been in the UK for less than 1 year.

Apply from outside the UK

Your partner and children must either:

Each family member will need to complete a separate application and pay the visa fee. They must apply before they travel to the UK.

Source: GOV.UK – Your partner and children (checked 31 Oct 2026)

Extending, switching and changing job (official)

Extend your visa

You can usually apply to extend a Skilled Worker visa or a Tier 2 (General) work visa if all of the following are true:

You must not travel outside of the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you get a decision. Your application will be withdrawn if you do.

If your occupation code is a ‘medium skilled’ job

If your job is listed as ‘medium skilled’, you can extend your Skilled Worker visa if both of the following are true:

You can also apply to extend your visa if you’re applying as a prison officer (code 3314).

If you’re applying as a prison officer

You must get a certificate of sponsorship on or before 31 December 2027. Your employer can sponsor you for up to 3 years.

Your salary must be at least the higher of:

Your partner and children

Your partner or child’s visa will not automatically extend if you extend yours. If they do not extend their visa, it will be valid until its original end date.

They can either apply at the same time as you, or at any time before their current visa expires.

Check if your partner and children can stay in the UK as your dependants when you extend your visa.

If you have a Skilled Worker visa

If you got your first certificate of sponsorship (CoS) before 4 April 2024 you may be able to meet lower salary requirements.

If you have a Tier 2 (General) work visa

You may be able to meet different eligibility requirements, depending on:

The requirements will apply if you either:

If you got your certificate of sponsorship on or after 24 November 2016

If you apply to extend before 1 December 2026, you will still need to meet the lower salary requirements, but your salary may also include allowances, such as London weighting. Any allowances must be guaranteed for the length of your stay.

Jobs with different going rates

For some jobs, the going rate for the Skilled Worker visa is different if you had a Tier 2 (General) visa. These going rates are based on a 37.5-hour working week.

Occupation code for your Tier 2 (General) application Occupation code for your current application Going rate 90% of going rate 80% of going rate 70% of going rate
2113 Physical scientists 2114 Physical scientists £27,190 (£13.94 per hour) £25,000 (£12.82 per hour) £25,000 (£12.82 per hour) £25,000 (£12.82 per hour)
2119 Natural and social science professionals not classified elsewhere 2119 Natural and social science professionals not classified elsewhere £27,190 (£13.94 per hour) £25,000 (£12.82 per hour) £25,000 (£12.82 per hour) £25,000 (£12.82 per hour)
2119 Natural and social science professionals not classified elsewhere 2162 Other researchers, unspecified discipline £27,190 (£13.94 per hour) £25,000 (£12.82 per hour) £25,000 (£12.82 per hour) £25,000 (£12.82 per hour)
2311 Higher education teaching professionals 2162 Other researchers, unspecified discipline £30,940 (£15.87 per hour) £27,840 (£14.28 per hour) £25,000 (£12.82 per hour) £25,000 (£12.82 per hour)
2311 Higher education teaching professionals 2311 Higher education teaching professionals £30,940 (£15.87 per hour) £27,840 (£14.28 per hour) £25,000 (£12.82 per hour) £25,000 (£12.82 per hour)
2311 Higher education teaching professionals 2322 Education managers £30,940 (£15.87 per hour) £27,840 (£14.28 per hour) £25,000 (£12.82 per hour) £25,000 (£12.82 per hour)

If you’ve changed job or employer

You’ll need to apply to update your visa instead.

Fees

Check how much it costs for your type of visa.

You’ll also need to have your fingerprints and photo (biometric information) taken - there’s no fee for this.

Proving your identity and providing supporting documents

As part of your application you’ll need to prove your identity. How you do this depends on where you’re from and the type of passport or resident permit you have.

You’ll either:

You’ll be told what you need to do when you apply.

Source: GOV.UK – Extend your visa (checked 31 Oct 2026)

If you got your first certificate of sponsorship before 4 April 2024

There are lower salary requirements if both of the following apply:

You can be paid whichever is higher of £31,300 or the lower going rate for your occupation if you make an application to:

Lower salary requirements will only be in place for applications made before 4 April 2030. These salary requirements will be updated regularly and your salary will still need to rise in line with the updated going rates each time you apply.

Each occupation code has its own annual going rate. Check the lower going rate for your job in the going rates table.

When you can be paid less

You can be paid between 70% and 90% of the lower going rate for your job if your salary is at least £25,000 per year and you meet one of the following criteria:

Check how much you will need to be paid for these jobs in the going rates table.

