UK Work Visa from Egypt

Skilled Worker Visa

The UK Skilled Worker visa requires a qualifying job with a licensed sponsor. For most new applications, the role must be at graduate skill level and pay at least £41,700 a year or its occupation’s going rate, whichever is higher. The skill level relates to the job; you do not necessarily need a degree yourself.

Lower salary thresholds exist for specified cases, including qualifying new entrants and certain health or education jobs. Since 22 July 2025, medium-skilled occupations (Below RQF 6) generally need to appear on the Immigration Salary List or Temporary Shortage List unless a transitional provision applies. Your occupation code, hours and applicable salary option must be assessed together.

Documents Needed

• Certificate of sponsorship reference number
• Proof of English language proficiency
• Egyptian passport
• Job offer explicitly showing the occupation code, employer details, job title and annual wages
• Bank statement showing enough savings (£1,270) for one month
• Birth and marriage certificates if you are travelling with your family
• Criminal history certificate, if your job demands it
• Valid ATAS if your employer requests it

The application fee for the Skilled Worker visa ranges from £819 to £1,865, depending on your situation.

You’ll also need to pay the healthcare surcharge of £1035 annually. It takes the Home Office 3 weeks to process this visa.

Health and Care Worker Visa

The Health and Care Worker visa permits qualifying medical and health care workers to work for the NHS or an NHS supplier in the UK.

The cost of a Health and Care Worker Visa is £324 per person for a 3-year visa. It costs £628 per person for more than 3 years visa. It typically takes the Home Office 3 weeks to process this visa.

• If you are a UK health service provider, you can employ eligible Egyptians to provide healthcare services in the UK. Just like the Skilled Worker visa, you’ll need to offer the employee a job and issue a certificate of sponsorship.
• The offered must come with a salary that pays the ‘going rate’ for the job you do or meets the minimum wage stipulated by the Home Office (whichever is higher). The minimum salary required for the visa is (£29,000 for a job not on the Immigration Salary List/Temporary Shortage List) or £25,000 for a job that is.
• Employers must hold a valid sponsor licence.
• Unlike the Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker visa applicants do not need to pay for health surcharge.
• The Health and Care Worker visa gives the applicant up to 5 years of stay in the UK, after which they can permanent settlement in the UK.
• An Egyptian employee can come to the UK with their family.

Documents Needed

• Proof of adequate knowledge of English
• Certificate of sponsorship from the employer
• Egyptian passport
• Details of the employer
• Employment offer showing the job title, role, salary and occupation code.
• Bank statement showing enough money (£1,270) for at least 1 month. This requirement is waived if the employer agrees to support the employee
• Birth and marriage certificates if travelling with family
• Criminal record certificate if the job needs it

Global Talent Visa

Global Talent is for recognised leaders or potential leaders in academia or research, arts and culture, or digital technology. Applicants usually need an endorsement, unless they hold an eligible prestigious prize. A sponsoring employer and job offer are not required.

The evidence depends on the field and endorsement pathway. You should assess the relevant body’s criteria before compiling references or a portfolio; general professional experience alone is insufficient. Qualifying applicants can work for an employer, work independently or change jobs within the route’s conditions.

To be eligible for this visa, you’ll need to prove you’re a leader in any of the following fields:

• Digital technology.
• Research or academia.
• Arts and culture.

You have to be 18 and above to apply for this visa. You do not need a work contract or sponsorship from a UK employer to apply for this visa. However, you must have been endorsed as a leader or potential leader in your field or won an eligible award.

Like most work visas, you can get up to 5 years in the UK on the Global Talent visa. After 5 years, you can get Indefinite Leave to Remain. If you are on the recognised leader in your field (not ‘promising leader’) route, you may be able to get UK Indefinite Leave to Remain in just 3 years. You can also move to the UK with your family. Family here means your spouse or civil partner and your child under 18.

To apply for the Global Talent visa, you’ll need to pay £766. Egyptians who need endorsement will have to pay the fee in 2 parts:

• £561 when applying for the endorsement
• £205 when applying for the visa.

If you are applying based on an award you won, you’ll pay only when applying for a visa. There is no endorsement fee required.

You must pay £766 for each family member joining you on the visa.

Note that you’ll also need to pay the healthcare surcharge, which is £1035 per year for one person. It takes the Home Office 3 weeks to process this visa.

