Overview
The Skilled Worker Visa replaced the old Tier 2 (General) route in December 2020. It is a points-based permission for overseas nationals who have 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 years of continuous qualifying residence you can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain.
Three things drive the outcome of most Skilled Worker applications: whether the Certificate of Sponsorship is accurate, whether the salary meets the relevant threshold, and whether the applicant's supporting documents match what the sponsor has declared. A gap in any of those areas is the most common reason for delay or refusal.
Updated for 2026: The general salary threshold is £41,700 a year or the going rate for the occupation, whichever is higher. Lower thresholds apply to new entrants and roles on the Immigration Salary List. Home Office fees rose on 8 April 2026. The Immigration Health Surcharge is £1,035 a year per applicant. Check gov.uk for the current fee schedule before applying.
This page is for the worker applicant. If you are a Glasgow employer needing a sponsor licence to hire overseas staff, that is a separate service. We cover sponsor licence applications at Sponsor Licences. We act for worker applicants across Glasgow, Paisley, and the wider west of Scotland, including NHS Scotland staff and employees of Glasgow's technology, finance, and engineering firms.
Key Benefits
Certificate of Sponsorship verified
Your application stands or falls on the accuracy of the Certificate of Sponsorship your employer issues. We check every field, the SOC code, the salary, and the start date against your contract before you submit, catching errors that cause refusals your employer may not even know are a risk.
Salary threshold mapped to your role
The threshold is not a single figure. It depends on your occupation code, whether you qualify as a new entrant, and whether your role is on the Immigration Salary List. We identify the correct threshold for your specific job and confirm your offer meets it before you pay any Home Office fees.
Refusal risk checked upfront
Before you apply, a Glasgow adviser reviews your eligibility, your sponsor's licence status, and your document bundle against the current Immigration Rules. We flag issues in advance, not after a refusal that costs you the application fee and three months of processing time.
ILR route planned from day one
Every Skilled Worker application we file is set up with the five-year ILR route in mind. We track your continuous residence, advise on absences, and prepare your ILR application when the time comes so nothing needs to be rebuilt from scratch.
Our Service Packages
Advice Package
A one-to-one consultation with a Glasgow immigration adviser. We confirm your eligibility, review the Certificate of Sponsorship, identify the correct salary threshold for your role, and give you a written action plan to the submission date.
From £150 + VAT
Application Package
Full end-to-end Skilled Worker Visa application. We verify the Certificate of Sponsorship, prepare every supporting document, complete the online form, and submit on your behalf. Includes one revision after any Home Office contact.
From £1,100 + VAT
Document Check
Already prepared your own application? Our advisers review your Certificate of Sponsorship, completed form, and every supporting document before you submit, with a written checklist of any gaps.
From £300 + VAT
Refusal Review
If your Skilled Worker application was refused, we review the refusal letter against the Immigration Rules, advise whether administrative review or a fresh application is the stronger route, and rebuild the file where needed. We advise on appeal merits and refer you to a representative for tribunal advocacy where an appeal is the right path.
From £400 + VAT
What is the Skilled Worker Visa?
The Skilled Worker Visa is the main points-based route for overseas nationals who have a job offer from a UK employer. It replaced the Tier 2 (General) route in December 2020. To qualify you need a valid Certificate of Sponsorship from a licensed employer, a job that meets the skill and salary requirements, and a sufficient level of English. 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, the route is used by NHS Scotland boards, universities, technology companies, engineering firms, and financial services employers who recruit internationally. If you have been offered a role by any of those organisations, or by any other UK employer with a sponsor licence, this page sets out the application process from eligibility through to ILR.
Who can apply
You can apply for a Skilled Worker Visa if you are aged 18 or over, you have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship from a UK employer that holds a Home Office sponsor licence, and your job meets the required skill level and salary threshold. The role must be listed in a relevant Standard Occupational Classification code on the Home Office’s eligible occupations list. Most roles at RQF level 6 or above qualify, which covers a wide range of professional, technical, and skilled trade occupations.
There is no requirement to have a job offer before you arrive. The visa is employer-led: the process starts with your sponsor, not with you. If your employer does not yet hold a sponsor licence, they need to apply for one first. We cover that separately at Sponsor Licences.
How the points system works
The Skilled Worker route is points-based. You need 70 points to qualify. Some points are mandatory and cannot be traded off against others:
- 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. If your salary meets only a lower threshold, you may need to trade off points from another source, such as a shortage occupation or a PhD relevant to the role. The combination that gets you to 70 points depends on your specific circumstances, and we map it before you apply.
The Certificate of Sponsorship
The Certificate of Sponsorship is the reference number your employer assigns 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.
A common source of refusals is a mismatch between the Certificate of Sponsorship and the applicant’s supporting documents, or an error in the SOC code that puts the salary below the required going rate. Glasgow employers who are new to sponsorship sometimes issue certificates with errors they are unaware of. We verify every field of the Certificate of Sponsorship before submission, because a correction after submission is not always possible and an error 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. If the going rate for your role is higher, it is the going rate that applies. The going rate is set by reference to the 25th percentile of earnings data for each SOC code, so it varies significantly between occupations. A software developer and a care worker will face different minimum figures.