There are different salary rules if you work in some healthcare or education jobs.

If your job is on the immigration salary list

If your job is on the immigration salary list, you need to be paid at least £25,000 or your job’s full going rate, whichever is higher.

If you’re under 26, studying or a recent graduate, or in professional training

You can be paid at least 70% of your job’s lower going rate if your salary will be at least £25,000 per year.

Your total stay in the UK cannot be more than 4 years. This includes any time you’ve already spent in the UK on a Tier 2 (General) or Graduate visa.

If you have a PhD level qualification that’s relevant to your job

If you have a science, technology, engineering or maths (STEM) PhD level qualification, you can be paid at least 80% of the lower going rate if your salary will be at least £25,000 per year.

If you have a relevant PhD level qualification in any other subject, you can be paid at least 90% of the lower going rate if your salary will be at least £28,200 per year.

If you have a postdoctoral position in science or higher education

You can be paid at least 70% of the lower going rate if your salary will be at least £25,000 per year.

Your total stay in the UK cannot be more than 4 years. This includes any time you’ve already spent in the UK on a Tier 2 (General) or Graduate visa.

Source: GOV.UK – If you got your first certificate of sponsorship before 4 April 2024 (checked 31 Oct 2026)

Update your visa if you change job or employer

You’ll need to apply to update your Skilled Worker or Tier 2 (General) work visa if:

You do not need to apply again if you stay in the same job, but your job is taken off the immigration salary list.

If you’ll be doing a different job for your current employer, you only need to apply to update your visa if your new job is in a different occupation code.

If your new occupation code is listed as ‘medium skilled’, you can update your visa if both of the following apply:

Your partner or children will need to apply separately to update their visa. They can either apply at the same time as you, or at any time before their current visa expires.

Fees

Check how much it costs for your type of visa.

You’ll also need to have your fingerprints and photo (biometric information) taken - there’s no fee for this.

Eligibility and documents you’ll need to apply

Your new job must meet the eligibility requirements and you’ll need a new certificate of sponsorship to prove this.

You may be able to meet lower salary requirements if both of the following apply:

You’ll only need to provide other evidence again if you’ve been in the UK for less than one year.

If you’re applying to add a second job to your current visa

You must apply to update your visa if you take on a second job that is more than 20 paid hours a week in addition to the job you’re being sponsored for.

Your second job must meet the eligibility requirements and you’ll need a new certificate of sponsorship to prove this.

If your second job occupation code is listed as ‘medium skilled’ you can add it if both of the following apply:

You’ll also need to include a letter with your application explaining that you want to change your current permission to stay.

Your letter must state:

If your application is successful, you’ll get a new visa giving you permission to do both jobs.

You do not need to apply to update your visa if you’re taking on additional work that has an eligible occupation code or you’ll be doing less than 20 paid hours a week.

When to apply to update your visa

You can apply to update your visa up to 3 months before the start date of your new job.

You can continue working in your current job while your new application is being considered, or to work out your notice period - as long as you apply before your current visa expires.

You should not start your new job until you’ve got confirmation of your new permission.

You must not travel outside of the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you get a decision. Your application will be withdrawn if you do.

Proving your identity and providing supporting documents

As part of your application you’ll need to prove your identity. How you do this depends on where you’re from and the type of passport you have.

You’ll either:

You’ll be told what you need to do when you apply. You’ll also be told how to provide your supporting documents if you need to.

Apply to update your visa

You must apply online.

Once you’ve started your application, you can save your form and complete it later.

Apply now

Continue your application

Find out how to sign in to your account.

How long it takes to get a decision

You’ll usually get a decision within 8 weeks of your application date.

You’ll be contacted if your application will take longer, for example because:

You may be able to pay to get a faster decision - you’ll be told if you can when you apply.

After you apply

If you need to change something in your application after you’ve sent it contact UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).

Source: GOV.UK – Update your visa if you change job or employer (checked 31 Oct 2026)

Switch to this visa

You might be able to apply to change (‘switch’) to a Skilled Worker visa if you’re already in the UK on a different type of visa.

You must not travel outside of the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you get a decision. Your application will be withdrawn if you do.

Eligibility

You must meet the following requirements:

If you’re currently in the UK on a Student visa, you must also meet one of the following requirements:

Eligibility if you’re switching to this visa to become a prison officer

You can switch to this visa to become a prison officer (code 3314).

You must get a certificate of sponsorship on or before 31 December 2026. Your employer can sponsor you for up to 3 years.

