The Skilled Worker visa is the UK’s principal work visa route for overseas nationals who have been recruited to undertake an eligible role with a UK employer that holds a sponsor licence. It is an employer-led immigration category: the individual’s permission to work is linked to a specific sponsored role within a licenced sponsor organisation.
To qualify under the Skilled Worker route, an applicant must meet the requirements set out in the immigration rules, which include:
Since the July 2025 reforms, Skilled Worker applications tend to fall into four pathways.
Pathway 1: Standard Skilled Worker (Options A–E)
Skill level: From 22 July 2025, the role normally must be skilled to RQF Level 6 (graduate level). The applicant does not need to hold a degree; it is the role that must be skilled to that level. However, some roles below RQF 6 can still qualify where they appear on the Temporary Shortage List (TSL) (or the Immigration Salary List). The TSL preserves a limited number of RQF 3–5 jobs as eligible for sponsorship, even though they are not graduate-level roles.
Salary: the worker must meet the general salary threshold and the going rate for the occupation code, with limited “discounts” permitted under Options B, C and E.
Options A–E salary thresholds are:
A role being on the TSL does not automatically reduce the salary requirement. Applicants must still meet the relevant general salary threshold and the going rate under Options A–E.
Pathway 2: Lower-threshold tradeable points (Options F–J)
This pathway applies in two main situations:
Skill level: Depending on the occupation and the applicant’s circumstances, lower skill-level roles can still be sponsored.
Salary: the applicable general salary thresholds are lower than Options A–E, and limited discounts under Options G, H and J are also available.
Options F–J salary thresholds are:
Pathway 3: Health and education roles on national pay scales (Option K)
Where the job is in an eligible health or education occupation where pay is determined by national pay scales (rather than the standard “going rate with discounts” model).
There are no discounted going rates under Option K (for example, there is no reduction for PhD or new entrant attributes).
Pathway 4: Care sector sponsorship (SOC 6135 / 6136)
This pathway applies where the role is:
Care sponsorship now operates with additional restrictions and safeguards:
“Pathway” | Typical profile | Salary option set | General salary thresholds (headline) | Going rate position (headline) |
Standard Skilled Worker | Most applicants in eligible roles who do not fall into special Health/Care or transitional salary categories | A–E | A: £41,700; B: £37,500; C/D/E: £33,400 | A & D: full going rate; B: 90%; C: 80%; E: 70% |
Lower-threshold tradeable points | Certain Health and Care “ASHE salary jobs” and transitional salary cases pre-4 April 2024 | F–J | F: £31,300; G: £28,200; H/I/J: £25,000 | F & I: full going rate; G: 90%; H: 80%; J: 70% |
Health & education on national pay scales | Certain health and education occupations assessed by national pay scales | K | K: £25,000 | Full going rate (no discounts) |
A person who is already in the UK may be able to “switch” into the Skilled Worker route (i.e. apply for permission to stay) rather than leaving the UK to apply for entry clearance. Whether switching is possible depends primarily on the applicant’s current immigration category and, where relevant, the additional rules for Students.
Switching into Skilled Worker is normally not permitted where the applicant was last granted permission:
In these scenarios, the applicant will generally need to leave the UK and apply for entry clearance as a Skilled Worker.
Applicants who have, or last had, permission as a Student can switch into Skilled Worker only if they meet one of the Student-specific conditions on the date of application. In broad terms, this requires that they have either:
Where a person applies to switch into Skilled Worker, they should not start the sponsored job until the Skilled Worker application has been granted, unless they already hold immigration permission that allows them to do the work in question (for example, certain dependant permissions). Students may also have working hour restrictions during term time and are generally restricted from filling a full-time permanent vacancy unless a specific exception applies.
Separate dependant restrictions apply to some roles below graduate level (including certain care roles and other jobs on the Temporary Shortage List). While an applicant may be able to switch into the Skilled Worker route from within the UK, it is important to check whether their partner and children will be eligible to accompany or remain with them as dependants.
