How do I get a UK work visa?

To get a UK work visa through an employer, you need a job offer from a Home Office-approved employer and a certificate of sponsorship from them. Then you apply online, pay the fees, prove your identity and send your documents. GOV.UK says a Skilled Worker decision usually takes 3 weeks if you are outside the UK.

What are the steps to get a UK work visa?

These steps come from GOV.UK’s Skilled Worker visa and How to apply for a visa to come to the UK pages. Other visas that need an employer follow the same pattern but have their own rules. See Types of UK work visa.

Step 1: Get a job offer from an approved employer

For a Skilled Worker visa, you must have a confirmed job offer from an approved UK employer before you apply. Approved employers are also called sponsors. GOV.UK publishes the register of licensed sponsors: workers. Our register of licensed sponsors guide explains it.

For the Health and Care Worker visa, the job offer must come from one of these:

• the NHS
• an organisation providing medical services to the NHS
• an organisation providing adult social care

If an employer is not approved yet, they can apply for a sponsor licence if they are eligible. The fee is £611 for small businesses and charities, and £1,682 for medium and large organisations. Processing usually takes around 8 weeks. See how to apply for a sponsor licence.

Step 2: Your employer gives you a certificate of sponsorship

Your employer checks that you meet the rules. Then they give you a certificate of sponsorship. This is an electronic record, not a paper document. It has a reference number that you need for your visa application. Read more in the certificate of sponsorship guide.

There are two time limits:

• You must apply for your visa within 3 months of getting your certificate of sponsorship.
• You can apply up to 3 months before the day you are due to start work in the UK. This date is on the certificate.

Step 3: Check the job and pay rules

The job must be eligible for the visa, and the pay must meet the minimum for that visa.

For the Skilled Worker visa, GOV.UK uses:

• a 4-digit occupation code, called the SOC code
• a salary of at least £41,700 or the going rate for the job, whichever is higher

See UK work visa requirements and salary thresholds.

Step 4: Get your documents ready

For a Skilled Worker visa, GOV.UK lists these documents:

• your certificate of sponsorship reference number
• proof of your knowledge of English
• a valid passport or other document that shows your identity and nationality
• your job title and yearly salary
• your job’s occupation code
• your employer’s name and sponsor licence number

Depending on your situation, you might also need:

• proof of funds
• a tuberculosis (TB) test result
• a criminal record certificate
• proof of your relationship with a partner or child

Each has its own guide: English language, TB test and criminal record certificate. The full Skilled Worker list is in the documents guide.

Step 5: Apply online and pay

You must apply online. You pay the application fee. For most visas you also pay the immigration health surcharge. See UK work visa cost. You can save the form and finish it later.

Step 6: Prove who you are

When you apply, you will do one of these:

• use the “UK Immigration: ID Check” app to scan your identity document
• have your fingerprints and photo (called biometric information) taken at a visa application centre

The application tells you which one applies to you.

If you need an appointment:

• most visa application centres offer free appointments within 5 working days
• in some places a standard appointment costs £76.50
• you must book and go to your appointment within 240 days of sending your application, or you need to start a new one

Step 7: Wait for your decision

Processing starts when you have sent your application, given your biometrics and sent your supporting documents. For the Skilled Worker visa, you usually get a decision within 3 weeks if you are outside the UK. See UK work visa processing times for every visa.

GOV.UK will send you a letter or email to tell you a decision has been made. You must not travel to the UK before your visa application is approved.

Step 8: Get your eVisa

If your application is successful, you get an eVisa. This is a digital record of your identity and immigration status. You need a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account to see it. Read the eVisa guide.

Which work visas do not need an employer?

GOV.UK’s Work in the UK page lists visas you can apply for without a job offer. Each has a different first step:

Visa	What you need first
Global Talent	An eligible prestigious prize, or an endorsement
Youth Mobility Scheme	To be the right age and from an eligible country. Some applicants must be selected in a ballot
India Young Professionals Scheme	To be selected in the ballot, then get an invitation to apply
High Potential Individual	A qualification from an eligible university in the last 5 years
Graduate	A Student visa, and an eligible UK course that your education provider has told the Home Office you completed

GOV.UK lists the Innovator Founder visa separately, under “Start a business”. You need a business idea that an approved endorsing body has endorsed.