Skilled Worker Visa for Nigerian Professionals: UK Work Visa 2026

Skilled Worker Visa for Nigerian professionals: the key facts

Nigeria is one of the largest source countries for UK skilled-worker recruitment, and the route is used by Nigerian professionals across healthcare, information technology, engineering, and finance every year. The Skilled Worker Visa replaced the old Tier 2 (General) route in December 2020. It is a points-based permission for overseas nationals with a job offer from a UK employer that holds a Home Office sponsor licence. Grants run for up to five years and are renewable, and after five continuous years on the route you can apply to settle permanently.

In Glasgow, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is one of the largest Skilled Worker sponsors in Scotland and recruits Nigerian doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and allied health professionals regularly. Glasgow’s technology sector, financial services firms, and engineering companies also hold sponsor licences and recruit from Nigeria. If you have been offered a role by a Glasgow employer, or by any other UK employer with a sponsor licence, this page sets out what the application involves from a Nigerian applicant’s perspective.

For the full general Skilled Worker Visa rules that apply to every applicant regardless of nationality, see our Skilled Worker Visa page. If you are a Nigerian healthcare worker on an eligible NHS or care role, also read our Health and Care Worker Visa page: the fees and surcharge rules are different and in most cases more favourable.

Who can apply

A Nigerian professional can apply for a Skilled Worker Visa if they are aged 18 or over, have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship from a UK employer with a Home Office sponsor licence, and their job meets the required skill level and salary threshold. The role must be listed under a relevant Standard Occupational Classification code on the Home Office eligible occupations list. Most roles at RQF level 6 or above qualify, covering a wide range of professional, technical, and skilled occupations.

Nigerian professionals commonly sponsored on this route include doctors and consultants for NHS Scotland boards, nurses and midwives, pharmacists, physiotherapists, software engineers and developers, IT project managers, data analysts, chartered engineers, finance professionals, and academic researchers at Glasgow’s universities. The route is not sector-restricted: what matters is the employer’s licence and the job’s SOC code, not the industry.

There is no requirement to have worked in the UK before. The visa is employer-led: the process starts with your sponsor issuing a Certificate of Sponsorship, not with a separate points or skills assessment. If your employer does not yet hold a sponsor licence, they need to apply for one first. We cover that separately at Sponsor Licences.

The English language requirement for Nigerian professionals

This is the requirement that most often surprises Nigerian applicants on the work route, and it needs to be stated plainly. English is an official language in Nigeria and is the language of government, education, law, and most formal business in the country. Despite this, Nigeria is not included on the UK Home Office list of majority English-speaking countries, which grants an automatic exemption from the English language requirement. Nigerian nationals do not appear on that list.

That means every Nigerian professional applying for the Skilled Worker Visa must actively satisfy the English language requirement at CEFR level B1, across all four components: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. The B1 requirement is higher than the A1 required for an initial partner visa, and the test covers four skills rather than two, so applicants who have previously held a different visa type need to confirm that their existing certificate is sufficient.

There are two main ways to meet the requirement.

The first is an approved Secure English Language Test. For the Skilled Worker route you need B1 in all four components. Approved test providers include IELTS SELT Consortium, Pearson, LanguageCert, and Trinity College London. The test must be taken at an approved centre and the certificate must be valid at the date of application. We confirm which test centres are accessible in Nigeria and which provider’s format the Home Office accepts for your application category.

The second route is a degree taught and assessed in English. If you hold a bachelor’s degree or higher from a recognised institution that was taught and assessed in English, you may be able to use it to meet the requirement without taking a language test. If your degree was awarded by a university outside the UK, including a Nigerian university, it will usually need to be verified by Ecctis, which confirms that the qualification is equivalent to a UK bachelor’s degree or higher and that the course was taught in English. The Ecctis verification letter is submitted as part of your visa application. Most Nigerian university degrees are taught in English and pass Ecctis verification, but the process needs to be completed before you submit the visa application. We coordinate Ecctis verification as part of the full application package.

Nigerian healthcare professionals who have passed the Occupational English Test for NMC registration, or the relevant language test for GMC registration, will already hold evidence that can, depending on the level achieved, satisfy the Skilled Worker English requirement. We confirm whether your existing registration test covers the visa requirement before you book a separate SELT.

Tuberculosis testing for Nigerian applicants

Nigeria is on the Home Office tuberculosis testing list. If you have been living in Nigeria for six months or more and are applying for a UK visa that will last longer than six months, you must obtain a TB test certificate from a Home Office approved clinic in Nigeria before your entry-clearance application can proceed. This requirement applies to every Nigerian national on the Skilled Worker route applying from outside the UK. It is not waived for healthcare workers or any other profession.