A Skilled Worker visa can be granted for the period of employment stated on the Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS), subject to a maximum CoS duration of 5 years. In practice, the Home Office normally grants permission to cover the sponsored employment period, plus:
There is a limited exception for certain General Practitioner specialty training roles, where permission may run to 4 months after the CoS end date.
There is no overall cap on the number of times a person can extend under the Skilled Worker route, provided they continue to meet the route requirements (including sponsorship, job eligibility, salary and any applicable English language requirements for the relevant application).
Where the individual is continuing with the same sponsor in the same role (and occupation code), an extension is typically a continuation of sponsorship. Where they change employer or move into a role that requires a new sponsorship arrangement, they will usually need a new CoS and (in many cases) a fresh application before starting the new role.
Time spent on Skilled Worker permission can count towards settlement, and many applicants become eligible to apply for indefinite leave to remain after 5 years’ continuous lawful residence, subject to the settlement rules in force at the time.
At present, the Skilled Worker route can lead to settlement (ILR) after 5 years’ continuous lawful residence in the UK on the Skilled Worker route (or a combination of certain other qualifying work routes), provided the applicant meets the settlement requirements in force at the date of application (including Life in the UK test, English language, sponsorship, continuous residence and absences etc).
A Home Office consultation is currently underway on proposals to reshape settlement into an “earned settlement” model. The stated policy aim is to move away from settlement being treated as an automatic outcome after a fixed period, and towards a system where applicants qualify sooner or later depending on factors such as conduct, integration and contribution.
While the final rules are not yet in force and may change, the earned settlement framework proposals are based on four pillars:
Under the proposals, applicants would need to meet baseline criteria before settlement is even considered. This is expected to include (at minimum):
The baseline qualifying period proposed will be 10 years for many routes (including work routes such as Skilled Worker), with the potential for faster settlement for those who meet specified “positive” criteria or longer settlement for those who are penalised on “negative” criteria:
The Skilled Worker route has become increasingly complex in recent years. Multiple rule changes have created distinct subcategories and eligibility criteria (including different skill thresholds, salary options and transitional provisions), which can be difficult to navigate in practice. Distinct Law supports employers and sponsored workers at initial, extension and indefinite leave to remain applications in this route.
Services typically include:
No. The Resident Labour Market Test (RLMT) was abolished and is not required for the Skilled Worker route, and there is no general requirement to advertise a role before assigning a Certificate of Sponsorship. However, the sponsor must still be able to show that the role is a genuine vacancy (it exists, is not a sham, and has not been created mainly to facilitate a visa application) and must comply with sponsor record‑keeping duties. In practice, many employers still advertise roles as part of ordinary recruitment and because it can help evidence genuineness if the Home Office raises queries.
Yes, but only in limited circumstances. A Skilled Worker can work at a third-party site where this forms part of their sponsored employment and the sponsor remains the true employer with control and responsibility for the worker’s duties, outputs and outcomes. The rules do not allow sponsorship arrangements that amount to hiring the worker out to fill a role within a third party’s organisation, or contract work that involves providing an ongoing routine service or undertaking an ongoing routine role for a third party who is not the sponsor. Whether a particular arrangement is permitted depends on how the engagement is structured in practice, including who directs the work, who is responsible for performance management, and whether the work is time-bound and project-based rather than routine labour supply.
In many cases, yes, but the rules now prohibit dependants from joining based on the skill level of the sponsored role. Skilled Workers sponsored in roles at graduate level (RQF Level 6) or above can usually be accompanied or joined by their partner and dependent children, provided the family members meet the relevant dependant requirements. However, for workers sponsored in roles below graduate level (including roles that remain eligible because they are on the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List), dependants are generally not permitted unless a transitional provision or another specific exception in the Immigration Rules applies. This makes it particularly important to confirm dependant eligibility before the Certificate of Sponsorship is assigned and the visa application is submitted, especially where the role is not at RQF Level 6.
