Posted on June 05 2024

How to apply for a UK Skilled Worker visa?

By
Anshul Singhal
, Editor

Updated August 20 2024

How do you apply for a UK Skilled Worker visa?

The process to apply for a UK Skilled Worker Visa while staying out of the UK is to fill out an online application on the UK Home Office website. You are eligible to fill and submit an application only after receiving an offer of employment, a CoS, and the required supporting information.

The steps to apply for a UK Skilled Worker Visa are as follows:

Check if you are eligible for a UK Skilled Worker Visa
Get an employment offer from a licensed valid sponsor in the country
Get a CoS from the employer in the UK
Provide the checklist of documents as evidence of your eligibility
Fill in the online application form
Pay the visa application fee and the healthcare surcharge
Attach any additional documents that will support your application

The processing time for a UK Skilled Worker Visa is three weeks if all the information provided is authentic. The UKVI will contact you if they require any additional information to support the application.

Breakdown of the steps to apply for a UK Skilled Worker Visa

The breakdown of the steps to apply for a UK Skilled Worker Visa is as follows:

Check your eligibility

You can check your eligibility with the UK Immigration Points Calculator. You must score 70 points by meeting specific eligibility criteria like having an employment offer, a relevant skillset, good English language ability, annual income of the occupation as per the current pay scale and more.

Get a valid employment offer

You must have a valid employment offer from a licensed employer in the UK employer in order to apply. The job role must be present in eligible occupations and meet minimum income requirements. The employer must be an A-rated business listed in the licensed sponsors. You also have to verify if the employer in the UK is licensed to hire skilled immigrant workers via the Skilled Worker Route to avoid any rejections or delays.

Get a CoS from an employer

You have to receive a CoS from an employer in the UK. The CoS or Certificate of Sponsorship is a legal document in a digital format containing data regarding the job role being sponsored for, type of work, start and end date of the job, gross income, licence number of the sponsor and the expiration date.

Provide the checklist of documents

You must provide the following list of documents to be considered for a UK Skilled Worker Visa:

Passport with a blank page
The reference number listed on the Certificate of Sponsorship
Job role and yearly income
Job listed in the occupation code
Name of the employer in the UK and their valid sponsor licence number that is present on the CoS
Provide proof of sufficient savings to support your stay in the UK
Proof of relation with your legal partner, children, and parents, like marriage or birth certificates
Clean criminal record certificate
Evidence of your English Language ability
TB test reports
Reference of Ecctis for PhD holders from out of the UK or a UK PhD certificate

Fill the online visa application

You must complete the online UK Skilled Worker Visa application by filling in the original details. The sections in the online application are as follows:

Valid passport & details regarding travel
History of the applicant’s travel and personal information
Information about family
Details about employment and employer
Additional data

Pay the cost of visa application and healthcare surcharge

You are required to pay the cost of the visa application and healthcare surcharge before submitting it.

Visa application

The costs of the visa application while applying from outside the UK are as follows:

Applications made outside the UK	Fee
Skilled worker, with a certificate of sponsorship issued for three years or less for primary applicant and dependants	£719
Skilled Worker, with a certificate of sponsorship issued for over three years for a primary applicant and dependants	£1,420
Skilled Worker, shortage occupation with a certificate of sponsorship issued for three years or less for a primary applicant and dependants	£551
Skilled Worker for a job on the Immigration Salary List with a certificate of sponsorship issued for three years or less for a primary applicant and dependants for the applications made with a Certificate of Sponsorship issued on or after 4 April 2024	£551
Skilled Worker for a shortage occupation, with a certificate of sponsorship issued for over three years for a primary applicant and dependants	£1,084
Skilled Worker for a a job on the Immigration Salary List with a certificate of sponsorship issued for over three years for the primary applicant and dependants for the applications made with a Certificate of Sponsorship issued on or after 4 April 2024	£1,084
Skilled Worker for a Health and Care Visa with a certificate of sponsorship issued for three years or less for a primary applicant and dependants	£284
Skilled Worker for a Health and Care Visa with a certificate of sponsorship issued for over three years for a primary applicant and dependants	£551
Skilled Worker for a Shortage Occupation that is a Health and Care Visa with a certificate of sponsorship issued for three years or less for a primary applicant and dependants	£284
Skilled Worker for a job on the Immigration Salary List that is Health and Care Visa with a certificate of sponsorship issued for three years or less for a primary applicant and dependants for the applications made with a Certificate of Sponsorship issued on or after 4 April 2024	£284
Skilled Worker for a Shortage Occupation that is a Health and Care Visa with a certificate of sponsorship issued for over three years for a primary applicant and dependants	£551
Skilled Worker for a job on the Immigration Salary List that is a Health and Care Visa with a certificate of sponsorship issued for over three years for a primary applicant and dependants for the applications made with a Certificate of Sponsorship issued on or after 4 April 2024	£551

Healthcare surcharge

The costs of the healthcare surcharge are as follows:

Type of Applicant	Fee
Primary applicant	£1,035 per year
Students or Child applicants	£776 per year

Attach any additional documents

You can add any additional documents that might add weight to your application.

*Are you interested to migrate to the UK? Talk to Y-Axis, the world’s No.1 Overseas Immigration Company, for end-to-end support.

SL No	Country	URL
1	Australia	https://www.y-axis.com/blog/how-to-apply-for-an-australian-work-visa/
2	Ireland	https://www.y-axis.com/blog/how-to-apply-for-an-ireland-work-visa/
3	Germany	https://www.y-axis.com/blog/how-to-apply-for-a-germany-work-visa/
4	US	https://www.y-axis.com/blog/how-to-apply-for-the-us-h1b-visa/
5	UK	https://www.y-axis.com/blog/how-to-apply-for-uk-skilled-worker-visa/
6	France	https://www.y-axis.com/overseas-jobs/how-to-apply-for-a-permit-to-work-in-france/
7	Germany Opportunity Card	https://www.y-axis.com/blog/how-to-apply-for-a-germany-opportunity-card/
8	Norway	https://www.y-axis.com/blog/how-to-apply-work-visa-for-norway-in-2023/
9	Italy	https://www.y-axis.com/overseas-jobs/how-to-apply-for-work-visa-for-italy/
10	Denmark	https://www.y-axis.com/blog/how-to-apply-work-visa-for-denmark/
11	Sweden Investor Visa	https://www.y-axis.com/blog/how-to-migrate-to-sweden-as-an-investor/
12	Study in France	https://www.y-axis.com/news/how-to-apply-to-study-in-france/
13	Study in Germany	https://www.y-axis.com/news/how-to-apply-to-study-in-germany/
14	Study in US	https://www.y-axis.com/news/how-to-apply-for-a-student-visa-of-the-us/
15	Study in Poland	https://www.y-axis.com/blog/how-to-apply-for-poland-student-visa-online/
16	Study in Malta	https://www.y-axis.com/overseas-jobs/how-to-apply-for-work-permit-to-malta/
17	Finland	https://www.y-axis.com/blog/how-to-apply-for-finland-work-visa/
18	Luxembourg	https://www.y-axis.com/overseas-jobs/luxembourg-work-permit-how-to-apply/
19	Austria	https://www.y-axis.com/overseas-jobs/how-to-apply-for-austria-work-visa/
20	New Zealand	https://www.y-axis.com/blog/how-to-apply-for-new-zealand-pr-visa/