How to Get a UK Skilled Worker Visa: A Step-by-Step Guide

Getting sponsored to work in the UK is a structured, paperwork-heavy process. The Home Office issued well over 200,000 Skilled Worker certificates of sponsorship in the most recently published year, so the route is firmly in active use. The five phases below describe what every successful applicant moves through.

Phase 1 — Confirm you actually need sponsorship

A Skilled Worker visa is only required by people who do not already hold the right to work in the UK. British and Irish citizens, holders of Indefinite Leave to Remain, recent Graduate Route visa holders, and certain other groups can take a UK job without an employer sponsoring them. Applicants who fall into one of those categories usually have a stronger negotiating position because the employer does not have to budget for sponsorship fees.

Phase 2 — Pass the points test

The Skilled Worker route is a points-based system. Seventy points are required. The first 50 are non-tradeable:

• 20 points: a job offer from a licensed sponsor.
• 20 points: the job sits at RQF Level 3 or above (broadly, A-level or higher). Most professional and skilled trades qualify; bar work, general cleaning and basic retail typically do not.
• 10 points: English at CEFR B1 (intermediate) — evidenced through IELTS, a qualifying degree taught in English, or nationality of a majority-English-speaking country.

The remaining 20 points are tradeable. Most applicants earn them through salary, by being paid at or above the threshold for the relevant SOC 2020 code. See our guide to 2026 salary thresholds for the full breakdown, including the new-entrant and shortage discounts.

Phase 3 — Find a licensed sponsor

A UK employer can only sponsor a worker if it already holds an active sponsor licence. Applying to companies that do not hold a licence is one of the largest causes of recruiter rejection, because the employer would have to commit to an eight-week, several- thousand-pound licence application before it could make any offer.

The search on this site filters every employer against the official register, refreshed every 24 hours from GOV.UK. There are well over a hundred thousand licensed sponsors on the register, so there is no shortage of legitimate employers to target.

Phase 4 — The Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS)

Once an offer is in place, the sponsor issues a Certificate of Sponsorship — a reference number generated inside the Home Office’s Sponsorship Management System. Each CoS is unique to a single role offered to a single named worker.

There are two types:

• Defined CoS — used when the applicant is outside the UK. The employer applies to the Home Office for approval to issue each one; the published service standard is one working day in most cases.
• Undefined CoS — used for applicants already in the UK switching from another visa. The employer holds an annual allocation and can assign one immediately.

A visa application cannot be submitted until a CoS number is assigned. See our guide on the Certificate of Sponsorship for what must appear on it and the most common errors to look out for before submitting.

Phase 5 — The visa application itself

With a CoS number, the application is submitted through GOV.UK. Applicants typically need:

• A valid passport.
• A TB test certificate, if applying from a country on the published TB-screening list.
• Evidence of English language ability, unless nationality satisfies the requirement.
• Evidence of personal savings: £1,270 held in the account for at least 28 consecutive days, unless the sponsor certifies maintenance on the CoS.

The application fee, the Immigration Health Surcharge and the biometrics appointment fee are payable at the time of submission. See UK Visa Fees in 2026 for the current figures.

Common pitfalls

• Payments to anyone for a job offer or a CoS. Under the published rules, no money flows from the applicant to the employer or to an agent. Any request to do so is reported via Action Fraud and UKVI.
• Assuming all sponsorship is equal. Licences can be suspended or revoked weeks after a CoS is issued. See Sponsor licence status for the practical implications.
• Cutting it fine on the savings rule. The £1,270 must stay in the account for 28 consecutive days, ending no more than 31 days before the application date. A dip below the threshold resets the clock.

Frequently asked questions

Can I apply for a UK Skilled Worker visa without a job offer?

No. The Skilled Worker route is sponsor-led — applicants need a Certificate of Sponsorship from a UK employer that holds an active sponsor licence before they can submit an application.

How many points do I need for a Skilled Worker visa?

Seventy points in total. Fifty are non-negotiable: 20 for a sponsored job offer, 20 for a job at RQF Level 3 or above, and 10 for English at CEFR B1. The remaining 20 points are tradeable and are normally earned by being paid at or above the relevant salary threshold.

How long does the visa application take?

The Home Office aims to decide most out-of-UK Skilled Worker applications within three weeks of biometrics, and most in-UK switches within eight weeks. Priority and super-priority services are available at additional cost where supported.

Do I pay for the Certificate of Sponsorship?

No. The CoS assignment fee and the Immigration Skills Charge are paid by the employer, not the applicant. Anyone asking the applicant to pay for a CoS is not following the published Home Office rules.

What savings do I need to show for the visa?

Most applicants need to evidence £1,270 held in a personal account for 28 consecutive days, ending no more than 31 days before applying. The requirement is waived if the sponsor certifies maintenance on the CoS.