The Skilled Worker visa, start to finish.
The UK’s main work visa, explained by a solicitor who runs these applications every week: what sponsorship really means, what it costs on both sides of the employment relationship, and how the route leads to settlement.
The Skilled Worker route is employer-led: you cannot apply for the visa and then look for work. A licensed sponsor offers you a specific role, vouches for it through a Certificate of Sponsorship, and remains responsible to the Home Office for your employment throughout. That three-way relationship, worker, employer, Home Office, is what makes the route feel bureaucratic, and it is also why prepared applications succeed predictably.
The rules tightened substantially through 2025 and 2026: the salary threshold rose to £41,700, most roles must now be skilled to degree level, English moved up to B2, and since April 2026 sponsors must pay the required salary in every single pay period. None of this makes the route unusable. It makes casual applications fail.
Seven stages, weeks not months.
From job offer to visa in hand, this is the sequence every Skilled Worker application follows. Scroll through to see what happens, when.
A job offer from a licensed sponsor
The starting gunEverything begins with a job offer from an employer holding a sponsor licence, in a role skilled to degree level (RQF 6) or on a shortage list, paying at least £41,700 or the occupation's going rate, whichever is higher. New entrants, including recent graduates, qualify at £33,400 or 70 per cent of the going rate.
Certificate of Sponsorship assigned
Week 1Your employer assigns a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) through the Sponsorship Management System: an electronic record of the role, salary and your details, costing the employer £525. You need its reference number to apply, and you must apply within three months of it being assigned.
The online application
Weeks 1 – 2You apply online, prove your identity, and pay the fees: the application fee, plus the Immigration Health Surcharge at £1,035 per adult per year, upfront for the whole visa length. Since January 2026, first-time applicants must prove English at B2, a step up from the old B1 standard.
Biometrics and supporting evidence
Weeks 1 – 2Identity is verified via the UK Immigration: ID Check app or a biometric appointment. Supporting documents, English test certificate, financial evidence where required, TB certificate for some countries, are uploaded. The processing clock starts here, not when you pressed submit.
The decision
3 – 8 weeksStandard processing runs about three weeks for applications from abroad and about eight weeks for in-country switches and extensions. Priority (£500, around five working days) and super priority (£1,000, next working day, in-UK) can compress this when the application is decision-ready.
Arrival and your eVisa
From day one in the UKYour status is digital. Set up your UKVI account, check the eVisa shows the right details, and always link a new passport before travelling, the single most common cause of airport problems. Your employer records your start date and holds right-to-work evidence.
Extensions and the road to settlement
Years 3 – 5Skilled Worker leave is extendable, and under the current rules settlement (ILR) is available after five years. Be aware: the government has consulted on moving to a ten-year baseline and, as at August 2026, has not yet laid the rules. If you are near the five-year mark, timing your ILR application deserves proper advice.
The refusals and breaches I see are rarely exotic. The occupation code does not truly match the duties. The salary meets the threshold on paper but dips in a commission-light month, a problem the April 2026 pay-period rule turned from theoretical into licence-threatening. The English test is the wrong type for the route. A new passport is never linked to the eVisa and a business trip ends at the check-in desk.
On the employer side, the risk has concentrated: licence revocations ran at record levels through 2025, and a revoked licence strands every sponsored worker on the payroll. Both sides of the relationship now carry real compliance weight, which is precisely why both sides benefit from advice before problems, not after.
Five questions I hear most.
01How much does a Skilled Worker visa cost in total?
For a three-year visa from abroad: application fee £819, Immigration Health Surcharge £3,105 (three years at £1,035), so roughly £3,900 before any priority fee or legal costs. Your employer separately pays £525 for the CoS and the Immigration Skills Charge of £480 or £1,320 per year depending on their size. Employers cannot lawfully pass the Skills Charge on to you.
02What salary do I need in 2026?
At least £41,700 per year, or the going rate for your occupation code if that is higher, based on a 37.5-hour week. New entrants, typically those under 26 or switching from the Graduate route, qualify at £33,400 or 70 per cent of the going rate. Since April 2026 the salary must be met in every pay period, not just as an annual average.
03Can my family come with me?
Partners and children under 18 can usually apply as dependants, each paying their own fees and health surcharge. The main exceptions are roles sponsored under the temporary shortage arrangements, most of which do not permit dependants, and care worker roles under the transitional rules.
04Can I change jobs on a Skilled Worker visa?
Yes, but a new employer means a new sponsorship: a fresh CoS and a new application before you start the new role. Changing roles with the same employer can also require a new application where the occupation code changes. Starting the new job before the new visa is granted is a breach for you and the employer.
05What happens if my sponsor loses its licence?
If your employer's licence is revoked, your visa is typically cut short, with a limited window, currently 60 days or the remainder of your leave if shorter, to find a new sponsor and apply again. With revocations at record levels, it is worth taking advice quickly if your employer receives a suspension letter.
Applying, sponsoring, or stuck? Start with a call.
Tell me where you are in the process, an offer on the table, a sponsor licence question, a refusal. I'll come back within one working day with a fixed-fee quote and the next steps.
- Email sajjad@faranitaylor.com
- Direct 020 7242 1666
- Office Mermaid House, 2 Puddle Dock, London EC4V 3DB
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