Skilled Worker visa (UK)
is the UK’s main sponsored work route: a licensed employer sponsors a role meeting skill and salary thresholds. The 2025 reforms raised the bar — degree-level skill (RQF 6) restored for new hires, higher salary floors, and narrower shortage discounts — reshaping who can be sponsored.
What the route requires now
Core requirements: sponsorship by a licensed employer, a role in an eligible occupation at RQF 6 (with transitional and shortage-list exceptions), salary at or above both the general threshold and the occupation’s going rate, English language, and maintenance. Points assemble from these elements; dependants’ rights narrowed for some categories.
For employers the operational reality is the sponsor licence plus per-hire certificates, fees and the immigration skills charge — a costed, planned pipeline rather than an ad-hoc filing. Official rules: gov.uk.
FAQ
What salary does a Skilled Worker visa need in 2026?
Above both the general threshold — raised substantially in the 2024–25 reforms — and the occupation-specific going rate, with limited discounts (new entrants, shortage roles under the reformed lists). Exact figures update with rule changes; check current guidance per occupation code before offering.
Does time on a Skilled Worker visa lead to settlement?
Historically five years to indefinite leave; reform proposals have discussed longer qualifying periods. Employers should track current rules when making retention promises — settlement timelines are policy-sensitive and have been moving.