The test must be carried out at a specific Home Office approved clinic in Nigeria. The approved clinics are private clinics in Lagos and Abuja. The certificate has a defined validity period and must be current at the date your visa application is submitted. You cannot substitute a general medical certificate, an employer health screening result, or a certificate from a clinic not on the approved list. A certificate from an unapproved clinic will cause the application to be rejected or refused.

Nigerian professionals who have been living outside Nigeria for six months or more, in a country not on the TB testing list, may not need a fresh certificate depending on their residential history. We confirm the exact position before you book anything, because an unnecessary test wastes money and an omitted test causes delays that are entirely avoidable.

Dependants applying alongside a Nigerian professional also need TB test certificates if they have been living in Nigeria. We include the dependant TB test requirement in the overall application plan at the outset.

How the points system works

You need 70 points to qualify for the Skilled Worker Visa. Some points are mandatory and cannot be traded:

• Certificate of Sponsorship from an approved sponsor: 20 points
• Job at the required skill level: 20 points
• English language at B1 CEFR: 10 points

The remaining 20 points come from salary. The general threshold is £41,700 a year or the going rate for your occupation code, whichever is higher. Roles on the Immigration Salary List and new entrant applications carry lower tradeable salary thresholds, allowing the salary deficit to be offset by a shortage-occupation uplift or a relevant PhD. The combination that gets a Nigerian applicant to 70 points depends on the specific job, employer, and applicant circumstances. We map it before any application is submitted.

The Certificate of Sponsorship

The Certificate of Sponsorship is the reference number your employer generates through the Home Office sponsor management system. It is not a physical document but a data record that links your application to your employer’s licence. Every field matters: the Standard Occupational Classification code, the salary declared, the start date, the weekly hours, and whether the role is on the Immigration Salary List.

For Nigerian professionals, a common issue is that employers who are new to international recruitment, or who have not previously sponsored Nigerian workers, issue certificates with SOC code or salary errors they are not aware of. A Glasgow employer recruiting a Nigerian nurse, for example, may declare a SOC code that does not match the NMC registration level or the pay band in the contract. That kind of mismatch causes refusals that neither the employer nor the applicant anticipated.

We verify every field of the Certificate of Sponsorship before submission. For NHS Scotland applicants, we cross-check against the Agenda for Change pay band and the NMC or GMC registration status. A correction after submission is not always possible, and an error in the Certificate of Sponsorship after submission is usually fatal to the application.

Salary thresholds in 2026

The general minimum is £41,700 a year or the going rate for the occupation code, whichever is higher. The going rate varies by SOC code and is set by reference to the 25th percentile of earnings data for each occupation. A software developer and a staff nurse face different minimum figures.

Lower thresholds apply in two situations. First, new entrants: Nigerian professionals switching from a Student visa, recent graduates within their first five years after qualifying, or applicants under 26 may qualify for the new entrant threshold of £33,400, or 70% of the going rate, whichever is higher. Second, roles on the Immigration Salary List: occupations designated as shortage roles by the Migration Advisory Committee carry a lower salary floor. Several healthcare occupations, including registered nurses, and some engineering and technology roles commonly filled by Nigerian professionals in Glasgow are on this list.

The correct threshold for your role depends on the SOC code your sponsor has declared and whether any new entrant or Immigration Salary List discount applies. We confirm the right figure at the first consultation, because applying on a salary that turns out to fall below the applicable going rate is a preventable refusal.

Skilled Worker Visa or Health and Care Worker Visa?

This distinction matters significantly for Nigerian healthcare workers, and it is worth explaining clearly. The Health and Care Worker Visa is a sub-category of the Skilled Worker route that applies to eligible healthcare and social care roles. It is not a different route with different points or eligibility rules; the same SOC code, salary, English, and sponsorship requirements apply. What is different is the cost.

On the Health and Care Worker route, the Home Office application fee starts at £284 for entry clearance for up to three years, compared to £819 on the standard Skilled Worker route. More significantly, the Immigration Health Surcharge is waived entirely for Health and Care Worker applicants and their dependants. On a three-year grant, that is around £3,105 per person not paid in surcharge. For a Nigerian nurse with a spouse and one child applying together, the saving runs to over £9,000.

