| Who needs a visa | everyone without a British or Irish passport, EU settlement status or ILR |
| Standard work visa | Skilled Worker: £41,700 or the going rate, English at B2 |
| For companies expanding to the UK | UK Expansion Worker and Senior or Specialist Worker: £52,500 |
| No employer needed | Global Talent, High Potential Individual, Innovator Founder |
| Health surcharge | £1,035 per person per year |
| As of | November 2026, latest rule change HC 584 |
Who needs a work visa at all
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens who were living in the UK by 31 December 2020 and hold settled or pre-settled status can work without a visa, as can anyone with indefinite leave to remain. Everyone arriving after that needs a work visa. For short business trips an ETA is enough; what you may do on one is set out under business visits and the ETA.
For employers this means: hiring an EU citizen with settled or pre-settled status needs no sponsor licence, only the usual right-to-work check.
The UK work visas side by side
| Visa | For whom | Sponsor | Salary | Settlement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skilled Worker | Professionals with a job offer | yes | £41,700 or going rate | after 5 years |
| Scale-up Worker | A job at a fast-growing company | yes, for 6 months | £39,100 or going rate | after 5 years |
| UK Expansion Worker | Setting up the first UK branch | yes, your own company | £52,500 or going rate | no |
| Senior or Specialist Worker | Transfer to the group's UK entity | yes, the group | £52,500 or going rate | no |
| Graduate Trainee | Trainees on a group programme | yes, the group | £27,300 or 70 per cent of going rate | no |
| Service Supplier | A contract under a trade agreement | yes, the UK client | qualifications and experience | no |
| Secondment Worker | Secondment on a contract of £50 million or more | yes, the contracting party | no separate threshold stated | no |
| Global Talent | Leaders in research, the arts, digital technology | no, endorsement | none | after 3 or 5 years |
| High Potential Individual | Graduates of listed universities | no | none | does not count |
| Innovator Founder | Founders with a new idea | no, endorsement | none | after 3 years |
GOV.UK, as of November 2026
Skilled Worker: the standard route
With a job at a UK employer you will almost always end up on the Skilled Worker visa. The employer needs a sponsor licence and assigns you a certificate of sponsorship. Since July 2025 the job must generally be at degree level (RQF 6), the salary must reach at least £41,700 or the going rate for the occupation, and since 8 January 2026 you need English at B2.
Each grant runs for up to five years, and today the route leads to indefinite leave to remain after five years. It is also the route if you want your own UK limited company to sponsor you; what to watch for is in the section on self-sponsorship.
For companies: Global Business Mobility
European companies sending people to the UK have five routes of their own. They are time-limited and do not lead to settlement, but they need no English test and have clear rules for intra-group moves. The key case for a mid-sized business is the UK Expansion Worker: the company does not trade in the UK yet but wants to set up a branch or subsidiary there.
The five Global Business Mobility routes compared
All five need a licensed sponsor, none leads to settlement, and together they share a cap of five years in any six.
| Route | Typical case | Length | Salary or threshold |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK Expansion Worker | Company sets up its first UK presence | up to 2 years | £52,500 or going rate |
| Senior or Specialist Worker | Transfer to the group's established UK entity | up to 5 years in 6 | £52,500 or going rate |
| Graduate Trainee | Trainee on a group programme | up to 12 months | £27,300 or 70 per cent of going rate |
| Service Supplier | Contract for a UK client under a trade agreement | 6 or 12 months | qualifications and experience |
| Secondment Worker | Secondment to a UK contracting party | up to 2 years | contract of £50 million or more |
GOV.UK, Global Business Mobility visas, as of November 2026
No employer: talent, graduates, founders
Three visas work without a job offer. Global Talent, for recognised or promising people in research, arts and culture or digital technology, is the most flexible UK work visa there is. The High Potential Individual visa gives graduates of a listed university two years of work in the UK but does not count towards settlement. And Innovator Founder is the visa for founders with a new business idea endorsed by an approved body.
What a UK work visa costs
The bill has three parts: the visa fee, the Immigration Health Surcharge and the funds you have to show. A Skilled Worker visa applied for from outside the UK costs £819 for up to three years and £1,618 for longer. The health surcharge is £1,035 per year, paid upfront for the whole visa. GOV.UK does the sum itself: a two-year Skilled Worker visa costs £2,889 including the surcharge.
The Global Business Mobility visas are cheaper at £340 per application. Global Talent costs £766, the HPI £880 plus £252 for the Ecctis check, and Innovator Founder £1,357 plus the endorsement. Each family member pays their own fees on top. The full breakdown is on our page on what a UK visa costs.
Work visas and your family
On almost every work visa your partner and children can join you as dependants. You usually have to show funds for each of them: £285 for a partner, £315 for the first child and £200 for each further child. The details are on our page on family and dependants.
Extending and staying
Not every work visa leads to staying. Skilled Worker and Scale-up lead to indefinite leave to remain after five years, Global Talent and Innovator Founder after three. The Global Business Mobility routes and the HPI do not count. From 26 March 2027 the Home Office requires B2 English for settlement on most work routes, and the government has proposed raising the standard qualifying period to ten years. Where that stands is explained under earned settlement.
Whichever visa you hold, moving to the UK almost always makes you UK tax resident. How the two connect is explained under status and tax.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a work visa for the UK as an EU citizen?
Yes, unless you already have settled or pre-settled status, indefinite leave to remain, or a British or Irish passport.
How much does a UK work visa cost?
Depending on the visa, between £340 and £1,618 in application fees, plus a health surcharge of £1,035 a year. GOV.UK puts a two-year Skilled Worker visa at £2,889.
Can I work in the UK without a job offer?
With Global Talent, the HPI or as an Innovator Founder, yes. Every other work visa needs a sponsor.
How long does processing take?
For the Global Business Mobility visas usually three weeks from outside the UK. Before that the sponsor needs its licence, which usually takes up to eight weeks.
Sources: GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa; GOV.UK: UK Expansion Worker visa; GOV.UK: Senior or Specialist Worker visa; GOV.UK: Scale-up Worker visa; GOV.UK: Global Talent visa; GOV.UK: High Potential Individual visa; GOV.UK: Innovator Founder visa; GOV.UK: Pay for UK healthcare as part of your immigration application; GOV.UK: UK visa sponsorship for employers; GOV.UK: Statement of changes HC 1691, explanatory memorandum; GOV.UK: Immigration Rules, statements of changes
