Skilled Worker Visa UK
A Skilled Worker Visa permits individuals to work with a registered employer in the UK. Knowing the criteria for this visa type and its application procedures is necessary if you are an employer looking to recruit workers from Australia.
Our Total Law lawyers can help prospective employees apply for a Skilled Worker Visa. Call +44 (0)333 305 9375 or message us online to find out more.
What Is The UK Skilled Worker Visa?
The Skilled Worker Visa, which replaced the Tier 2 Visa, allows Australian nationals who meet the requirements to work in the UK for authorised UK employers.
A Skilled Worker Visa can be issued for up to 5 years, depending on how long your employee’s Certificate of Sponsorship lasts. If the worker wishes to change jobs or employers, they must reapply for a Skilled Worker Visa.
There are many benefits to recruiting workers from overseas as a UK business, as it allows companies to fill skill gaps and access international talent via the Skilled Worker Visa UK list.
With the Skilled Worker Visa route, your employee can apply for British citizenship one year after meeting the five-year indefinite leave to remain (ILR) requirements.
Page Contents
- What Is The UK Skilled Worker Visa?
- Skilled Worker Visa UK Eligibility For Employers
- The Immigration Salary List
- Skilled Worker Visa Application Process
- UK Skilled Worker Visa Application Fees
- Extending UK Skilled Worker Visa
- Switching From Another UK Visa To Skilled Worker Visa
- UK Skilled Worker Visa Application Is Refused: Your Options
- How Can Total Law Help?
- Frequently Asked Questions
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Skilled Worker Visa UK Eligibility For Employers
As an employer, you must meet the following eligibility criteria for a UK Skilled Worker Visa when hiring an employee from Australia:
- Hold a valid Sponsor Licence that has not been downgraded or revoked in the past 12 months
- Demonstrate the role you are offering is a genuine job that UK-settled workers can not fill and is a role that qualifies under the Skilled Worker Visa category
- Ensure the job role meets the minimum salary threshold of £41,700 unless exempt from this requirement
- Comply with UK immigration and employment law and not be subject to charges or restrictions
- Willing to pay the Immigration Skills Charge and Certificate of Sponsorship issuing costs
Applying for a UK Skilled Worker for an employee from Australia can be challenging, especially when complying with the documentation requirements. Schedule an appointment with Total Law at +44 (0)333 305 9375 to discuss your company’s Skilled Worker Visa requirements and how we can help make the process easier.
The Immigration Salary List
The immigration salary list outlines the employment roles that can not easily be filled by UK-settled workers.
Roles on the list and suitable for a Skilled Worker Visa can include:
- Health services and public health managers and directors
- Residential, day and domiciliary care managers and proprietors
- Senior care workers
- Chemical scientists in the nuclear industry
- Biological scientists and biochemists
- Physical scientists in the construction-related ground engineering industry, are restricted to engineering geologists, hydrogeologists or geophysicists
- Physical scientists in the oil and gas industry, restricted to geophysicists, geoscientists, geologists, geochemists, technical services managers in the decommissioning and waste areas of the nuclear industry, senior resource geologists and staff geologists in the mining sector
- Social and humanities scientists, limited to archaeologists
- Civil engineers
- Mechanical engineers
- Electrical engineers
- Electronics engineers
- Design and development engineers
- Production and process engineers
- Engineering professionals not elsewhere classified
- Quality control and planning engineers
- Veterinarians
- Bricklayers and masons
- Fishing and other elementary agriculture occupations
- Care workers and home carers
Skilled Worker Visa Application Process
To begin the Skilled Worker Visa application, your sponsored worker must have an employment offer, Certificate of Sponsorship from your company, and a range of other paperwork to demonstrate their eligibility.
As their sponsoring employer, you will need to provide a range of supporting documents to show they qualify for the Skilled Worker Visa.
The worker from Australia must pay the application fee, biometric fee, and healthcare when submitting their completed application online.
UK Skilled Worker Visa Application Fees
The application fee for a Skilled Worker Visa applicant from outside the UK is £819 for up to 3 years and £1,618 for over three years. Applicants must also have at least £1,270 in their account to show they can support themselves once in the UK.
The cost to apply for a visa extension is £943 per person for stays up to three years and £1,865 per person for over three years.
