How to apply for a work visa

This is the usual order for a sponsored work visa. You apply online. This website does not take applications.

1. Check the route

Confirm the visa type, that the employer is a licensed sponsor, and that the job code and pay meet the current rules.

2. Get the Certificate of Sponsorship

The sponsor assigns the certificate in the sponsorship system and gives you the reference number. It is valid for a limited time. Apply before it expires.

3. Apply online and pay

Complete the form on the official service. You pay the visa fee and, on most routes, the Immigration Health Surcharge. Health and Care Worker applicants do not pay the surcharge. Keep the payment receipts.

4. Prove your identity

Either use the UK Immigration: ID Check app, or book an appointment at a visa application centre to give fingerprints and a photograph. Upload the documents the form asks for, such as the passport, English evidence, TB certificate, and bank statements if you must show maintenance.

5. Wait for a decision

Standard and priority times depend on the country where you apply and the service you paid for. Do not travel to the UK until you have permission, unless you already hold a visa that allows you to be here while the new one is decided.

6. After the visa is granted

If you applied outside the UK you receive a vignette in the passport for travel, then an eVisa for the full permission. You work for the sponsor in the job on the certificate. A change of employer or role usually needs a new application and a new certificate.

How long you can stay

A Skilled Worker visa is granted for the length of the job on the certificate, up to a maximum of 5 years at a time. You can extend it or update it. After 5 years on an eligible route you may be able to apply for settlement, if you still meet the salary, absences, and knowledge of language and life in the UK rules. Temporary worker visas and the Graduate visa do not by themselves count as a 5 year route to settlement.

Applying from inside the UK

You can switch into a sponsored work visa from many types of permission, including Student, if you meet the rules and you apply before your current permission ends. You cannot switch from a visit visa or from some short-term routes. You must not start the new job until the new permission is granted, unless your current visa already allows that work.

Fees, salary tables, and processing times are published by the Home Office and change. This page describes the sequence. It does not quote a live fee.