Skilled Worker Visa.

Skilled Worker Visas allow non-British citizens to legally work in the UK, provided it is an eligible job with an approved employer or sponsor. It replaced the Tier 2 (General) work visa.

If you are from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, you can apply for the free EU Settlement Scheme. You must have started living in the UK before 1st January 2021. If eligible, this means you would not need to get a Skilled Worker Visa.

Irish citizens do not need to apply for a visa or EU Settlement Scheme to work in the UK.

When applying for a Skilled Worker Visa, you must prove that the job is eligible and that you have adequate knowledge of English.

The job

For a job to be eligible, you must:

• Work for an approved UK employer
• Work in a job that is eligible
• Receive a ‘certificate of sponsorship’ from your employer with information about the role
• Be paid a minimum salary – this is either £25,600 per year, £10.10 an hour or the ‘going rate’ for the specific line of work

Moreover, you must find out the occupation code of the job to check its eligibility. If you already have the job offer, you must ask your employer for the code.

Knowledge of English

When applying, you must ensure that you can speak, read, write and understand English. There are a number of qualifications that prove you can do this, including GCSEs or degrees taught in English.

Furthermore, there are a number of countries where citizens do not have to prove their knowledge of English. For a full list of these countries, visit GOV.UK.

To apply for a Skilled Worker Visa from outside of the UK, you must apply online.

When applying, you’ll need to provide the following:

• Your certificate of sponsorship reference number given to you by your employer
• Proof of your knowledge of English
• A valid passport or other forms of identification confirming identity and nationality
• Your job title, salary and occupation code
• Your employer’s name and sponsorship license number

In some cases, you may need to provide other documents. Some examples include a criminal record certificate or tuberculosis test results. These other documents will depend entirely on where you are coming from, who with, and for what job.

When applying for a Skilled Worker Visa, you must have money for the following:

• An application fee – this ranges from £625 to £1,423 depending on your circumstances
• Healthcare surcharge – this is usually £624 per year
• Supporting yourself when you arrive – you’ll need to have £1,270 available for you in the UK

There are some exemptions to these fees. For example, if your job is on the shortage occupation list, your application fee will range from £479 to £943 instead.

Furthermore, your employer can support you when you arrive in the UK instead. This must be confirmed by the certificate of sponsorship.

For a breakdown of our prices for helping with a Skilled Worker Visa, visit our immigration pricing page.

It usually takes around three weeks for the Home Office to send a response to your visa application. However, they may require more time to process if:

• Documents need to be verified
• They need to interview you
• Personal circumstances complicate the process (e.g. criminal convictions)

You are eligible to apply for a Skilled Worker Visa up to three months before you are due to start working in the UK. Therefore, it’s best to send off your application as soon as possible, in order to avoid any extra time the Home Office might need.

There are a number of reasons why your application may have been refused. This could be due to:

• The application form being incomplete or invalid
• Fee payments not made
• Relevant codes (i.e. occupation, sponsorship reference) incorrect or left out
• Your criminal or immigration history invalidated your application

If your application was refused, you may apply for an administrative review of the Home Office’s decision. You have up to 28 days to file this request if outside the UK or, alternatively, 14 days if within the UK. If this is refused, you can submit a judicial review to further this.

We highly recommend consulting an experienced immigration solicitor if your application is denied. We can help explore other options or assist in submitting forms to question why your appeal was refused. This can save you time and expenses in the long term, purely by letting our solicitors do the work for you.