Eligible occupations include registered nurses, medical practitioners, dentists, pharmacists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and a range of other clinical professions. Some care worker roles were eligible but face restrictions introduced in 2024, including requirements that the employer be CQC-registered and that overseas recruitment only proceed after domestic vacancy checks. We identify which route applies to your specific role before any fees are paid.

Nigerian healthcare workers and Glasgow

Nigeria is a major source country for NHS healthcare recruitment. Nigerian doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals make up a significant and growing proportion of the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde workforce, as well as staff at independent hospitals and clinics across Glasgow and the west of Scotland. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is one of the largest employers in Scotland and holds an active sponsor licence for international recruitment across medicine, nursing, and clinical science.

For Nigerian doctors, the visa process runs in parallel with GMC registration, which for international medical graduates includes the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board tests. The sequencing matters: in some cases the visa cannot be granted until GMC registration is complete, and in others the visa application can proceed while registration is pending. Getting the order wrong adds months to a start date.

For Nigerian nurses and midwives, the route involves NMC registration, which for overseas-trained applicants includes the Computer-Based Test and the Objective Structured Clinical Examination. Many Nigerian nurses travel to the UK on a short-term visa or are in the UK on a different route to complete the OSCE before their Skilled Worker application is filed. We advise on the correct sequence for each applicant’s situation, because NHS boards in Glasgow have specific start-date requirements that do not accommodate delays caused by a missequenced application.

Allied health professionals, including Nigerian physiotherapists, radiographers, and speech and language therapists, each have their own regulatory body and registration pathway. We identify the relevant regulatory body and the registration evidence required for the visa application at the assessment stage.

Nigerian professionals in technology, engineering, and finance

Beyond healthcare, Glasgow’s technology sector, financial services firms, and engineering companies are increasingly active in sponsoring Nigerian professionals. Software engineers, data analysts, IT project managers, chartered engineers, finance professionals, and compliance specialists from Nigeria are working across the Glasgow city-region on Skilled Worker visas.

For Nigerian technology professionals, the Certificate of Sponsorship SOC code is the most common source of difficulty. Technology roles in the UK span multiple SOC codes, and the going rate varies between them. A developer listed under one SOC code may face a higher going rate than the same developer listed under a different code for a role with the same responsibilities. We cross-check the code against the role description and the salary before submission.

For Nigerian engineering professionals, Ecctis recognition of engineering qualifications awarded in Nigeria is common. The Nigerian engineering curriculum at many federal universities has strong UK equivalency, and Ecctis verifications for Nigerian engineering degrees are generally straightforward, but the process needs to be completed in advance of the visa application. We coordinate Ecctis verification alongside the visa preparation so neither process delays the other.

Nigerian finance professionals applying through Glasgow employers in banking, insurance, or professional services face the same English and TB requirements as all other Nigerian applicants on the route. The SOC code and salary mapping for finance roles is the primary eligibility check, and we run it before the application is filed.

Applying through VFS Global in Nigeria

Nigerian professionals apply for the Skilled Worker Visa online through the UK Visas and Immigration portal. Once the online application is submitted and the fee is paid, the applicant books an appointment at a VFS Global visa application centre in Nigeria to provide biometrics and submit supporting documents. VFS Global operates UK visa application centres in Lagos and Abuja.

Most applicants based in Lagos and southern Nigeria use the Lagos centre. Those based in Abuja, the north, or areas more conveniently located to Abuja use the Abuja centre. VFS Global also offers premium services including document scanning, priority lounge appointments, and courier return of passports. We advise which of those services are worth using for a Skilled Worker application.

The UK employer in Glasgow or elsewhere in Scotland does not attend the VFS Global appointment. Payslips, employer letters, and any company documents are gathered from the employer, uploaded digitally, and built into the application file we prepare together. The Nigerian applicant brings the physical personal documents to the VFS Global centre for scanning at the biometrics appointment.

After biometrics, the application is decided by Home Office caseworkers. Standard processing from outside the UK is typically around three weeks from the biometrics date. A priority service is available at many VFS Global centres for a faster decision. We advise on whether priority is justified given your employer’s start date requirements.

Applying from Nigeria or switching in the UK

The most common route for Nigerian professionals is entry clearance from Nigeria. The applicant applies online, attends the Lagos or Abuja VFS Global centre for biometrics, and travels to the UK once the visa is granted. This is the standard route where the Nigerian professional is currently based in Nigeria.

Nigerian nationals already in the UK on a Student visa, Graduate visa, or another work route can apply to switch to the Skilled Worker route without returning to Nigeria. You need a valid Certificate of Sponsorship from the UK employer before applying. You cannot switch from a Standard Visitor visa or from leave that does not permit switching. An in-country application is submitted to UKVCAS rather than VFS Global and is typically decided within eight weeks on the standard service.