Lower thresholds apply in two situations:
- New entrants: applicants who are within their first five years after graduating, switching from a Student visa, or under 26 may qualify for the new entrant rate, currently £33,400 or 70% of the going rate, whichever is higher.
- Immigration Salary List roles: occupations listed by the Migration Advisory Committee as shortage roles carry a lower salary floor. Several healthcare, engineering, and technology roles relevant to Glasgow employers appear on this list.
The correct threshold for your role is something we confirm at the first consultation. Applying at the wrong figure, even in good faith, is one of the cleaner ways to get a refusal.
English language requirement
You must show English at CEFR level B1 in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. The most common ways to meet this are an approved Secure English Language Test, a degree that was taught in English, or exemption as a national of a majority English-speaking country on the Home Office list.
The B1 level is higher than the A1 required for an initial partner visa, and the test covers four skills rather than two, so applicants switching between routes need to check that their existing certificate covers the right components. We confirm whether your existing evidence is sufficient or whether a new test is needed before you apply.
Applying from outside the UK or switching in-country
If you are outside the UK, you apply for entry clearance at a visa application centre in your home country. Processing is typically around three weeks from your biometrics appointment on the standard service, though times vary by centre. A priority service is available in many locations.
If you are already in the UK on a Student visa, a Graduate visa, a different work route, or certain other leave categories, you can switch to the Skilled Worker route without leaving. You need a valid Certificate of Sponsorship before applying. You cannot switch from a Standard Visitor visa or from no valid leave. In-country applications are usually decided within eight weeks on the standard service. We confirm at the first consultation which route applies to you.
Bringing your family
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 have unrestricted permission to work and study in the UK. The relationship and dependency need to be evidenced in the usual way. We prepare the family applications alongside the main application so nothing is duplicated.
Healthcare workers and professional registration
Glasgow’s NHS boards, independent clinics, and care providers are among the most active Skilled Worker sponsors in Scotland. For regulated healthcare roles, the visa process intersects with professional registration. Doctors need GMC registration, nurses and midwives need NMC registration, and several allied health professions have their own regulatory bodies. In some cases the Home Office will not grant the visa until the registration is in place. The sequencing of the registration and visa applications matters, and getting it wrong adds months to a start date. We advise NHS Scotland applicants on the correct order of steps for their specific profession.
Document checklist
A standard Skilled Worker application needs a current passport, the Certificate of Sponsorship reference number, English language evidence, and, where the role requires it, proof of professional registration or a relevant qualification. If you are switching in-country your current visa and entry clearance history will also be reviewed. The exact list depends on your occupation, your sponsor’s sector, and whether any tradeable points apply to your application. We issue every client a tailored checklist rather than a generic one, because submitting documents that do not match the declared Certificate of Sponsorship is a preventable cause of refusal.
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. A three-year grant adds around £3,105 in surcharge, payable in full when you apply. Dependants pay the same surcharge per person. Budget also for an English language test if required, any document translation, and the biometrics appointment fee at the visa application centre. We give a full written cost breakdown at the assessment so you know the total before you commit.
How long it takes
From outside the UK, standard processing is typically around three weeks from your biometrics appointment, though the Home Office’s published service standards allow longer and some visa application centres run slower during peak periods. Priority services reduce the decision time significantly where available. In-country switching applications are usually 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 is justified given your employer’s start date requirements.
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, not at the time of your original visa. If pay progression in your role has kept pace with the going rate, the extension is straightforward. If your salary has not kept pace, it needs addressing before you apply. We begin extension preparation around three months before your visa expires.
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 the ILR stage. 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, so the history we hold from your Skilled Worker application is ready to use.
If your application is refused
A refusal on the Skilled Worker route is often caused by a specific, identifiable error: a Certificate of Sponsorship that does not match the submitted documents, a salary that falls below the going rate for the declared SOC code, a missing qualification or registration, or an English test that does not cover the required components. Many 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 cheaper than an appeal. Some Skilled Worker refusals carry a right of appeal to the First-tier Tribunal, and where that is the stronger route we advise you on the merits and refer you to a representative for the tribunal hearing. We review every refusal letter against the current Immigration Rules and give you a direct assessment of the realistic options.
Skilled Worker sponsorship in Glasgow
Glasgow has a broad base of Skilled Worker sponsors. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is one of the largest employers in Scotland and recruits internationally across medicine, nursing, allied health, and clinical science. The city’s universities, technology sector, financial services firms, and engineering companies also hold sponsor licences. If you have been offered a role by a Glasgow employer and want to understand the application process before your start date, we are available for an initial assessment by phone, video, or at our Glasgow office. If your employer does not yet hold a licence, point them to our Sponsor Licences service.