Temporary Work Visas

As a UK employer, you can get Egyptians to work for you temporarily. You will need to have a valid sponsor licence so you can sponsor their application.

You also need to give them a valid work contract that meets the salary requirement for visas in this category.

There are many visas under this category.

They are:

• Creative and Sporting Visas for Egyptian citizens who are highly skilled in sports and the creative industry.
• Charity Worker Visas for Egyptians who want to work with NGOs in the UK.
• Government Authorised Exchange visas for Egyptians who want to do research, exchange programmes, or fellowships in the UK.
• Religious Worker Visas for Egyptians who want to do spiritual, cultural, charitable or educational work in the UK for up to 2 years. Applicants must prove they are obedient to the tenets of their religious beliefs.
• Seasonal Worker Visas for Egyptians who wish to come to the UK for seasonal agricultural work. This visa offers the chance to stay in the UK for up to 6 months.
• International Agreement Visas for Egyptians who need to stay in the UK and work for foreign governments. The work must be covered by an international law or treaty.

Documents Needed

• Job offer from a valid sponsor.
• Certificate of sponsorship (CoS).
• Proof you have enough money to care for yourself for at least one month in the UK. This requirement is waived if your employer indicates they will support you in the CoS.
• Details about your employer.
• Birth and marriage certificate if you intend to travel to the UK with your family. Seasonal worker visa holders are not eligible to move to the UK with their families.

You’ll have to pay £340 for the Temporary Worker visa. You’ll also need to pay £1035 for the health surcharge per person for 1 year. It will take 3 weeks for the Home Office to process your application.

High Potential Individual Visa

Egyptians who graduated from eligible schools worldwide within the last 5 years can apply for the High Potential Individual visa. You’ll need to have acquired a UK-equivalent bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate in these universities to qualify. The High Potential Individual route is available to eligible graduates of universities on the relevant Global Universities List.

The university must have been listed on at least two major global ranking systems (Times Higher Education, QS World University Rankings, or the Academic Ranking of World Universities) as one of the top 100 universities in the world at the award date (time of your graduation).

There are currently no Egyptian universities on the lists, and Egypt’s highest-ranking institution is Cairo University at #363. Therefore, in order to be eligible, you must have studied in a high-ranking institution outside of Egypt.

This could be:

• Harvard, Stanford, MIT or Columbia in the USA
• ETH Zurich, Sorbonne University, or Technical University of Munich in Europe
• The National University of Singapore (NUS) or The University of Hong Kong (HKU) in Asia.

Permission normally lasts two years, or three years for a doctorate. You do not need sponsorship and can undertake most work, but this visa cannot be extended and does not directly lead to settlement. A later switch requires you to qualify for the new visa route (usually the Skilled Worker visa, while some eligible entrepreneurs progress to the Innovator Founder visa route, and some with exceptional ability may fast-track their way to UK settlement via the Global Talent visa.

To apply for this visa, you’ll need to pay £880. You’ll also pay the healthcare surcharge of £1035. It takes the Home Office 3 weeks to process this visa.

Global Business Mobility Worker Visa

The Global Business Mobility Worker visa is for Egyptians who want to work for an overseas business, establish a branch of the company in the UK or transfer some staff to the UK.

There are 5 types of the Global Business Mobility visa.

They are:

• Secondment Worker visa to transfer Egyptians to the UK to work temporarily.
• Senior or Specialist Worker visa for specialists or senior managers to work at the branch of the business in the UK.
• Expansion Worker visa to set up a branch in the UK.
• Service Supplier visa to supply a service in the UK temporarily.
• Graduate Trainee visa for Egyptians undergoing a training program for work in the UK.

You’ll pay between £340 and £1,865, depending on your situation. You’ll also pay £1035 for healthcare surcharge per year. It takes the Home Office 3 weeks to process this visa.

Documents Needed

• Certificate of sponsorship reference number.
• Egyptian passport.
• Job contract explicitly outlining your role, job code, title and salary per annum.
• Details of your employer.
• Proof you have enough money to live in the UK.
• Birth and marriage certificates if you are travelling with your family.
• Evidence that you have worked for your employer outside the UK if you earn below £73,900. Applicants for the Graduate Trainee visa are exempted from this criterion.