Many Nigerian healthcare workers currently complete NMC or GMC registration processes while in the UK on a short-term arrangement, then switch onto the Skilled Worker or Health and Care Worker route once their registration is confirmed. We advise on the correct in-country route and timing for each applicant’s specific position, including whether a TB test certificate is still required for an in-country switch based on recent residential history.

Bringing your family to Glasgow

Your spouse or civil partner, unmarried partner of two years, and dependent children under 18 can apply as dependants on your Skilled Worker Visa. Each makes a separate application and pays their own Home Office fee and Immigration Health Surcharge. Dependants can work and study in the UK without restriction. Many Nigerian professionals in Glasgow have families in Nigeria who apply as dependants at the same time as, or shortly after, the main applicant.

A Nigerian spouse applying as a dependant faces the same TB test requirement as the main applicant if they have been living in Nigeria for six months or more. The dependant spouse also needs to meet the English language requirement for the Skilled Worker dependant route. We include the dependant TB and English requirements in the overall application plan from the outset so that nothing is left until the last moment.

Dependent children under 18 can also apply as dependants, with their own application and fees. Children born in the UK after you arrive are in a different position and we advise on their status separately.

Document checklist for Nigerian professionals

A standard Skilled Worker Visa application for a Nigerian professional typically requires the following documents:

• Current Nigerian passport (and previous passports where the application history is relevant)
• Certificate of Sponsorship reference number from the UK employer
• English language evidence: approved Secure English Language Test certificate at B1, or Ecctis verification letter confirming a degree taught in English
• TB test certificate from a Home Office approved clinic in Nigeria
• Professional registration evidence where required by the occupation: GMC registration letter, NMC registration certificate, or equivalent regulatory body confirmation
• Qualification documents and, where applicable, Ecctis recognition evidence
• Contract of employment or job offer letter
• Bank statements for the relevant period where required
• Current in-UK visa documentation if switching in-country
• Certified English translations of any documents not originally in English

The exact list depends on your occupation, the tradeable points claimed, and whether you are applying from Nigeria or switching in-country. We issue every client a tailored checklist rather than a generic one, because a missing document is the most preventable reason for a refused or delayed application.

Fees and costs in 2026

The Home Office application fee starts at £819 for entry clearance for up to three years, and £1,618 for entry clearance over three years. In-country applications start at £943 for up to three years and £1,865 for over three years. These figures follow the April 2026 fee increase. The Immigration Health Surcharge is £1,035 per year of leave granted, paid in full when you apply. A three-year grant adds around £3,105 in surcharge per person.

Nigerian healthcare workers on eligible roles should check whether the Health and Care Worker route applies: the entry clearance fee starts at £284 and the Immigration Health Surcharge is waived. Using the standard Skilled Worker route for a Health and Care Worker eligible role means paying fees and surcharges you do not legally need to pay.

On top of the Home Office charges, Nigerian professionals should budget for: the TB test certificate at an approved clinic in Nigeria, the English language test or Ecctis verification fee, VFS Global service charges at the Lagos or Abuja centre, any document translation costs, and the Immigration Skills Charge, which is paid by your employer and is not your direct cost but is worth being aware of in discussions with your sponsor.

We provide a full written cost breakdown at the assessment so there are no surprises before any Home Office fee is paid.

How long the Skilled Worker Visa takes

From Nigeria, standard processing is typically around three weeks from the biometrics appointment at the VFS Global centre in Lagos or Abuja. The Home Office’s published service standards allow longer, and demand at the Lagos centre can be high during peak recruitment periods, particularly when NHS Scotland boards are running large cohorts. A priority service is available at many VFS Global locations and can reduce the decision time significantly where it is offered.

In-country switching applications are typically decided within eight weeks on the standard service, with a super-priority option available for urgent cases. We advise on whether the cost of priority service is justified given your employer’s start date and any registration process running in parallel.

Extending your Skilled Worker Visa

You can extend your Skilled Worker Visa before it expires, provided your employer’s sponsor licence remains valid and they issue a new Certificate of Sponsorship. The salary and points requirements apply again at extension, and the going rate for your role is assessed at the time of the extension application. If pay progression in your role has kept pace with the going rate, the extension is straightforward. We begin extension preparation around three months before your visa expires.

