Appendix Skilled Worker (Sponsor Guide)

Appendix Skilled Worker sets out the rules for skilled migrant workers to be sponsored under the UK’s Immigration Rules.

The Skilled Worker route is the primary immigration route for overseas skilled workers looking to come to the UK, although an applicant must first meet various requirements to qualify for a visa under this route. These are set out in Appendix Skilled Worker.

The Appendix details specific eligibility, suitability and validity requirements which must be met for an individual to be approved for a Skilled Worker visa, well as the rules for dependants and for sponsored workers to become eligible for ILR.

The following comprehensive guide looks in detail at Appendix Skilled Worker of the UK’s Immigration Rules, including the relevant requirements to apply for this type of visa.

 

Section A: What is Appendix Skilled Worker?

 

Appendix Skilled Worker is the section of the Immigration Rules that specifies the various different criteria required to qualify for a Skilled Worker visa. This is a sponsored immigration route, where the applicant must first have the offer of a job from a UK licensed sponsor that meets the minimum skill and salary requirements

This means that it is essential for both UK sponsors, ie; the organisation recruiting a foreign skilled migrant, as well as the visa applicant themselves, to understand the provisions of Appendix Skilled Worker.

 

Section B: When does Appendix Skilled Worker apply?

 

Appendix Skilled Worker applies to all skilled migrant workers applying to work in the UK under the Skilled Worker route.

The Skilled Worker visa is for workers with a qualifying job offer in an eligible skilled occupation from a Home Office-approved sponsor in the UK. There are certain rules relating to what type of job this must be and what salary it must pay, in addition to various other validity, suitability and eligibility requirements. It includes specific rules on job type, salary, and other validity, suitability, and eligibility requirements. For example, the qualifying job offer must be in an eligible skilled occupation at skill level RQF 6+ for new hires post-22 July 2025, or RQF 3–5 if listed on the Immigration Salary List or sponsored before 4 April 2024, from a Home Office-approved sponsor.

UK employers recruiting skilled workers from overseas will need to have a valid Home Office-approved sponsor licence and ensure the licence and visa requirements are met in order to sponsor the worker.

 

Section C: What does Appendix Skilled Worker contain?

 

Appendix Skilled Worker is divided into a number of sections, including validity requirements, suitability requirements and eligibility requirements. These are the specific rules that an applicant must satisfy for the successful grant of entry clearance or leave to remain in the UK under this route. Applications are assessed by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), the department of the Home Office responsible for the UK’s visa system.

There are also two additional sections under Appendix Skilled Worker setting out the rules relating to settlement in the UK, known as indefinite leave to remain, as well as the rules around dependants looking to accompany or follow to join the principal applicant or primary visa-holder.

The key sections are as follows:

 

1. Skilled Worker visa validity requirements

 

Anyone applying for UK entry clearance or permission to remain as a Skilled Worker within the UK must apply online at GOV.UK using form ‘Skilled Worker visa’. However, an applicant who is applying for permission to stay must be already in the UK on the date that they apply and must neither have, nor have last been granted, permission as either a Visitor or Short-term student, or as the Parent of a Child Student, nor as a Seasonal Worker, Domestic Worker in a Private Household or outside of the Immigration Rules.

To be valid, an application for entry clearance or permission to stay as a Skilled Worker must meet all of the following requirements:

 

• The applicant must be aged 18 or over on the date of application.
• The applicant must have paid the relevant application fee and Immigration Health Charge.
• The applicant must have provided any required biometrics; if applying from outside the UK, the applying may be required to attend an overseas visa application centre to enrol a scan of their fingerprints and a photograph of their face, while this can be done at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) when applying from inside the UK.
• The applicant must have provided a passport or other travel document which satisfactorily establishes their identity and nationality; although an applicant may be eligible to use the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app to confirm their identity without having to attend a scheduled appointment. In these cases, once the applicant’s identity has been confirmed, they will then be redirected to continue and complete their application form online.
• The applicant must have a certificate of sponsorship that was issued to them by their UK sponsor no more than 30 days before the date of application. This is an electronic certificate containing a unique reference number.

