UK WORK VISA, SKILLED WORKER VISA PAVES THE WAY

A Skilled Worker visa is meant for skilled foreign workers to come to or stay and work in UK in a job deemed eligible. The job must be done with an employer who is approved.

The Skilled Worker Visa is a replacement for the Tier 2 (General) Work visa.

Requirements for the visa

If you want to work in UK and apply for a Skilled Worker visa, the following requirements have to be met:

• You must get a minimum of 70 points to qualify.
• You must be offered to be paid the general level of salary amounting to £25,600 or the rate applied as a standard for the particular job role, whichever is more.
• The required points to qualify are tradeable. That means the applicant could be qualified for sponsorship even if their salary didn’t meet the given criteria if their job role was identified as an occupation with a labor shortage.
• The criteria of skills for roles are being toned down to NVQ Level 3. This means that many more job roles from a range of sectors that’s wider would be up for sponsorship. These include junior-level/administrative roles.
• An applicant must meet the language requirement in the English language.

Documents required to apply for the Skilled Worker visa

• Your certificate of sponsorship reference number – your employer will give you this
• A valid passport or other documents that shows your identity and nationality
• Your job’s occupation code
• Proof of your knowledge of the English language
• Your job title and annual salary
• The name of your employer and their sponsor license number – this will be on your certificate of sponsorship

Eligibility criteria for the visa

Apart from these, the following criteria are also to be met:

• Applicant must be over the age of 18 years
• Produce a valid Certificate of Sponsorship (from an A-listed Employer by the Home Office including your name, salary, and job as well as a confirmation of the certificate’s legitimacy)
• Pay the immigration skill charge paid by the sponsor
• Get a proficiency level of at least CEFR Level B1 in the English Language (same as IELTS 4.0)
• Prove that the applicant is financially stable can support oneself without having any reliance on public funds
• Produce the certificate showing a clean criminal record (since 18 years of age in the country of residence)
• Get a valid TB certificate (wherever applicable)

How do I apply for the visa?

If you want to apply for the Skilled Worker Visa to work in UK, follow the following steps.

• Apply for the visa online. Use the form available on the gov.uk website.
• Complete the online form in English.
• Pay the application fee as well.
• Submit the supporting documentation required.
• After filling the online application form, book an appointment and attend it at a VAC (Visa Application Center). Prove your identity and submit your biometrics.
• Pay the Immigration Health Surcharge to get access to the UK’s healthcare system.

Apply for the Skilled Worker Visa not more than 3 months before you intend to start to work in UK. In case you are switching from another UK visa to the Skilled Worker Visa, then it’s necessary to apply before the expiry of your current visa.

Under the Skilled Worker route, it may be allowed for you to bring family members with you to the UK. If you want to bring family members, then they have to make a separate visa application to join you as a dependent in the UK.