The application cost for employees and their families may be reduced if their employment is on the immigration salary list. Each applicant must pay £628 for up to three years or £1,235 for longer than three years. The same charge applies whether it is applied from within or outside of the UK.
Employers must also pay fees when looking to sponsor an employee: the initial Sponsor Licence fee, which costs £611 for small businesses and £1,682 for large organisations, and the Immigration Skills Charge (ISC) fee, which costs £1,000 annually for sponsors with medium or large businesses and £364 for small businesses. In addition, there is a cost for each Certificate of Sponsorship issued.
Extending UK Skilled Worker Visa
Employees wanting to extend their Skilled Worker Visa can apply online and will need a new Certificate of Sponsorship showing their extended employment terms.
Employees must also compile the supporting documentation for the application that UKVI might ask for.
The required extension cost and the online immigration healthcare fee must be paid, and employees must visit a UKVCAS to update their biometrics. Verifying identity using a UK Visas and Immigration profile suffices if a valid Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) is available.
Switching From Another UK Visa To Skilled Worker Visa
Some UK Visa holders can apply for a Skilled Worker Visa from within the UK even if they hold another visa type if they meet the requirements and have a sponsoring employer.
However, from within the UK, anyone holding certain types of visas—such as visitor visas, short-term student visas, or seasonal worker visas—cannot change to a Skilled Worker Visa.
The only alternative in such circumstances is to return to Australia and apply from outside the UK.
UK Skilled Worker Visa Application Is Refused: Your Options
Your employee’s application for a Skilled Work Visa may be refused for several reasons, such as:
- Incomplete UK Skilled Worker Visa application form
- Failure to provide the correct evidence
- Not including an accurate certificate of sponsorship reference number or job code
- Not having a clean immigration and criminal history
If your prospective worker’s Skilled Worker Visa application is refused, we recommend speaking to an experienced immigration lawyer as soon as possible to explore the next steps.
How Can Total Law Help?
Total Law is an expert in immigration services and can provide professional advice on all aspects of the Skilled Worker Visa, including the UK Skilled Worker Visa documents needed, how to apply for a Sponsor Licence and the current UK Skilled Worker Visa processing time.
Let our team support you in employing overseas workers to fill your vacant employment opportunities and ensure you benefit from the global labour market.
Learn more about our services to UK employers, including Sponsor Licence audit checks on +44 (0)333 305 9375 or use our online chat.
Advice Package
Get clear, expert advice on your visa options, eligibility and application before you commit to applying.
Application Package
Let our immigration lawyers prepare, check and manage your application so you can apply with confidence.
Fast Track Package
Need to apply quickly? Get priority handling by our immigration lawyers from preparation to submission.
Appeal Package
Been refused or received an unfavourable decision? Get expert legal help to challenge it or determine your next step.
The Advice Package
During this Advice Session, an immigration lawyer will assess your circumstances, explain your options and tell you what you need to do to make a strong application.
We review your circumstances, explain the relevant requirements, identify potential problems or refusal risks, and advise you on the evidence and next steps.
The Application Package
With our Application Package, your dedicated immigration lawyer will assess your case, prepare your application, check your supporting documents and submit your forms on your behalf.
We check your application for missing information, inconsistencies and potential issues before submission, helping you avoid common mistakes that could affect your case.
The Fast Track Package
Our Fast-Track Application Package gives your case priority with our immigration lawyers, helping you get your application prepared, checked and submitted as quickly as possible.
Your case receives priority handling, including accelerated document reviews, application preparation, communication with your caseworker and submission support.
The Appeal Package
Our immigration lawyers will review the decision, explain why it was refused and advise on the strongest option available to you, including an appeal, review or fresh application where appropriate.
We will examine the reasons for refusal, identify weaknesses or errors, assess your available options and provide the legal support and representation your case requires.
Related pages for your continued reading.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can either explore the possibility of switching to a different visa category while remaining in the UK or, if eligible, apply for a new Skilled Worker Visa If you are employed under a UK Skilled Worker Visa and lose your job.
As long as your studies do not interfere with the work you are being sponsored to do, you are free to pursue your education without any time restrictions as a Skilled Worker Visa holder.
