Check out in this article all about the UK Skilled Worker Visa, also known as Skilled Worker Visa.
What is Skilled Worker Visa or Skilled Worker Visa?
The Skilled Worker Visa, or Skilled Worker Visa, is the visa that allows you to stay in the UK working in government-authorised categories and employers. This visa replaced the tier 2 (General) work visa.
Due to the pandemic of the new coronavirus, some health professionals and their families will have their visas extended for free.
Eligibility criteria:
To qualify for a skilled worker visa, you must:
- Getting a job with a UK employer that has been approved by the Home Office;
- See the list of approved employers here.
- Have a sponsorship certificate from your employer with information about the role you were offered in the UK;
- Perform work that is on the list of eligible occupations;
- Receive a minimum wage amount stipulated by the government (the amount will depend on the type of work you will be doing). The minimum is £25,600 per year or £10.10 per hour. However, if your profession minimum is higher than that, the government may require you to earn more than that.
- You must have a confirmed job offer before applying for a visa.
Knowledge of English:
You will need to speak, read, write and understand the main British language well. Normally, you will prove your knowledge of English through a certificate of proficiency. See more about it here.
How long can you stay:
Your visa can last up to 5 years before you need to extend it. You will need to apply for your visa to be extended or updated when it expires or you change jobs. If you want to stay longer in the UK, you can apply for a visa extension as many times as you like, as long as you still meet the eligibility requirements.
After 5 years, you will be able to apply for permanent residency in the UK. This gives you the right to live, work and study in the country for as long as you like and apply for government social protection benefits when eligible.
How to apply:
How you sign up depends on whether you are:
- Out of the UK and on your way to the country;
- In the UK and extending your current visa;
- In the UK and changing visas.
- If you want to change jobs, you must apply for a visa update.
You can include your partner and children in your application to stay in the UK if they are eligible.
Deadline:
You can apply for a visa up to 3 months before your expected day to start working in the UK, so be careful not to miss the date. You can find when you started on your sponsorship certificate delivered by your employer.
As part of your application, you will need to prove your identity and provide your documents. So prepare in advance for it.
Decision making:
After you apply online, prove your identity and provide your documents, you will usually have a decision on your visa within:
- 3 weeks if you are outside the UK;
- 8 weeks if you are in the UK.
- If you book an in-person appointment, you can pay for a quicker decision. How you do this depends on whether you are outside the UK or within the UK.
Value:
You, your partner or children will need to pay:
Registration fee;
The application fee ranges from £610 to £1,408 depending on your profession and whether or not it is on the high priority list.
Health insurance fee for each year of your stay.
It is usually £624 per year of stay in the UK. You can calculate it using this government tool.
You will also need to prove that your savings are sufficient for the move. You are usually asked to have at least £1270 to support yourself until you receive your first salary.
You can get more details on costs at this link:
If you work in the public health sector
If you are a doctor or nurse, or work in adult health or social care, make sure you are eligible to apply for a health and care worker visa.
It’s cheaper to sign up and you don’t have to pay the annual immigration health surcharge.
If Your Visa is get rejected for UK You can Try for Australia
You can not:
- Apply for most state benefits and pensions;
- Change jobs or employer unless you apply to update your visa.
- If your application is successful, you will receive a complete list of what can and cannot be done with a skilled worker visa.
Have doubts? Leave them in the comments and we will do our best to help you.