 

Finally, an applicant applying for entry clearance or leave to remain who has received an award from either a government or an international scholarship agency in the 12 months before applying, where this covers both fees and living costs for study in the UK, must have provided written consent to the application from that government or agency.

Applications for leave to remain in the UK can only be made where the applicant is in the in the UK on the date of making the application. In addition, the skilled worker applicant must not have, or have last been granted, permission under any of the following visa routes:

 

• Visitor
• Short-term student
• Parent of a child student
• Seasonal worker
• Domestic worker in a private household
• Outside the Immigration Rules

 

2. Skilled Worker visa suitability requirements

 

Suitability requirements apply to all immigration routes in the UK, and must be met in addition to the specific validity and eligibility requirements. The applicant must therefore not fall for refusal under Part 9 of the rules which deal with grounds for refusal.

These grounds include, for example, where an applicant is the subject of an exclusion or deportation order, where the applicant has been convicted of a criminal offence in the UK or overseas for which they have received a custodial sentence of 12 months or more, or has committed a criminal offence, or offences, which caused serious harm.

More than one ground for refusal may apply, for example, where the applicant is a recently convicted criminal for which they have served a lengthy custodial sentence and their presence in the UK is not conducive to the public good because of their conduct or character.

Equally, when applying for leave to remain in the UK, the applicant must again not be on immigration bail or in breach of any immigration laws, except where paragraph 39E of the Immigration Rules applies (allowing a 14-day grace period for overstaying with good reason beyond the control of the applicant or their representative as to why the application could not be made in time).

 

3. Skilled Worker visa eligibility requirements

 

Under the Skilled Worker visa route, applicants will need to meet a specific set of eligibility requirements for which they will score a certain number of points. A Skilled Worker visa will then be granted to those who reach the relevant minimum 70 points threshold, comprising 50 mandatory points and 20 tradeable points for meeting the relevant eligibility criteria.

Points are awarded as follows:

 

a. 20 mandatory points for sponsorship: where the applicant must have an offer of a genuine job role within an eligible skilled occupation from a licensed UK sponsor that meets the requirements under the National Minimum Wage and Working Time Regulations. The sponsor must have issued the applicant with a valid CoS, where the UKVI caseworker making the decision must be satisfied that the job role on offer is genuine. The job must not amount to the hire of the applicant to a third party, or contract work for a third party, who is not the sponsor. The sponsor must also have paid in full any required Immigration Skills Charge. This is payable by the sponsor for every Skilled Worker CoS exceeding six months.

b. 20 mandatory points for a job at the required skill level: from 22 July 2025, new Skilled Worker sponsorship normally requires a role at RQF level 6 or above. Sub‑degree codes (RQF 3‑5) are sponsorable only if the code is listed on the Immigration Salary List or Temporary Shortage List, or the worker was first sponsored in that exact code before 22 July 2025 and is extending or changing job within the same code. The sponsor must choose an appropriate occupation code that reflects the true nature of the role and its salary. When considering occupation codes, the UKVI caseworker will consider whether the sponsor has shown a genuine need for the job role as described, whether the applicant has the appropriate qualifications, skills and experience needed to do the role, as well as the sponsor’s history of compliance with the immigration system, including paying its sponsored workers appropriately.

c. 10 mandatory points for English: demonstrating the necessary English language ability of at least level B1 (intermediate) on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages in reading, writing, speaking and listening, as set out under Appendix English Language.

d. 20 tradeable points: applicants must score 20 points from one of Options A–K (see summary table below). Accordingly, there are various options for being awarded tradeable points, including a minimum salary or educational qualification options such as having a PhD in a subject relevant to the role. For example, an applicant can be awarded 20 points if their salary equals or exceeds the higher of either the relevant minimum salary threshold per year or the going rate for the relevant occupation code.

