A Skilled Worker visa allows you to come to or stay in the UK to do an eligible job with an approved employer.
This visa has replaced the Tier 2 (General) work visa.
It also allows you to work in UK waters.
Eligibility
Your job
To qualify for a Skilled Worker visa, you must:
- work for a UK employer that’s been approved by the Home Office
- have a ‘certificate of sponsorship’ (CoS) from your employer with information about the role you’ve been offered in the UK
- do a job that’s on the list of eligible occupations
- be paid a minimum salary – how much depends on the type of work you do and the date you got your CoS
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 you may apply for benefits if you’re eligible.
Your partner and children
Your partner and children can also apply to join you or stay in the UK as your ‘dependants’ if they’re eligible. 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 dependent partner or child is any of the following:
- your husband, wife, civil partner or unmarried partner
- your child under 18 – including if they were born in the UK during your stay
- your child over 18 if they’re currently in the UK as your dependant
You’ll need to provide evidence of your relationship with your dependent when you 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
Your partner and children cannot apply to join you or stay in the UK as your dependants unless you were employed as a care worker or senior care worker in the UK and on a Skilled Worker visa before 11 March 2024 and one of the following is true:
- you’re currently still on a Skilled Worker visa
- you’re extending your Skilled Worker visa with your current employer
- you’re changing to a new job within the same occupation code while on a Skilled Worker visa
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 have the same job as when you were given your previous permission to enter or stay in the UK
- your job is in the same occupation code as when you were given your previous permission to enter or stay in the UK
- you’re still working for the employer who gave you your current certificate of sponsorship
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.
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.
If you’re a care worker or a senior care worker, your partner and children may not be able to stay in the UK as your dependents 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.
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 want to change your job, and your new job is with a different employer
- your job changes to a different occupation code, and you’re not in a graduate training programme
- you leave a job that’s on the immigration salary list for a job that is not on the list
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.
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.
Switch to a Skilled Worker 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.
Who cannot apply to switch to this visa
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
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 you’re switching to this visa as a care worker or senior care worker, your partner or child will not be able to switch as your dependent to this visa.
How long it take to get a decision
You’ll usually get a decision within 8 weeks of your application date.
You’ll be contacted if your application takes longer, for example, because:
- your supporting documents need to be verified
- you need to attend an interview
- of your personal circumstances, for example, if you have a criminal conviction
You may be able to pay to get a faster decision.
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