Skilled Worker

The Skilled Worker visa is the UK’s primary employment-based immigration route. It replaced the old Tier 2 (General) visa and is designed for professionals who’ve secured a job offer from a UK employer with a valid sponsor licence. The role must meet a minimum skill level (RQF Level 3, roughly A-level equivalent) and a salary threshold, currently £38,700 per year or the going rate for your occupation, whichever is higher.

Your visa can last up to 5 years before you need to extend it, and there’s no cap on extensions. You can change employers or take on additional jobs, provided each role is sponsored or otherwise permitted. After 5 continuous years on the route, you can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), the UK’s version of permanent residence.

For Concord clients, the Skilled Worker visa is often the most straightforward option when you already have a UK employer lined up. It’s well-established, predictable, and scales well for companies hiring internationally. We handle the coordination between you and your sponsoring employer to keep timelines tight and paperwork clean.

The Skilled Worker visa is ideal for professionals who’ve secured (or are actively pursuing) a job offer from a UK employer. This includes software engineers, product managers, data scientists, finance professionals, healthcare workers, and anyone in a role classified at RQF Level 3 or above. If your employer has a sponsor licence, or is willing to get one, this is your most direct route.

It’s also a strong option for people already in the UK on other visas (like a Graduate or Student visa) who want to transition to a longer-term, settlement-eligible route. Many of our clients start on a Graduate visa, secure a sponsored role, and then switch to Skilled Worker to begin the 5-year path to permanent residence.