UK Skilled Worker Visa: Complete 2026 Guide

TL;DR

The UK Skilled Worker visa lets non-UK nationals work for a licensed sponsor in eligible roles. You need a job offer paying at least £41,700 (or the going rate for your occupation if higher), English at B1, and £1,270 in savings. The visa fee is £819–£1,618 from outside the UK plus the Immigration Health Surcharge. Standard processing is 3 weeks. Five years on this route counts toward Indefinite Leave to Remain.

How much does the UK Skilled Worker visa cost?

The Skilled Worker visa fee depends on length of stay, where you apply from, and whether your role is on the Immigration Salary List. From outside the UK, an application for up to 3 years costs £819 (£628 for Immigration Salary List roles); over 3 years costs £1,618 (£1,235 ISL). From inside the UK, expect £943 up to 3 years and £1,865 over 3 years. Add the Immigration Health Surcharge of £1,035 per year of leave on top.

A worked example: a 3-year non-ISL application from outside the UK costs £819 visa fee + £3,105 IHS (£1,035 × 3 years) = £3,924 total. Biometric appointments are usually free (some visa application centre locations charge £76.50); add any priority service fee on top.

For a full breakdown with dependants and worked examples, see Skilled Worker visa cost.

What is the salary threshold for the Skilled Worker visa?

The general minimum salary is £41,700 per year, or the going rate for your occupation under the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code, whichever is higher. Reduced thresholds apply to:

• New entrants (under 26, switching from Student/Graduate, or recent PhD): 70 to 90 percent of the going rate depending on the route, with a floor of £33,400
• Immigration Salary List roles: minimum £33,400, and the standard full going rate still applies; the old 80 percent going-rate discount no longer exists
• Health and care worker visa: separate threshold of £25,000 (or the job's going rate if higher) with different IHS exemptions

Always check the going rate for your specific SOC code, it overrides the general minimum where higher. For a fast lookup of every occupation's rate, use this SOC code salary lookup.

How long does the Skilled Worker visa take?

Standard processing time is 3 weeks from outside the UK and 8 weeks from inside. Priority service (additional £500) reduces this to 5 working days. Super-priority service (£1,000) gives a decision the next working day after biometrics.

Times can extend if your application needs further checks, typically when documents are inconsistent, when the role under-pays the going rate, or when the sponsor's licence is under review.

What documents do I need?

You will need:

1. Passport with at least one blank page
2. Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) reference number from your employer, to find employers actively sponsoring Skilled Worker visas in your field, see our sister site Tarve, or search the UK register of licensed visa sponsors to check whether a specific employer can sponsor you
3. English language proof, IELTS for UKVI, degree taught in English (UK NARIC confirmation), or passport from a majority-English country
4. £1,270 in savings held continuously for 28 days, unless your sponsor certifies maintenance on the CoS
5. TB test certificate if applying from a listed country
6. Criminal record certificate if applying for a role on the relevant list (mainly health, education, social services)

Use our free Visa Document Bundler to merge these into one ordered PDF, named per Home Office convention, and compressed under the UKVCAS 6MB limit.

Can I switch from a Graduate visa to Skilled Worker?

Yes. You apply from inside the UK while your Graduate visa is still valid. You need:

• A job offer from a licensed sponsor that meets your SOC code's salary threshold (the new-entrant reduced threshold may apply)
• Your CoS issued within the last 3 months
• All standard documentation as above

The switch counts toward your 5-year qualifying period for ILR, your Graduate visa time does not.

What happens if my application is refused?

You can apply for an Administrative Review within 14 days if you believe a caseworker error was made. There is no right of appeal for most Skilled Worker refusals; the alternatives are to address the refusal reason and re-apply, or pursue judicial review for procedural unfairness.

Common refusal reasons include: salary below the going rate, inconsistencies between the CoS and supporting documents, missing maintenance funds evidence, and sponsor compliance issues outside the applicant's control.

How does this lead to ILR?

Five continuous years on the Skilled Worker route, with no excessive absences (more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12 months), plus a Life in the UK test pass and continued sponsorship at qualifying salary, lead to Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR).

Time on certain other work routes (Tier 2 General, Health and Care Worker) counts toward the same 5 years if you switch into Skilled Worker.

Sources

• gov.uk: Skilled Worker visa overview
• gov.uk: Immigration Rules, Appendix Skilled Worker
• gov.uk: Eligible occupations and salary thresholds
• gov.uk: Find a TB clinic
• House of Commons Library: Migration statistics