Skilled Worker Visa Application

Overview of the Skilled Worker Visa

The Skilled Worker visa is the main UK work route for overseas nationals who have been offered an eligible job with an approved UK employer. This visa allows you to live and work in the UK and can lead to settlement (Indefinite Leave to Remain) after five years if you meet the settlement requirements.

Updates: From 22 July 2025, the minimum salary threshold for Skilled Worker applications increased to £41,700 or the “going rate” for your job, whichever is higher. Certain applicants can still qualify on lower thresholds if they meet certain requirements.

What are the Eligibility Requirements for Skilled Worker Visa?

To apply for a Skilled Worker visa, you must:

• Be 18 years or older.
• Have a confirmed job offer from a UK employer approved by the Home Office as a licensed sponsor.
• Hold a valid Certificate of Sponsorship from your employer.
• Meet the minimum salary threshold: £41,700 per year or the going rate for your job (whichever is higher) or reduced rate of £33,400 in certain cases, including if you are a “new entrant”, hold a PhD relevant to the role, or your role is on the Temporary Shortage List.
• Prove your English language ability to at least B1 level on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
• Have at least £1,270 in savings (unless your sponsor certifies maintenance for you or you have been in the UK on a visa for over 12 months).
• Meet the suitability requirements

What are the Salary Requirements and Going Rates?

If you have been on Skilled Worker visa before 22 July 2025, the old going rate and salary requirements apply. From 22 July 2025, the minimum salary increased to £41,700 per year. However, whether you meet the salary requirement depends on your job’s occupation code and its going rate. The going rate is the Home Office-set annual minimum gross salary for your specific occupation code, based on a 37.5-hour working week. This can range from £33,400 to over £88,000 depending on the job title.

If your contracted hours differ, the going rate must be pro-rated using the annual figure: divide the annual going rate by the standard weekly hours for that occupation, then multiply by your actual weekly hours. For example, if the going rate is £39,000 for a 37.5-hour week and you will work 25 hours, the pro-rated going rate is £26,000 (£39,000 ÷ 37.5 × 25).

Allowances are generally excluded from the calculation, and for going rate checks all weekly hours must be included, even if they exceed 48 per week. Home Office Guidance has give the following example: if an applicant’s salary is £42,500, including £2,000 allowances, and the applicant is going to work 54 hours per week. As the allowances cannot be included, so only £40,500 salary can be considered. For the general threshold, only the first 48 hours a week can be included, it calculates as: £40,500÷ 54 x 48 = £36,000, the applicant therefore does not meet the £41,700 general threshold. 

If your job is eligible but your salary is less than the standard salary requirement of £41,700 or its standard ‘going rate’, you may still be eligible if you meet one of the following criteria:

• You are under 26, or your most recent permission was under the student route or the graduate route, or you are working towards a recognised UK professional qualification
• You have a science, technology, engineering or maths (STEM) PhD level qualification that’s relevant to your job (if you have a relevant PhD level qualification in any other subject your salary must be at least £37,500)
• You have a postdoctoral position in science or higher education

Can I bring my family to the UK?

Your partner and children can join you or stay with you in the UK as your dependants if you applied for the skilled worker visa before 22 July 2025.

Your family may be able to apply to join you or stay with you in the UK as your dependants after 22 July 2025 if your occupation is listed as “higher skilled”. You may bring:

• Your spouse or civil partner; or
• An unmarried partner if you have lived together for at least two years.
• A dependant child must be under 18 (unless already in the UK as your dependant).