If you apply for a prison officer role now, you will not get a certificate of sponsorship before 31 December 2026.

Your salary must be at least the higher of:

Who cannot apply to switch to this visa

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

You must leave the UK and apply for a Skilled Worker visa from abroad if you’re in one of these categories.

Your partner and children

Your partner or child’s visa will not automatically switch to this visa if you switch yours. If they do not switch their visa, it will be valid until its original end date.

They can either apply at the same time as you, or at any time before their current visa expires.

If your partner or children are inside the UK and you’re switching to this visa as a care worker, senior care worker or someone with a job listed as ‘medium skilled’, they can apply to switch to this visa as your dependant if any of the following are true:

If your child was born in the UK but is currently outside the UK, they can also apply to join as your dependant.

Fees

Each person applying will need to pay:

You’ll also need to have your fingerprints and photo (biometric information) taken - there’s no fee for this.

If you’ve been in the UK for less than 1 year, you’ll also need to prove you have enough money to support yourself.

Proving your identity and providing supporting documents

As part of your application you’ll need to prove your identity.

How you do this depends on where you’re from and the type of passport you have.

You’ll either:

You’ll be told what you need to do when you apply.

Apply to switch to a Skilled Worker visa

You must apply online before your current visa expires.

Once you’ve started your application, you can save your form and complete it later.

Apply now

Continue your application

Find out how to sign in to your account.

How long it takes to get a decision

You’ll usually get a decision within 8 weeks of your application date.

You’ll be contacted if your application will take longer, for example because:

You may be able to pay to get a faster decision - you’ll be told if you can when you apply.

After you apply

If you need to change something in your application after you’ve sent it contact UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).

You can ask to cancel your application. You’ll only get your fee refunded if UKVI has not started processing your application.

Source: GOV.UK – Switch to this visa (checked 31 Oct 2026)

Taking on additional work

If you work overtime in the job you’re being sponsored for, you do not need to update your visa.

There’s no limit to how many hours of overtime you can do.

Working in another job or for your own business

You can work up to 20 hours a week in another job or for your own business as long as you’re still doing the job you’re being sponsored for.

The work you do must meet one of the following conditions:

You can only do additional work in a job with an eligible occupation code listed as ‘medium skilled’ if both of the following apply:

If you work more than 20 hours a week in another job

You’ll need to apply to update your visa so that you’re being sponsored to do both jobs.

You’ll need to:

Running your own business

There are various ways to set up a business including registering as a sole trader.

Any business administration that you do, such as preparing invoices, counts as part of the 20 hours.

Voluntary work

You can do voluntary work while on the Skilled Worker visa. This must be unpaid (except for reasonable expenses such as travel) and for one of the following:

Source: GOV.UK – Taking on additional work (checked 31 Oct 2026)

Processing times and faster decisions (official)

Standard: Usually 3 weeks (outside UK), 8 weeks (inside UK) (GOV.UK visa processing times).

Source: GOV.UK – Get a faster decision on your visa or settlement application (checked 31 Oct 2026)

How the application works (official)

  1. Check eligibility and gather documents (sections above). Sponsored routes: get your CoS/CAS reference first; endorsed routes: get your endorsement first.
  2. Apply online on GOV.UK and pay the fee and Immigration Health Surcharge (if it applies) – IHS.
  3. Prove your identity: either the UK Immigration: ID Check app (if offered) or an appointment at a visa application centre (outside the UK) or UKVCAS service point (inside the UK) for fingerprints and photo.
  4. Upload documents and wait for the decision. Do not travel or leave the UK before a decision if applying from inside the UK – it can withdraw your application.
  5. Your permission is issued as an eVisa in your UKVI account; physical BRPs are no longer issued. Link your passport to it and use share codes to prove your rights – GOV.UK eVisas.

Path to settlement (ILR) and citizenship

After 5 years (ILR fee £3,226 per person).

Citizenship normally needs ILR (or settled status) held for 12 months – or immediately if married to a British citizen – plus the residence, absences, good character, Life in the UK test (£50) and English B1 requirements. See GOV.UK – Settle in the UK and GOV.UK – Citizenship if you have ILR.

Budget 2026 (28 Oct 2026) and earned-settlement proposals are announced, not yet law. The settlement rules above are those on GOV.UK on 31 Oct 2026 (latest Statement of Changes: HC 584, 3 Sep 2026).
Fees and IHS change every year (usually April). Check the linked gov.uk page before you pay.

Sources