UK Skilled Worker Visa

Skilled Worker Visa Extension and ILR

If you are an ‘experienced worker’, you can reside in the UK for up to five years. A stay of above five year period would require an extension, after which you can apply for an Indefinite Leave to Remain.

Our in-house Immigration experts honed with years of experience can help you in your journey to successfully apply for the Skilled Worker Route Visa. We are looking forward to assisting you. Call us now via 0800 048 7573 or feel free to drop us an email: (contact@axis.lawyer).

What is the eligibility criteria for the UK Skilled Worker Route?

It is essential to keep in mind that you fulfil the minimum eligibility criteria per Home Office preferences.
Hence, you must qualify for the following conditions to be able to secure a work permit in the UK:

• You have received your job offer from the UK employer having a Sponsor Licence.
• You have the Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) issued by the approved sponsor/employer.
• You are certified with approved English language Proficiency.
• The job offer you received is from the eligible occupations list.
• You are granted or offered a minimum salary under the Skilled Worker visa from either of the following options i.e.
• £25,600 per annum, or
• The standard salary for the type of work you are currently doing or
• £10.10 per hour adjusted according to your occupation.

Our highly experienced UK Immigration Axis Solicitors are always here to help throughout the skilled worker visa application process. We will work with you to improve the merits of your application to make sure you receive a timely and favorable decision from the Home office.

Feel free to connect with us any time via 0800 048 7573 to discuss your case.

Job requirements under Skilled Worker Route

• You must have a UK job reference number as your occupation code. Your employer must provide you with this code if you have secured a job offer.
• Your job must be satisfying the Skilled Worker Visa requirements.
• Your UK based sponsor must be approved by the Home Office and hold a valid Certificate of Sponsorship.
• Your minimum salary should be at least £25,600 annually and it must accord to the ‘going rate’ for the nature of work you would be doing in the future.

Be sure that each occupation code will have a different annual going rate, which you and your employer can check online.

With this in mind, in certain occupations such as in Healthcare or academic sectors, the salary requirements will vary where the national pay scales regulate the going rate.

Cost to apply for the UK Skilled Worker Visa

Depending on your circumstances, the cost for applying through the Skilled Worker route varies between £615 – £1,423.

Additional charges to apply for UK skilled worker visa
– Healthcare surcharges—£624 per annum
– Additional living expenses of at least £1,270 to prove that you are financially stable to support yourself when you enter the UK for work

Skilled worker visa fee exemptions
An exemption applies to workers living in the UK for 12 months on a previous valid visa. Hence, the employer is covering the expenses for the first month of their recently offered job. Moreover, if you belong to the eligible EU/EEA countries, your application fee will be automatically reduced to £55. You may qualify to pay fewer application charges if your job is on the shortage occupation list.

Family member joining under Skilled Worker Route

If you wish your family members to join you as dependants, they can come with you to the UK if they are eligible.

However, only the following family members can accompany you:

• Your husband or wife, proposed civil partner or unmarried partner; you must submit the evidence of a ‘subsisting and genuine relation’ of living together for at least two years.
• Your child under 18 years of age, born in the UK.
• Your child above 18 if they are already in the UK on another visa, i.e. studying in a boarding school, college, or university, but must not be married or have any children to qualify the requirements.

Furthermore, it is essential to note that each family member must submit a separate visa application and pay total application charges to get their visas approved.

Skilled Worker Visa Extension

You can extend your stay for a maximum of 5 years at a time. There is no limit as to how many times a skilled worker visa extension can be applied. Be sure to do that before your current skilled worker visa expires.
You can only extend the visa if the following major requirements are met:

• You are working under the same sponsor/employer when the first time you were granted a Skilled Worker visa.
• You have the same occupation code as when you were permitted to enter the UK for work.
• You are still doing the same job as when you were under your initial visa approval.

our family members as dependants can also apply for the extension, but they must do so by submitting a separate application to stay longer in the UK with you.

Please bear in mind; you need to submit a new application to change your job/current occupation, even if your current visa hasn’t expired yet. You must receive a new CoS from a recent UK hiring employer.

Minimum salary pay scale with a Tier 2 Visa

If you have received CoS before 24th November 2016:
If you have already extended your visa before 24th May 2023, your minimum salary will be equivalent to the fixed lower rate, i.e. at least £20,800 per annum.

If your visa was approved and you received CoS on or before 24th November 2016:
If you’ve made the extension for a skilled worker visa before 1st December 2026, you will be required to satisfy the new salary requirements.