Nigerian professionals who change employer between their initial visa and their extension need a new Certificate of Sponsorship from the new employer. Changing jobs is permitted on the Skilled Worker route, but you must apply for a new visa before starting the new role unless the new employer is already your assigned sponsor. We advise on the timing and process for employer changes.

From Skilled Worker Visa to ILR

After five continuous years of qualifying residence on the Skilled Worker route, and provided you have not exceeded 180 days’ absence in any rolling 12-month period, you can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain. You also need to pass the Life in the UK Test and meet the English requirement at B1 at the time of the ILR application. ILR gives you full settlement with no time limit on your stay and unrestricted permission to work. Twelve months after ILR you can apply for British citizenship.

Our ILR service continues the same file we held from the Skilled Worker application, so the residence history, employer records, and absence documentation are already organised. Nigerian professionals settling in Glasgow after five years on the route form a regular part of our ILR practice.

If your application is refused

For Nigerian professionals, the most common refusal grounds on the Skilled Worker route are an English language certificate that does not meet the B1 requirement or does not cover all four components, an absent or invalid TB test certificate, a Certificate of Sponsorship error, a salary that falls below the going rate for the declared SOC code, or missing professional registration evidence for a profession with a UK registration requirement. Most of those issues can be corrected for a fresh application.

Where the refusal contains a caseworker error, administrative review is available and is usually faster and less expensive than an appeal. Some Skilled Worker refusals carry a right of appeal to the First-tier Tribunal. Where an appeal is the stronger route, we advise on the merits and refer you to a representative for the tribunal hearing while we support the underlying evidence file. We review every refusal letter against the current Immigration Rules and give you a direct assessment of the realistic options, not a general answer that avoids the difficult parts.

The Nigerian professional community in Glasgow

Glasgow’s Nigerian professional community has grown steadily over the past decade, with a concentration in healthcare, technology, and financial services. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde employs Nigerian medical professionals across its hospital sites in Glasgow, including the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, and Gartnavel General Hospital. The growing Nigerian graduate community in Glasgow, connected to the University of Glasgow, University of Strathclyde, and Glasgow Caledonian University, adds a further pipeline of professionals who remain in the city after their studies on the Graduate route before moving onto the Skilled Worker route.

The experience of Nigerian professionals in Glasgow is distinct from the experience of applicants from other countries in one practical respect: the combination of the TB test requirement, the English language misconception, and the professional registration sequencing means that a Nigerian Skilled Worker application has more moving parts than many equivalent applications. Managing those parts in parallel, rather than sequentially, is the difference between an application filed in time for an employer’s start date and one that runs two months late.

Most of our work with Nigerian professionals and their Glasgow employers is done by phone, video call, and secure document upload. The Nigerian applicant attends the VFS Global centre in Lagos or Abuja for biometrics; the rest of the process does not require anyone to be in the same city. We act for clients across Glasgow, Paisley, Renfrew, and the wider west of Scotland, and for NHS boards and employers across the central belt.

Related pages

For the full general Skilled Worker Visa rules and a detailed explanation of the points system, salary thresholds, and Certificate of Sponsorship requirements, see our Skilled Worker Visa page. For Nigerian healthcare workers on eligible NHS or care roles, see our Health and Care Worker Visa page for the reduced fees and IHS waiver. For Nigerian professionals whose spouse or family member is applying for a partner visa from Nigeria, see our Spouse Visa for Nigerian Nationals page, which covers the English requirement, TB test, and VFS Global process for the family route. For Indian professionals on the Skilled Worker route for comparison, see Skilled Worker Visa for Indian Professionals. For the settlement stage, see our Indefinite Leave to Remain page.

How UK Visa Assistance helps

UK Visa Assistance is a Glasgow immigration practice. We prepare Skilled Worker Visa applications for Nigerian professionals end to end: identifying the correct route (Skilled Worker or Health and Care Worker), verifying the Certificate of Sponsorship, confirming your English evidence and coordinating Ecctis verification where needed, advising on the TB test timing and approved clinics in Lagos and Abuja, mapping professional registration requirements for occupations with a UK registration requirement, building the full document bundle, completing the online form, and submitting on your behalf. Our fees are fixed and agreed in advance.

We work with Nigerian professionals across healthcare, IT, engineering, and finance who are applying from Lagos or Abuja, as well as those already in the UK on a different route looking to switch. Almost all of the casework is done by phone, video call, and secure document upload. The Nigerian applicant only attends the VFS Global centre in Lagos or Abuja for the biometrics appointment. To start, call 0141 496 0321 or request a callback for a free initial assessment of your Skilled Worker Visa application.