The Skilled Worker Visa is a sponsored work route which can be applied to if you hold a job offer from a company or organisation with a Skilled Worker sponsor licence
Skilled Worker Visa criteria
The Skilled Worker route replaced the Tier 2 visa route on 1st December 2020. Guidance on the Skilled Worker route is available on the gov.uk website.
The Skilled Worker route enables you to work full-time in the UK. To apply, you'll need to have a job offer from company with a sponsor licence, and your employer must provide you with a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS).
To be able to issue you with a CoS, your employer must:
- Hold a Skilled Worker sponsor licence
- Offer you a job at a certain skill level
- Offer a minimum applicable salary, according to UKVI guidance. Note that this can vary depending on the occupation
When to apply for the Skilled Worker visa
An applicant who is applying for permission to stay and has, or last had, permission as a Student, must fulfil one of the following conditions on the date of application:
- the applicant must have completed the course of study for which the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies was assigned; or
- the Certificate of Sponsorship must have a start date no earlier than the course completion date; or
- the applicant must be studying a full-time course of study leading to the award of a PhD, and the Certificate of Sponsorship must have a start date no earlier than 24 months after the start date of that course.
We recommend that you first of all contact the International Student Advice Service for advice, if you are thinking about switching to this visa before you complete your studies (or before you have received your transcript or degree certificate) to ensure that you are fully informed of any implications switching to this visa could have on your continued registration and study with us.