Skilled Worker Route
The Skilled Worker Route replaced Tier 2 on 1 December 2020.
Under the Skilled Worker Route you would be sponsored by an employer to undertake a specific job in the UK. In order to sponsor you under the Skilled Worker Route, your employer must be listed on the UKVI Register of Sponsors (please note this is updated daily). You can switch from Tier 4 or Student immigration permission in the UK, and you can also apply outside the UK.
The Skilled Worker Route is part of the Points Based System. There are 50 non-tradable (mandatory) points as follows:
- Certificate of Sponsorship from a Sponsor listed on UKVI’s register of sponsors (20 points)
- Job at appropriate skill level (RQF level 3 or above) (20 points)
- English language at B1 level or above (10 points) Your degree from Queen Mary will evidence that you meet the English language requirement.
You must meet all of the above requirements in order to be eligible for the Skilled Worker Route.
You will also need to obtain an additional 20 points from the list of tradeable points. See the section 'attributes' for further details about the tradeable points, the minimum salary you need to earn, the Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) issued by your employer and the funds which you may to show in your bank account.
Eligible family members can come to or stay in the UK as your dependants.
If you are intending to work at Queen Mary, see the guidance from Queen Mary's Human Resources department and contact HR if you have questions about eligibility or the Skilled Worker visa application process.
Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS)
If you are successfully recruited to a post, and you are eligible for the Skilled Worker Route, your employer will issue you with a CoS number. You will need to write the CoS number in your Skilled Worker application.
Salary
In addition to the mandatory 50 points, you will also need to obtain an additional 20 points from the list of tradeable points. Many students will meet option E, wording copied below, but you can check paragraph SW 4.2 of Appendix Skilled Worker for the full list of tradeable points available.
E Applicant is a new entrant to the labour market and their salary equals or exceeds both:
• £20,480 per year; and
• 70% of the going rate for the occupation code
There are a number of criteria which you can meet to be considered a 'new entrant' including being under the age of 26 on the date of application, or meeting all of the below conditions:
'(i) the applicant’s most recent permission was as a Student: and
(ii) that permission expired less than 2 years before the date of application; and
(iii) in that permission or any previous permission as a Student, the applicant was sponsored to study one of the following courses (not any other qualifications of an equivalent level):
- a UK bachelor’s degree; or
- a UK master’s degree; or
- a UK PhD or other doctoral qualification; or
- a Postgraduate Certificate in Education; or
- a Professional Graduate Diploma of Education; and
(iv) the applicant has completed (or is applying no more than 3 months before they are expected to complete) the course in (iii) above, or the applicant is studying a PhD and has completed at least 12 months study in the UK towards the PhD.
AND
Granting the application must not mean the applicant’s combined permission as a Skilled Worker and/or Tier 2 Migrant would be more than 4 years in total, whether or not the permission is for a continuous period.'
Permission as a Student includes Tier 4 permission.
If you meet the option E requirements, your salary should be above £20,480 and also above 70% of the salary listed for your job in the Occupation Codes. The salary needs to be above whichever is highest out of these two.
The Occupation Codes can be found in Appendix Skilled Occupations of the Immigration Rules. You can ask your employer for the occupation code, so that you can calculate the required salary level for that job.
Maintenance
If you have been in the UK with immigration permission for the previous 12 months before you apply under the Skilled Worker Route, then you automatically meet the financial requirement and do not need to show funds.
If you are applying outside the UK, or have been in the UK less than than 12 months you must show either £1270 for at least 28 days in line with Appendix Finance of the Immigration Rules, or your sponsor can certify the maintenance for you.
English language
There are a number of ways which you can meet the English language requirement, including if your degree was taught in English. Your QMUL degree will meet this requirement.
- The UK Council for International Students (UKCISA) has published detailed web pages for students.
- Appendix Skilled Worker sets out all the rules for making a Skilled Worker Route immigration application.
