Skilled Worker

A Skilled Worker visa allows an individual to enter and remain in the United Kingdom to do an eligible job with the Home Office’s Licensed company. The requirement to have a Skilled Worker visa also applies to EU Citizens who do not hold a valid status under the EUSS. This is a route to settlement in the United Kingdom.

Switching to the Skilled Worker visa is possible within the United Kingdom for the eligible visa categories.

Permission to enter/remain can be granted for up to a maximum of five years at a time, with unlimited extensions.

From 22 July 2025, Skilled Worker applicants in occupations on the Temporary Shortage List or at RQF levels 3-5 can no longer bring dependents.

In order to be successfully granted a Skilled Worker visa, an applicant must earn at least 70 points by meeting mandatory criteria (validity, suitability, eligibility, financial and criminal record requirements) and the “tradeable points” requirement.

In addition, the applicant must be aged 18 or over and needs to score 50 mandatory points from the following:

• Sponsorship (20 points)

• Job offer at an appropriate skill level from a UK-based company that is a Licensed sponsor (20 points)

• English Language requirement at level B1 (intermediate) in all 4 components (reading, writing, speaking and listening) (10 points). The level will be raised to B2 on the 8th of January 2026.

The financial requirement can be met by either 1) having held a valid permission to reside in the UK for 12 months preceding the application; or 2) by having held the cash funds of at least £1,270 for a 28-day period; or 3) an A-rated Licensed sponsor certifying maintenance on the Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS).

“Tradeable points” requirement (20 points):

The “tradeable points” requirement can be met through a combination of points for the salary on offer, a job in a shortage occupation or a relevant PhD.

Salary requirement for applicants who made their first application as a Skilled Worker on or after the 4^th of April 2024

The gross annual salary must be equal to or exceed the general salary threshold of £41,700 or the going rate of the individual occupation, whichever is higher. There is a different salary level for individual occupations, which is based on 37.5 weekly working hours.

The salary deduction is available for 1) a PhD in a subject relevant to the job; 2) a PhD in a STEM subject relevant to the job; 3) sponsorship for a job on the Immigration Salary List; 4) new entrants to the UK labour market.

Salary requirement for applicants who made their first application as a Skilled Worker before the 4^th of April 2024 and the date of application is before the 4^th of April 2030

The gross annual salary must be equal to or exceed the general salary threshold of £31,300 or the going rate of the individual occupation, whichever is higher. There is a different salary level for individual occupations, which is based on 37.5 weekly working hours.

The salary deduction is available for 1) a PhD in a subject relevant to the job; 2) a PhD in a STEM subject relevant to the job; 3) sponsorship for a job on the Immigration Salary List; 4) new entrants to the UK labour market.

Settlement in the United Kingdom

In order to be eligible to apply for settlement under the Skilled Worker route, the applicant must have spent a continuous period of 5 years in the UK, which must consist of time with permission to enter/remain in the UK on any of, or any combination of, the following routes: Skilled Worker, Global Talent, Innovator Founder, T2 Minister of Religion, International Sportsperson, Representative of an Overseas Business, Scale-up or as a Tier 1 Migrant, other than as a Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) Migrant.

The specified continuous period must not be broken at any time during the 5-years period.

The applicant must also meet the Knowledge of Life in the UK requirement by taking the Life in the UK test.

In addition, the applicant must meet the sponsorship and salary requirements for settlement as a Skilled Worker. As such, the sponsor who has issued the applicant with the most recent Certificate of Sponsorship must still be approved by the Home Office under the Skilled Worker category on the date of the decision and the applicant’s salary must be equal to or exceed the general salary level depending on the date of initial entry to the route or the going rate according to the individual occupation code, whichever is higher.

For further information about the Skilled Worker visa and for tailored advice on a specific case scenario, do not hesitate to contact our Immigration Team.

Our regulated advisers have had many years of experience assisting applicants and their family members with their relocation to the UK as well as with their extension and Indefinite Leave to Remain (settlement) visa applications.

*Please note that requirements may vary from case to case based on the nuances of your situation, and the information on this page is not intended to replace legal advice.