- Applicants must meet a £38,700 general salary floor or the specific occupation’s going rate.
- The visa requires a Certificate of Sponsorship from a licensed employer and RQF Level 3 skills.
- Successful applicants can stay for up to five years and apply for permanent settlement.
(UK) The UK’s Skilled Worker visa route still gives employers a way to hire overseas talent, but the rules are tighter in 2026. Applicants now face RQF Level 3 skill rules, a £38,700 general salary floor, and a higher Immigration Health Surcharge of £1,035 a year for most adults.
That means the visa remains open, yet it is far less forgiving. A job offer from a licensed sponsor, a valid Certificate of Sponsorship, and careful document prep now decide whether an application moves forward or fails.
The route, once known as Tier 2 (General), now serves workers in eligible occupations across health, engineering, technology, construction, and other shortage areas. It allows stays of up to 5 years, extension, and settlement after 5 years of continuous residence.
Employers must hold a Home Office sponsor licence before they can issue a sponsorship record. Applicants should check the UK government Skilled Worker visa page and the Register of Licensed Sponsors before they accept an offer.
Sponsor approval and the Certificate of Sponsorship
The first real step is the job offer. The employer must be approved by the Home Office, and the role must match an eligible occupation code in Appendix Skilled Occupations. A valid Certificate of Sponsorship is then assigned through the employer’s sponsorship system.
That certificate is not a paper letter. It is an electronic record with a unique reference number, job title, salary, start date, and sponsor details. The CoS stays valid for 3 months, and the visa application must match the role exactly.
A Defined CoS costs £239. Sponsor licence fees range from £536 to £1,476, and that licence lasts 4 years. For many applicants, the sponsor stage takes longer than the visa form itself.
Salary rules now decide many applications
Salary is the main filter in 2026. The general minimum is £38,700, unless the applicant qualifies for a reduced threshold under a specific route. New entrants and PhD holders can qualify at 70% of the general threshold, which is £27,090.
Some jobs on the Immigration Salary List use a lower floor of £30,960. The list covers 21 shortage occupations, including some care, construction, and STEM roles. The Migration Advisory Committee review in March 2025 also pointed to more roles for shortage treatment.
The salary rule also links to the occupation-specific going rate. For many jobs, the applicant must meet whichever figure is higher: the general threshold or the going rate from Home Office tables. That is why a software developer role can sit above the headline minimum.
The biggest pressure falls on workers in lower-paid but still eligible jobs. Those applicants often lose because the offer does not reach the new wage floor. VisaVerge.com reports that refusal rates rose when salary evidence failed to match the new rules.
Documents, language tests, and money checks
Once the sponsor issues the CoS, the applicant gathers evidence. The standard package includes a passport, the CoS reference number, proof of English at CEFR B1, bank statements showing £1,270 for 28 days, and any required TB or ATAS certificate.
Documents must be clear, in colour, and translated if they are not in English. Applicants from some countries also need a tuberculosis test certificate. For certain sensitive science and research jobs, an ATAS certificate is required before the visa can be approved.
A new January 2025 requirement asks for proof of accommodation for the first month if the sponsor is not providing housing. That rule matters for people arriving alone and for families trying to budget for rent, transport, and school costs.
Filing the online application and paying the fees
The application is filed online through UKVI. Applicants choose whether they are applying from inside or outside the UK, then upload documents and pay the fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge.
The fee is £719 for a stay of up to 3 years, and £1,639 for more than 3 years. The Immigration Health Surcharge is £1,035 per year for most adults, while children under 18 pay £776 per year.
Applicants can normally submit the form up to 3 months before the job start date on the CoS. After submission, they book biometrics at a Visa Application Centre outside the UK or through UKVCAS inside the UK.
The biometrics appointment is short but important. Fingerprints and a photo link the person to the application, and missing this step stops the case from moving forward.
Decision times, priority options, and eVisa rollout
Standard processing usually takes 3 weeks for applications made outside the UK and 8 weeks for those made inside the UK. Faster services exist too. Priority processing costs £500 and aims for 5 days. Super-priority costs £1,000 and aims for the next working day.
Decision letters now link to a digital immigration status, known as an eVisa. Paper BRPs are being phased out, so applicants must keep their account details current and use the digital record when they travel or prove status.
If the visa is granted, travel must usually begin within the start window on the CoS. Workers then report any major change, such as a new address, through the sponsor system.
Conditions after arrival and the route to settlement
The visa ties the worker to the sponsor and the job named on the CoS. Self-employment is not allowed, except for up to 20 hours of supplementary work in the same occupation rules. Dependants can apply too, though care workers lost dependant rights from March 2024.
Most Skilled Worker visa holders can stay for up to 5 years, then apply to extend. Settlement, also called ILR, comes after 5 years of continuous residence, along with the £2,885 fee, the Life in the UK test, and B1 English.
What the 2025 and 2026 changes mean in practice
The policy direction is clear. The UK wants skilled migration, but it wants higher pay and tighter sponsor control. That shift explains the jump from £26,200 to £38,700, the new use of the Immigration Salary List, and the focus on higher-skilled occupations.
For health, engineering, and STEM workers, the route still works well when the salary matches the table. For entry-level applicants, it is far harder. The sponsor licence, the CoS, and the salary evidence now carry more weight than ever.
Official guidance sits on GOV.UK’s Skilled Worker visa page, and the linked forms and sponsor registers update as rules change. The current system rewards clean paperwork, a genuine job offer, and a salary that clears the Home Office threshold.
