| Salary | usually at least £41,700 a year or the going rate, whichever is higher |
| English | level B2 for new applications (since 8 January 2026) |
| Visa fee | £819 up to 3 years, £1,618 over 3 years (applying from outside the UK) |
| Health surcharge | £1,035 a year |
| Settlement | possible after 5 years, B2 English for settlement from 26 March 2027 |
| As of | November 2026 |
What the Skilled Worker visa asks for
You need a job offer from a UK employer with a sponsor licence, a certificate of sponsorship and a job whose occupation code is eligible. Since the rule changes that followed the 2025 white paper, the skill threshold is back at RQF level 6, which is degree level. Jobs below that are only open through exceptions and transitional rules for people already on the route before 22 July 2025.
On salary, the higher of £41,700 a year and the going rate for the occupation applies. There are discounts, for example for jobs on the Immigration Salary List, for new entrants or for a relevant PhD. A floor of £33,400 then applies (£37,500 for a non-STEM PhD). Some health and education jobs have their own pay tables.
Since 8 January 2026 you must prove English at level B2, for example with an approved test or an English-taught degree confirmed by Ecctis. If you held the visa before that date and are extending, B1 still applies.
What it costs
Fees for an application from outside the UK. Jobs on the Immigration Salary List have lower fees.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Visa up to 3 years | £819 |
| Visa over 3 years | £1,618 |
| Immigration Health Surcharge | £1,035 a year |
| Personal funds | £1,270, unless the employer certifies it covers them |
| GOV.UK example, 2 years | £2,889 visa plus health surcharge |
GOV.UK, Skilled Worker visa, as of November 2026
Sponsoring yourself through your own UK limited company
Many of our clients do not want an outside employer to sponsor them but their own UK company. There is no separate visa for this; it is the ordinary Skilled Worker route, except that employer and employee belong together economically. It works, but the Home Office looks closely.
First, the company needs genuine trading activity in the UK. The sponsor guidance names two typical reasons for refusal: hardly any sales to outside customers because the money only comes from connected companies or investors, and circular trading between connected companies. A newly formed limited company with no customers fails exactly there.
Second, the licence's key personnel must be based in the UK, and at least one level 1 user must be an employee, director or partner of the company and a settled worker, for example British or holding indefinite leave to remain or EU settled status. If you are on your own, you will normally need a second person established in the UK.
Third, the job must be real and the salary actually paid, through UK payroll. For a company that is not trading in the UK at all yet, the UK Expansion Worker is often the better first step. What a sponsor licence demands in detail is on our sponsor licence page.
Length, changing jobs and family
A Skilled Worker visa can run for up to 5 years before you need to extend. You work for your sponsor in the job named on the certificate of sponsorship. Change employer or occupation and you need a new certificate and a new application. Additional work is only allowed within narrow limits.
A partner and children can come as dependants. You must show funds for each of them if you have not yet been in the UK on a visa for twelve months: £285 for a partner, £315 for the first child and £200 for each further child. Unmarried couples usually need to have lived together for at least two years. The details are under family and dependants.
For employers the Skilled Worker route costs far more than the visa fee alone: the licence, the certificate of sponsorship and the Immigration Skills Charge come on top. The figures are on our sponsor licence page.
The road to staying
Today you can apply for indefinite leave to remain after 5 years. You must not have spent more than 180 days outside the UK in any twelve-month period, and your salary must still meet the threshold.
Two changes are coming. From 26 March 2027 the Home Office requires B2 English for settlement on this route, including for people already on it. And the government has proposed raising the standard qualifying period to 10 years. So far that is only a proposal; where it stands is explained under earned settlement.
What we do
With self-sponsorship almost everything depends on the company: incorporation, bank account, payroll, profit extraction and whether, under your home country's rules, the limited company creates a taxable presence back home. We settle that with you up front, and the incorporation runs through our UK Company Setup.
Frequently asked questions
Can I sponsor my own visa as the sole director of my limited company?
On your own it is hard, because at least one level 1 user must be a settled worker established in the UK and the company must show genuine trading. With a second person in the UK and real customers it can be done.
How long does the sponsor licence take?
UKVI decides most applications in under 8 weeks, faster for an extra fee.
Does time on another visa count towards the 5 years?
Only certain visas count. Time as the partner or child of another visa holder does not count towards your own settlement.
Sources: GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa; GOV.UK: Workers and Temporary Workers, guidance for sponsors part 1; GOV.UK: UK visa sponsorship for employers; GOV.UK: Indefinite leave to remain with a Skilled Worker visa; GOV.UK: Statement of changes HC 1691, explanatory memorandum; GOV.UK: Pay for UK healthcare as part of your immigration application
