In order to apply under the Skilled Worker route you need sponsorship by a licensed employer to do a specific job that meets minimum levels of skill and salary. This overview of the route is specifically tailored to those who have studied in the UK with a Tier 4 or Student route visa and who now wish to apply under the Skilled Worker route, either in the UK or in their home country.
Most people who apply in the UK to switch from Tier 4, Student route or Graduate route permission to the Skilled Worker route, and many former UK students who apply later in their home country, are considered a "new entrant" under the Skilled Worker rules about "tradable points". This means they can meet a lower minimum salary than other applicants. (This guide does not cover the other ways non-student applicants can gain "tradable points" but you can read the full details in the Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Worker, paragraph 4.2)
We cover the basics about eligible employers, jobs and salaries, but for the fine detail of whether your specific job, salary and situation make you eligible for sponsorship as a Skilled Worker, you will need to discuss it directly with your employer, usually the Human Resources department. The Skilled Worker route is new, having launched on 1 December 2020, so you may find that employers take some time to understand all aspects, especially the key differences from the old Tier 2 route that it has replaced. We explain these difference below.
The Home Office has a full guide to the Skilled Worker route for all types of applicant, including students and former students. There are also separate routes for some specialised areas of skilled work: see the Home Office guides to the Health and Care Worker visa, Intra-company visas, Minister of Religion visa and Sportsperson visa.
The international student adviser at your university or college specialises in student immigration applications and is probably unable to offer one-to-one advice on work-based immigration applications, but they may be able to refer you to someone who can.
The job market in the UK is already competitive, and the ongoing effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the UK economy are affecting recruitment. For more information on the current labour market in the UK, see these recent guides aimed at new graduates:
For further listening, a panel of current international students was interviewed about their UK work prospects on the BBC World Service podcast "The Covid Generation" on 31 May 2020. You can stream it online or download it via the BBC World Service podcast feed "The Documentary".
If you are relying on your current degree level studies to meet the definition of "new entrant" (see below), the earliest an employer can issue the Certificate of Sponsorship is three months before the end date of your course. There is an exception for those studying a PhD or other doctoral qualification, who only need to have completed 12 months of the course.
Your deadline for applying in the UK to switch into the Skilled Worker route is the expiry date of your current permission. As long as you apply by this date, your current permission is automatically extended until the outcome of your application, even if its original expiry date has passed. This is a general principle of UK immigration law known as 3C leave.
Given your visa expiry date deadline, and the current job market, it is possible that you may run out of time for securing a job and applying in the UK. If this happens, you can still apply in your home country for a Skilled Worker visa, and there is no time limit for this. You may also still be considered a "new entrant" and benefit from the lower minimum salary: see below for details of who is a "new entrant".
Applying in your home country for a Skilled Worker visa no longer has the extra requirements for employers that the old Tier 2 route had. Both the Resident Labour Market Test and restricted certificates of sponsorship were abolished on 1 December 2020 when the Skilled Worker route replaced Tier 2. The Immigration Skills Charge for employers does still remain for applications from outside the UK.
If you are applying in your home country, and your employer appears to not know that the RLMT has been abolished, or even that the Tier 2 route has changed to Skilled Worker, encourage them to get advice on the new route and its differences from Tier 2. You can refer them to the Home Office publication from August 2020, UK points-based immigration system: further details statement, especially paragraph 16 about the abolition of the RLMT and paragraph 17 about the abolition of a cap on Certificates of Sponsorship.
The Home Office website has full details of how to apply outside the UK. You can access the online application form here.
You must be sponsored by an employer with a Skilled Worker license. See the Register of licensed sponsors: Workers which is updated daily.
If you are not sure which employers in your area of work are sponsors, or if you have to apply for jobs in your area of work through recruitment agencies, you should discuss with careers advisers in your university or institution or with your professional body (if relevant) how best to ensure that you apply for jobs with employers who have a sponsor licence.