Innovator Founder Visa

Innovator Founder visa is for an endorsed business that is innovative, viable and scalable. Buying an ordinary existing business or having investment funds does not, by itself, qualify you. The endorsing body assesses the proposal and your role in developing it.

Permission normally lasts three years, with progress meetings after 12 and 24 months. Settlement (Indefinite Leave to Remain) after three years requires a further endorsement and satisfaction of the route’s business achievement criteria. It is not automatic when the initial visa expires. If you do not qualify for the 3 year fast-track (by meeting business objectives) you may qualify after 5 years.

You’ll pay £1,357 for the Innovator Founder visa and £1035 for the health surcharge for each year. It takes the Home Office 3 weeks to process your application.

Minister of Religion

Minister of Religion is for a sponsored role within a faith community, such as a minister, missionary or member of a religious order. The sponsor must hold the appropriate licence, and the role, English language evidence and other requirements must satisfy this route. There is no minimum salary for this route, unlike the Skilled Worker visa, however, applicants must be paid at least minimum wage.

Temporary religious work is a different category. The intended duties and length of appointment determine which route should be considered, rather than the applicant’s religion or nationality.

You’ll pay £819 for the Minister of Religion visa and £1035 per year for healthcare surcharge. It takes the Home Office 3 weeks to process this visa.

For a sponsored work visa application, an employer must have a valid sponsor licence covering the route. There are three options for employers; a sponsor licence to sponsor Workers (permanent contracts), one to sponsor Temporary Workers, and one where you are allowed to sponsor both. They must then assign a correct Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) to the employee.

• A Skilled Worker application from outside the UK normally requires a defined CoS. The record must accurately describe the duties, occupation code, salary, hours and work location.

The employer must meet its reporting and record keeping duties, and complete a compliant right to work check before employment begins. Sponsor costs and charges are separate from the applicant’s visa fee; applicants should not assume every sponsorship expense can lawfully be passed to them. A sponsoring employer must pay to issue a CoS and an Immigration Skills Charge (ISC) if applicable to the route; they cannot pass these costs on.

Application fees and the Immigration Health Surcharge fees are normally paid for by the employer, though they can be passed on to the employee under strict conditions. Generally, this is done via a valid clawback agreement. These are complex legal documents and must be drawn up as part of the employee’s contract. This is typically intended to protect employers against the employee leaving.

The requirements depend on the route. For a sponsored role, check the CoS against the employment offer before submitting the application. New skilled worker applicants generally need English at CEFR B2 from 8 January 2026. Applicants relying on an eligible earlier grant may be covered by transitional B1 arrangements.

For Skilled Worker maintenance, an employee will normally need £1,270 held for 28 consecutive days, with the period ending within 31 days before applying. An eligible sponsor can certify maintenance instead, and an exemption can apply after sufficient lawful UK residence. This is separate from the salary requirement.

Documents to prepare

• A valid Egypt passport
• CoS reference where required, and evidence of your occupation and salary.
• English language evidence, such as an approved test or qualifying degree assessment, where the route requires it.
• Maintenance evidence showing proof of funds to support yourself for 28 days (or that a sponsor will absorb this cost)
• Required criminal record certificate
• Certified translations of documents outside English or Welsh.
• Relationship evidence and separate applications for any eligible dependants.

Apply online for the selected UK work visa route, pay the relevant charges and follow the identity verification instructions. If a visa application centre appointment is required, attend with the requested evidence and provide your biometrics. Apply for a sponsored visa within the CoS validity period and no more than three months before the work start date recorded on it.

Skilled Worker applications made outside the UK are usually decided within three weeks once identity and documents have been provided. Additional checks can take longer. Appointment availability and any paid priority service are separate from the standard decision time; do not commit to a start date based solely on an estimate.

Family eligibility depends on the UK work visa route and occupation. Skilled Workers in eligible roles (above RQF 6) can normally apply for qualifying partners and children to join them. Restrictions apply to care worker and senior care worker roles and to medium-skilled roles (Below RQF 6).

Each dependant needs their own application and evidence of the relationship. The dates and continuity conditions must be checked against the worker’s actual role and permission history.

For Skilled Worker maintenance, the usual additional amounts are £285 for a partner, £315 for the first child and £200 for each additional child, unless an exemption or sponsorship certification applies. The duration of your visa is normally linked to the main applicant’s expiry date.