Skilled Worker Visa Solicitors

The Skilled Worker route explained

The Skilled Worker route is the principal way for overseas nationals to come to or remain in the UK to do an eligible job for an approved employer. It sits within the UK’s points-based system, which means an applicant must score the required number of points across defined criteria rather than satisfying a single test. The core requirements are a genuine job offer from a licensed sponsor, a role that meets the required skill level, a salary at or above the applicable threshold, and the English language requirement. Because the route serves both workers and the employers who sponsor them, we advise on both sides of the relationship.

Sponsorship and the sponsor licence

Before any worker can be sponsored, the employer must hold a valid sponsor licence granted by the Home Office. Obtaining and maintaining a licence carries significant compliance duties, including record-keeping, reporting and cooperation with the Home Office, and failures can lead to suspension or revocation that affects every sponsored worker. We assist employers with licence applications and ongoing compliance, and we help workers understand what their sponsor’s obligations mean for them. Getting the sponsorship foundation right protects everyone involved.

The Certificate of Sponsorship

Once an employer is licensed, it assigns a Certificate of Sponsorship to the worker. This is not a paper document but an electronic record containing a reference number and the details of the role, the salary and the working arrangements. The certificate underpins the visa application, and errors or inconsistencies in it are a frequent cause of difficulty. We advise sponsors on assigning a valid certificate and ensuring its contents match the application, and we advise workers on using it to support their points.

Skill and salary requirements

The role must meet a minimum skill level and must pay at least a minimum salary threshold set by the Home Office. The applicable salary depends on the occupation, the going rate for that role, and the individual circumstances of the worker, and these figures are reviewed and changed periodically. Rather than rely on figures that may be out of date, we confirm the precise thresholds that apply to your role at consultation and advise on how the salary and skill requirements can be satisfied. Where tradeable points or particular circumstances affect the threshold, we explain how they apply.

Extensions and settlement

The Skilled Worker route can lead to settlement. After completing the qualifying period of continuous residence on the route, and provided the other requirements continue to be met, a worker may apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain. We advise with the whole journey in mind, so that the initial application, any extensions, and the eventual settlement application form a coherent path. We also flag any changes of employer or role that require action, since these can affect ongoing eligibility.

Dependants and changing employers

A Skilled Worker can usually be joined by a partner and children as dependants, and we coordinate those applications so the family moves and remains together. During the visa, changes such as moving to a new employer, a significant change in duties, a promotion, or a change in salary can affect eligibility and may require a new Certificate of Sponsorship and a fresh application. A new sponsoring employer must itself be licensed and assign a valid certificate before the worker starts the new role. These transitions are a common source of inadvertent non-compliance, both for workers and for sponsors, and getting them wrong can jeopardise the worker’s status and the sponsor’s licence. We advise on the steps required whenever circumstances change so that continuity of status is preserved.

How we help

We act on a fixed-fee basis for both workers and employers and confirm any Home Office fee, which can change, at consultation. Our role is to make the points-based requirements manageable, to keep sponsors compliant, and to present worker applications that clearly score the necessary points. Contact us today to discuss your Skilled Worker application or sponsor licence.