According to Home Office statistics from December 2020, 87% of sponsored jobs are in the following sectors:
- Information and communication (31%)
- Professional, scientific and technical (24%)
- Human health and social work (16%)
- Financial and insurance (10%)
- Education (6%)
The job and vacancy must be genuine, and the Home Office may check this. The Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Worker explains at paragraphs SW 5.4 and SW 5.5 that the Home Office caseworker assessing your application must not have reasonable grounds to believe that the job "does not exist, or is a sham, or has been created mainly so the applicant can apply [under the Skilled Worker route]" or that the job amounts to you working for a third party who is not the sponsor.
Under the old Tier 2 scheme, an employer was required to run the formal Resident Labour Market Test when deciding whether to sponsor someone for an application outside the UK. This is no longer required, but paragraph 6.3 of the Appendix Skilled Worker provides for the Home Office caseworker to check with the employer that they have a genuine need for the job; that you have the appropriate skills, qualifications and experience to do the job; and that the employer has a history of complying with the immigration system, including paying their sponsored workers appropriately.
The list of eligible jobs is in the Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Occupations. Table 1 includes most of the eligible jobs, with separate tables for some jobs in health and education.
The minimum skill level for most occupations is described as Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) level 3, which equates to the UK A-level qualification. This is a change from the old Tier 2 route, where the minimum skill level for most applicants was RQF level 6, which equates to degree level.
The list of eligible jobs includes a range of minimum salaries for each job. Most people who apply in the UK to switch from Tier 4, Student route or Graduate route to the Skilled Worker route will be considered a "new entrant" and therefore they will only need to meet the lower minimum salary in the column headed "70% of going rate".
You are a "new entrant" if you meet one of these provisions:
- your current visa was issued to study a degree, PhD or other doctoral qualification, PGCE, or PGDE, and you have completed it, or you will complete it less than 3 months after you apply; or
- your current visa was issued to study a PhD or other doctoral qualification and you have have completed at least 12 months' study on that course. Paragraph SW 12.2(f)(iv) of Appendix Skilled Worker says that only a PhD is eligible for this provision, but the Skilled Worker visa caseworker guidance (page 39, Option 6) allows other doctoral qualifications.
For a list of what the Home Office considers to be a doctoral qualification, see the Student route caseworker guidance, page 63.
You are also a "new entrant" if either
- you are aged under 26 on the day you apply, or
- you are applying in your home country, your last UK permission was under the Tier 4 or Student route and issued for a degree, PhD or other doctoral qualification, PGCE, or PGDE, and you are applying less than 2 years after it expired; or
- you are applying in your home country, your last UK permission was under the Graduate route, and you are applying less than 2 years after it expired.
If you have visited the UK since your Tier 4, Student or Graduate permission expired this does not affect your eligibility as a "new entrant".
If you do not meet any of the above "new entrant" definitions you can still be a "new entrant" if your sponsor confirms on your Certificate of Sponsorship that either:
You can only be a "new entrant" for a maximum of 4 years' worth of permission under Tier 2, Skilled worker, or the Graduate route. This means that if you are switching from the Graduate route to Skilled worker you must meet a definition of a "new entrant" and your new application must not take you over a total of 4 years' permission (at any time in the past) under Skilled worker, Tier 2 or under the Graduate route. If it does, you will need to meet one of the other minimum salary rates, not "new entrant" rate. You should clarify this with your Skilled worker sponsor employer.
The 70% salary figure for a "new entrant" will of course vary depending on the specific job. You need to meet both the relevant minimum salary and £20,480 minimum. This absolute minimum of £20,480 is equivalent to £10.10 per hour. It had a small decrease from the minimum under the old Tier 2 route, where is was £20,800.
If you are being sponsored in a role whose occupation code falls into Table 2 of Appendix Skilled Occupations, then you will not be able to claim any tradeable points from Options A-E in Appendix Skilled Worker (Paragraph SW 4.2). You can only obtain points under Option F (Paragraphs SW 13.1-13.7). This means that if you are applying for a role from Table 2, you cannot be classified as a new entrant.
No evidence of maintenance (your money) is required if you are applying in the UK and you have been living here with a valid visa for at least 12 months. This is the same for any dependants who are applying in the UK. This is now a common new feature of all immigration applications in the UK, not specific to Skilled Worker.
