Home Office
A dependent partner and dependent children can apply on this route.
Skilled Worker is a route to settlement.
- SW 1.1. A person applying for entry clearance or permission to stay as a Skilled Worker must apply online on the gov.uk website on the specified form as follows:
- (a) for applicants outside the UK, form Skilled Worker visa; or
- (b) for applicants inside the UK, form Skilled Worker.
- SW 1.2. An application for entry clearance or permission to stay as a Skilled Worker must meet all the following requirements:
- (a) any fee and Immigration Health Charge must have been paid; and
- (b) the applicant must have provided any required biometrics; and
- (c) the applicant must have provided a passport or other travel document which satisfactorily establishes their identity and nationality; and
- (d) the applicant must have a certificate of sponsorship that was issued to them by their sponsor no more than 3 months before the date of application.
SW 1.3. The applicant must be aged 18 or over on the date of application.
SW 1.4. An applicant applying for entry clearance or permission to stay, who has received an award from a Government or international scholarship agency in the 12 months before the date of application which covers both fees and living costs for study in the UK, must have provided written consent to the application from that Government or agency.
- SW 1.5. An applicant who is applying for permission to stay must be in the UK on the date of application and must not have, or have last been granted, permission:
- (a) as a Visitor; or
- (b) as a Short-term student; or
- (c) as a Parent of a Child Student; or
- (d) as a Seasonal Worker; or
- (e) as a Domestic Worker in a Private Household; or
- (f) outside the Immigration Rules.
- SW 1.5A. An applicant who is applying for permission to stay and has, or last had, permission as a Student, must fulfil one of the Conditions A, B or C below on the date of application:
- (a) Condition A: the applicant must have completed the course of study for which the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies was assigned (or a course to which ST 27.3 of Appendix Student applies); or
- (b) Condition B:
- (i) the applicant must be studying a full-time course of study at degree level or above with a higher education provider which has a track record of compliance; and
- (ii) the Certificate of Sponsorship in SW 1.2(d) must have a start date no earlier than the course completion date; or
- (c) Condition C:
- (i) the applicant must be studying a full-time course of study leading to the award of a PhD with a higher education provider which has a track record of compliance; and
- (ii) the Certificate of Sponsorship in SW 1.2(d) must have a start date no earlier than 24 months after the start date of that course.
SW 1.6. An application which does not meet all the validity requirements for a Skilled Worker may be rejected as invalid and not considered.
SW2.1. The applicant must not fall for refusal under Part 9: grounds for refusal.
- SW2.2. If applying for permission to stay the applicant must not be:
- (a) in breach of immigration laws, except that where paragraph 39E applies, that period of overstaying will be disregarded; or
- (b) on immigration bail.
Entry requirements for a Skilled Worker
SW 3.1. A person seeking to come to the UK as a Skilled Worker must apply for and obtain entry clearance as a Skilled Worker before they arrive in the UK.
SW 3.2. A person applying for entry clearance as a Skilled Worker must, if Appendix Tuberculosis applies, provide a valid medical certificate confirming that they have undergone screening for active pulmonary tuberculosis and that this tuberculosis is not present in them.
Points requirement for a Skilled Worker
SW 4.1. The applicant must be awarded 50 mandatory points from the table below. Details of how these points are awarded are set out in SW 5.1. to SW 7.4.
| Mandatory points requirements | Relevant rules | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Sponsorship | SW 5.1. to SW 5.7. | 20 |
| Job at an appropriate skill level | SW 6.1. to SW 6.5. | 20 |
| English language skills at level B1 (intermediate) | SW 7.1. to SW 7.3. | 10 |
SW 4.2. An applicant must be awarded 20 tradeable points from the table below. An applicant may only be awarded points from one entry in the table. Details of how these points are awarded are set out in SW 8.1. to SW 14.6.
| Option | Tradeable points requirements for each option | Relevant rules | Points |
|---|---|---|---|