Home  /  Services  /  Work visas

Work visas

Sponsored and unsponsored routes for people coming to the UK to work, and for employers hiring from overseas. The rules changed substantially in July 2025 and again in 2026 - the figures below reflect the position in August 2026.

Skilled Worker

The main sponsored route. You need a licensed sponsor, a valid Certificate of Sponsorship, an eligible occupation, a qualifying salary and English at the required level, plus £1,270 held for 28 consecutive days unless your sponsor certifies maintenance.

• General salary threshold £41,700 a year, or the going rate for the occupation if that is higher. Raised from £38,700 on 22 July 2025.
• Minimum skill level RQF 6, graduate level, since 22 July 2025. Around 111 occupations were removed from the route on that date.
• Lower thresholds still apply to new entrants, PhD holders, Immigration Salary List jobs and national pay scale roles - the floors are £33,400, £37,500 and £25,000 depending on which applies.
• English at CEFR B2 for certificates issued from 8 January 2026. People who obtained the visa before that date generally remain on B1.
• From 26 March 2026 the salary must be met in every pay period, not averaged across the year.
• Fees from outside the UK: £819 up to three years, £1,618 over three years. Health surcharge £1,035 a year.

A Temporary Shortage List exists for selected RQF 3-5 occupations, but it is time-limited to the end of 2026, carries no salary discount and does not allow dependants.

Health and Care Worker

A discounted version of the Skilled Worker route for eligible medical and care professionals sponsored by an approved employer.

• Salary at least £25,000, or the going rate or relevant national pay scale rate if higher.
• Application fee £324 up to three years and £628 over three years, inside or outside the UK.
• No immigration health surcharge for the applicant, partner or children.
• Care worker and senior care worker occupations, SOC 6135 and 6136, have been closed to recruitment from overseas since 22 July 2025. In-country switching and extensions remain possible until 22 July 2028. In England the employer must be registered with the Care Quality Commission.

Global Business Mobility

Five routes for businesses moving staff to the UK: Senior or Specialist Worker, Graduate Trainee, Secondment Worker, Service Supplier and UK Expansion Worker. None of them leads to settlement.

• Senior or Specialist Worker: salary £52,500 or the going rate, whichever is higher, and normally 12 months with the overseas linked business - waived where earnings are £73,900 or more.
• Secondment Worker: the qualifying period of overseas employment was cut from 12 months to six months on 26 March 2026.

Global Talent and Innovator Founder

• Global Talent - for leaders and potential leaders in academia and research, arts and culture, or digital technology. Endorsement £561 plus visa £205. Settlement after three years for talent and research applicants, five years for exceptional promise.
• Innovator Founder - for a new, innovative and scalable business endorsed by an approved body. There is no fixed minimum investment. Visa £1,357 from outside the UK, endorsement £1,000. Settlement possible after three years.

Creative Worker and Temporary Work

Short sponsored routes, usually up to 12 months, for creative professionals, charity volunteers, religious workers, seasonal workers and government authorised exchanges. The standard fee is £340 and these routes do not lead to settlement. Some ETA-eligible nationals can use the Creative Worker concession for up to three months without a visa.

How PRIMEVISA helps

• Checking the occupation code, going rate and salary structure before a Certificate of Sponsorship is assigned.
• Sponsor licence applications, compliance audits and right to work checks for employers.
• Full application preparation, document review and representations where a refusal is likely or has already happened.
• Planning the route to settlement, including the English language change taking effect in March 2027.

This page summarises guidance published on GOV.UK and was last reviewed on 18 August 2026. It is general information, not immigration advice on your own case. PRIMEVISA LTD is regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority, registration F201600043.

Talk to an adviser