A Skilled Worker visa, formerly called the Tier 2 visa, allows you to live and work in the UK. After Brexit a new immigration system was created that brings both EU and non-EU-citizens under a singular immigration regime.

What are the Skilled Worker visa’s requirements?

Anyone coming to the UK for work purposes must meet a specific set of requirements for which they will score points. Applicants are required to obtain 70 points to qualify. There is some flexibility around the criteria you need to meet based on your skills, qualifications, and job you wish to apply for.

There are three mandatory requirements, which total 50 points:

• A job offer from an approved sponsor (20 points)
• A job at an appropriate skill level (20 points)
• Speaking English at the required level (10 points)

The remaining 20 points may be earned if the salary is at the “going rate” for the profession, by having a job on the skills shortage list, or by having a PhD in a subject relevant to the job.

To determine if the job you are applying for is eligible for the Skilled Worker visa, you can use the UK government’s Skilled Worker eligibility calculator. This tool will tell you whether the UK employer is licensed to employ foreign workers and help you determine if you meet the conditions needed to qualify for a Skilled Worker visa.

It is important to understand the Skilled Worker visa eligibility and application requirements to avoid issues or delays with the application. A refused application will result in the loss of your application fee.

Who can employ foreign workers in the UK?

A Certificate of Sponsorship(CoS) is a virtual document that an employer must provide to any propsective employee in order for them to apply for a visa.

In order to allocate a CoS, an organisation must hold a valid sponsor licence and have access to the Sponsor Management System (SMS). If an organisation would like to apply for a sponsorship license, they must demonstrate that they are a genuine organisation operating lawfully within the UK.

They will also need to prove that they can carry out visa sponsorship duties and that they have appropriate HR and recruitment practices and systems in place. Once an organisation has a sponsor licence, it gives them permission to employ foreign skilled workers via their online SMS account, which assigns a certificate number the employee must use when submitting their visa application.