What Are the Requirements for a UK Skilled Worker Visa?

A skilled worker visa UK permits you to stay and work in the UK with an approved employer. If eligible, your spouse or partner and children can apply and join you as your dependants. Their visa will end at the same time when your visa expires, which can last up to five years. 

You can update your visa if you wish to extend it or you need to change jobs or employers. In addition, you can apply for an “indefinite leave to remain” or settle permanently in the UK. This provides you with the right to live, study, or work as long as you want, plus you can avail of benefits if you’re qualified.

What is the UK Skilled Worker Visa?

It is a work-based visa category, which allows individuals to live and work in the United Kingdom. The job should be an approved occupation with an eligible employer. Previously known as Tier 2 (General) Visa, it had more strict requirements, making it difficult to obtain. But in December 2020, the government introduced the new Points-Based Immigration System.

This means that anyone who wants to work in the country must meet some requirements with certain points. If you can meet the minimum number of points for each, you will be granted a visa. There are times when a skilled worker visa is declined. The good news is you can challenge the refusal with the help of professionals, such as these immigration lawyers London team.

What Skills Are Eligible for a UK Skilled Worker Visa?

Before you know if your job is eligible for this visa, you first must know your occupation’s code. If you already have a job offer, you may ask your employer for your code, or you can search it in the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Occupation Coding Tool.

If your job is included in the table of eligible jobs, you can apply at least three months before your expected start date. Some of the considered skilled occupations in the country are farm managers, bank managers, IT directors, copywriters, gardeners, bee farmers, field engineers, roofers, and others.

Requirements for the UK Skilled Worker Visa

Eligibility

• 18 years old and over
• A job offer from an employer allowed by the Home Office 
• The job offer should be at the required skill level (RFQ 3 or above/A level and equivalent)
• A minimum score of at least 70 points in the defined parameters, such as qualifications, skills, salaries, and professions. 
• A minimum of Bachelor’s degree or equivalent with two years of skilled work experience from the eligible job list
• English Language requirement at B1 level in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
• Your salary must be within the general threshold of £25,600 or the specific salary requirement for the job or the “going rate.”

Documents

• Proof of knowledge of the English language
• Your Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) reference number
• Job title
• A valid passport (or other documents that strongly prove your nationality and identity)
• Name of your employer
• Annual salary
• Your job’s occupation code
• Your employer’s sponsor license number

Other Requirements

• Criminal record certificate from a relevant authority in any country you have been present for one year or more, whether continuously or in total, in the past ten years while aged 18 or over.
• Your sponsor should pay any required Immigration Skills Charge.
• Enough funds to support yourself without depending on public money (you should have held the money for at least 28 consecutive days until not more than 31 days before the date of your Skilled Worker Visa application)
• Valid TB certificate, if required

What If Your Application Is Denied?

A refusal doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world. Applicants can be given an administrative review – a full right of appeal or no right to appeal at all. The Home Office will send you a refusal letter explaining why your application was denied, along with advice to appeal at the right time frame.

It is imperative to prepare for your appeal comprehensively. This includes a full assessment of your documents, reasons for refusal, drafting witness statements, submitting evidence, etc. It’s always best to seek professional services, such as Imperium Chambers help with UK visa appeal because they know strategies on overturning the immigration’s decision.