If you have been in the UK for less than 12 months, or if you are applying outside the UK, your employer can confirm on the Certificate of Sponsorship that they will cover your living costs during your first month in the UK, up to £1270. Not all employers will do this, but you can ask. Some employers may also be willing to cover the living costs for dependants in the Certificate of Sponsorship. The rates are £285 for a partner, £315 for the first dependant child, £200 for any further dependant.
If you do not meet either of these provisions, for example you are applying in your home country and your employer is not covering your living costs, you must show evidence that you have held at least £1270 in your own name for at least 28 days. The funds must have been held in your own name. The provision to show money in a parent's name is for Student visa applications only.
If dependants are included in the applications, there must be extra funds of £285 for your partner, £315 for the first dependant child, and £200 for any further dependant. Money for a partner's application can be held in their name or in yours, while money for a child's application can be in their name or either of their parents' names.
In all cases Day 28 of the evidence must be no more than 31 days before the date you apply.
For full details, see the Home Office's Guide to Financial evidence for sponsored or endorsed work routes.
You must have English language skills. A degree-level qualification from a UK institution is one way of meeting this requirement. If you do not have such a qualification, see the other ways to meet this requirement on in the Home Office's guide to Skilled Worker visa > Knowledge of English.
Before you apply
You can travel and re-enter the UK on your Tier 4 or Student leave before you apply under the Skilled Worker route.
The Home Office's Student route caseworker guidance confirms this on page 66:
Students are able to travel outside of, and re-enter, the UK whilst they hold valid permission as a Student, including in the period after they have completed their course and still hold permission under the route.
After you apply
If you apply in the UK to switch to the Skilled Worker route you should not travel until the outcome of the application. This is because travelling outside the Common Travel Area automatically withdraws your application.
If you need to travel very urgently while your application is pending, speak to your Skilled Worker visa sponsor about your options. Your Skilled Worker application will be automatically withdrawn when you leave the Common Travel Area, but if your Tier 4 or Student visa is still valid you can re-enter the UK after your travel. You will then need to apply again under the Skilled Worker route and pay the application fee again. Only the Immigration Health Surcharge from your first application would be refunded. If you need to travel or withdraw your application for another reason, always speak to your sponsor first.
If you apply in the UK under the Skilled Worker route, you can normally start work as soon as you have applied. However those who are switching from Tier 4 permission that was granted before 1 October 2019 have slightly different work conditions, and they may need to start work on a temporary basis.
It is also possible that your employer may prefer that you wait until the outcome of your Skilled worker application before starting work.
In all cases, check directly with your employer when they expect you to start work, and on what basis.
All students with Tier 4 or Student route visa to study a part-time postgraduate course must always wait until their Skilled Worker permission is granted before starting work.
Some specific family members can join you or stay with you in the UK:
- spouse or civil partner
- unmarried partner or same sex partner who is not a civil partner, if the relationship has been ongoing for at least 2 years
- children. They must be under 18 if they have not yet applied to join you. It does not matter if they become 18 during their time in the UK, as long as they do not start to lead an independent life).
Skilled Worker permission can lead to settlement in the UK after five years of continuous lawful residence. You must still be required for your Skilled Worker job. It is also possible to apply for settlement under the long residence rule if you have spent 10 years of continuous lawful residence in the UK with any type of immigration permission. For more details, see the Immigration Rules Appendix Settled Worker, section "Settlement as a Skilled Worker".
This information is only for those who are applying outside the UK.
UK employers recruiting non-EEA nationals under the Skilled Worker route may be required to pay an Immigration Skills Charge (ISC).
If an employer is required to pay an Immigration Skills Charge, the amount of the charge will be calculated according to the length of employment the employer enters on the Certificate of Sponsorship. Employers will be required to pay £1000 per employee per year, with a reduced rate of £364 per employee per year for small and charitable employers. The full amount must be paid before the Certificate of Sponsorship can be assigned.
If you are applying from outside of the the UK and you are coming to work in the education, health and social care sectors you will also be required to provide a criminal record certificate as part of your application. Your sponsor should inform you of this requirement if is applicable. You can read more information on criminal record certificates on the Home Office website.