Skilled Worker Visa guides by nationality
The points-based requirements are the same for every applicant, but qualification recognition, the tuberculosis test, the English requirement and the visa application centre differ by country. We have written a dedicated Skilled Worker guide for several nationalities, covering what changes for professionals from that country:
- Skilled Worker Visa for Indian professionals
- Skilled Worker Visa for Pakistani professionals
- Skilled Worker Visa for Bangladeshi professionals
- Skilled Worker Visa for Nigerian professionals
- Skilled Worker Visa for Chinese professionals
- Skilled Worker Visa for Turkish professionals
- Skilled Worker Visa for Sri Lankan professionals
- Skilled Worker Visa for Brazilian professionals
- Skilled Worker Visa for American professionals
- Care Worker Visa for Filipino nurses
How UK Visa Assistance helps
UK Visa Assistance is a Glasgow immigration practice. We prepare Skilled Worker Visa applications end to end: checking the Certificate of Sponsorship, confirming your salary against the correct going rate, assembling your document bundle, completing the online form, and submitting on your behalf. Our fees are fixed and agreed in advance. To start, call 0141 496 0321 or request a callback for a free initial assessment of your Skilled Worker Visa application.
Frequently asked questions
The general threshold is £41,700 a year or the going rate for your occupation code, whichever is higher. Lower thresholds apply if you qualify as a new entrant to the labour market or if your role appears on the Immigration Salary List. The going rate varies by Standard Occupational Classification code, so the correct figure depends on the specific job your sponsor has listed on the Certificate of Sponsorship. We confirm the threshold for your role at the first consultation.
Yes. If you are in the UK on a visa that permits switching, such as a Student visa or another work route, you can switch to the Skilled Worker route without leaving. You need a valid Certificate of Sponsorship from your new employer before you apply. Some routes do not permit switching, including the Standard Visitor visa. We confirm at the first consultation whether you can switch or need to apply for entry clearance from abroad.
A Certificate of Sponsorship is a reference number, not a physical document, that your employer assigns to your application through the Home Office sponsor management system. It records your job title, SOC code, salary, start date, and working hours. You cannot apply without it. Only employers with a valid sponsor licence can issue one. If your Glasgow employer does not yet hold a licence, they need to apply for one separately before you can proceed. That process is covered on our Sponsor Licences page.
Standard processing from outside the UK is typically around three weeks from the biometrics appointment, but can be longer depending on the visa application centre and time of year. In-country applications are usually decided within eight weeks on the standard service. A priority service is available in many locations for a faster decision. We advise on whether priority is worth it given your start date and employer deadlines.
The Home Office application fee starts at £819 for entry clearance for up to three years, £1,618 for entry clearance over three years, £943 for an in-country application up to three years, and £1,865 for an in-country application over three years. On top of that you pay the Immigration Health Surcharge at £1,035 per year of leave granted. A three-year grant adds around £3,105 in surcharge. Budget also for the English language test if you need one, and any document translation costs. We give a full written cost breakdown at the assessment.
You must demonstrate English at CEFR level B1 in speaking, listening, reading, and writing, through an approved Secure English Language Test or an approved degree taught in English, unless you are exempt. Nationals of majority English-speaking countries listed on the Home Office schedule are exempt. A degree taught in English from a recognised institution also meets the requirement. We confirm whether you need a test or qualify for an exemption at the first consultation.
Yes. Your spouse or partner and dependent children under 18 can apply as dependants on your Skilled Worker Visa. Each dependant makes a separate application and pays their own application fee and Immigration Health Surcharge. Dependants can work and study in the UK without restriction. The dependant route requires your relationship and dependency to be evidenced, and we prepare the family applications alongside yours.
After five continuous years of qualifying residence on the Skilled Worker route, and provided you have not been absent from the UK for more than 180 days in any 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 the time of the ILR application. ILR gives you full UK settlement with no time limit. Twelve months after ILR you can apply for British citizenship.
No. The Skilled Worker route requires any UK employer with a valid sponsor licence, not necessarily a Glasgow employer. Many of our Glasgow clients are sponsored by NHS Scotland boards, Glasgow universities, technology companies in the city, or engineering and finance firms across Scotland. The application process is the same regardless of where in the UK your employer is based.
The core documents are your current passport, the Certificate of Sponsorship reference number, proof of English, and, where applicable, evidence of a relevant professional qualification or registration. Some occupations, particularly in healthcare, require proof of registration with a UK regulatory body such as the NMC or GMC before the visa can be granted. The full list depends on your occupation and whether you are applying from inside or outside the UK. We issue every client a tailored checklist.
A refusal is not always the end of the process. Where the decision contains a casework error, there may be a right of administrative review, which is a faster and lower-cost route than a formal appeal. A fresh application is sometimes the better option where the underlying issue is one that can be corrected, for example a Certificate of Sponsorship error or a missing document. We review the refusal letter against the Immigration Rules, tell you honestly which route gives the best prospect, and where an appeal is the right path we refer you to a representative for the tribunal hearing.
Yes. You can extend your Skilled Worker Visa before it expires, provided your employer's sponsor licence is still valid and they issue a new Certificate of Sponsorship. The salary and eligibility requirements apply again at the extension stage, and the going rate for your role will be assessed at the time of the extension application, not at the time of your original visa. We prepare extensions as part of our ongoing service for clients in Glasgow and across Scotland, and we start the process well before your current visa expires.