 

Option	Applicable to	Minimum salary requirement from 22 July 2025	Points
A	Standard Skilled Worker (no discounts)	£41,700 and 100% of the standard going rate. Hourly pay must also reach £17.13 (max 48 hrs/wk).	20
B	Relevant PhD (non-STEM)	£37,500 and 90% of the standard going rate. Hourly floor £17.13 applies.	20
C	STEM PhD	£33,400 and 80% of the standard going rate. Hourly floor £17.13 applies.	20
D	Job on the Immigration Salary List (ISL)	£33,400 and 100% of the standard going rate. Hourly floor £17.13 applies. No other discounts can be combined. *	20
E	New entrant (early-career)	£33,400 and 70% of the standard going rate. Hourly floor £17.13 applies.	20
F	Health & Care ASHE job or continuing employment – standard rate	£31,300 and 100% of the lower going rate.	20
G	Health & Care ASHE job or continuing employment – relevant PhD (non-STEM)	£28,200 and 90% of the lower going rate.	20
H	Health & Care ASHE job or continuing employment – STEM PhD	£25,000 and 80% of the lower going rate.	20
I	Health & Care ASHE job or continuing employment – ISL role	£25,000 and 100% of the lower going rate. No extra discounts allowed. *	20
J	Health & Care ASHE job or continuing employment – new entrant	£25,000 and 70% of the lower going rate.	20
K	Listed health or education occupation (continuous sponsorship since before 22 Jul 2025)	£25,000 and 100% of the going rate or the relevant national payscale rate.	20

 

In addition to the points criteria set out above, the applicant may also be required to meet a number of other eligibility requirements for a Skilled Worker visa, including:

 

a. Skilled worker visa financial requirement: if the applicant is applying for entry clearance or leave to remain and has been in the UK for less than 12 months when they apply, they must have held funds of at least £1,270 for 28 days as set out under Appendix Finance. Alternatively, the sponsor must certify that they will maintain and accommodate the applicant up to the end of their first month of employment to an amount equivalent to this sum.

b. Criminal records certificate requirement: if the applicant is applying for entry clearance from overseas and is being sponsored in a certain occupation code, such as a health or education role, they must produce a criminal record certificate from the appropriate authority in any country where they have been present for 12 months or more over the age of 18, whether continuously or in total, in the 10 year period prior to applying.

c. Tuberculosis certificate requirement: if an applicant is applying for entry clearance from overseas and is from a listed country, they must provide a valid medical certificate as set out under Appendix T: tuberculosis screening, confirming that they have been screened for active pulmonary tuberculosis and that this tuberculosis is not present in them.

d. ATAS requirement: if the requirement for an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate in Appendix ATAS applies, the applicant must produce a valid ATAS certificate. The ATAS requirement is applicable where the job includes an element of PhD-level research in a relevant subject and the sponsor is also a licensed student sponsor.

 

Section D: Skilled Worker ILR requirements

 

The Skilled Worker visa offers a route to settlement. This essentially means that if the individual meets the relevant ILR requirements, including the continuous residence requirement, they can apply for permission to remain in the UK on an indefinite basis, without restriction.

Applications for settlement as a Skilled Worker are made online on the gov.uk website using form SET(O).

To be eligible to apply for settlement, an applicant will need to meet various validity, suitability and eligibility requirements. In particular, the applicant must have spent a qualifying period of 5 years in the UK and meet the following requirements:

 

• The continuous residence requirement (see “Appendix Continuous Residence”): 5 years in the UK on routes including Skilled Worker, Global Talent, Scale-up, T2 Minister of Religion, International Sportsperson, Representative of an Overseas Business, Tier 1 (except Graduate Entrepreneur).
• The knowledge of Life in the UK requirement: per Appendix KOL UK.
• The sponsorship and salary requirements for settlement as a Skilled Worker, where the applicant’s salary has to be at least the relevant settlement salary requirement or the relevant going rate whichever is higher. From 22 July 2025 the settlement salary requirement for most RQF 6 + Skilled Workers is £41 700 or the relevant going rate, whichever is higher; Table 2 roles follow £31 300 / £28 200 / £25 000 floors, as applicable.
• Validity and suitability: meet Part 9 grounds and not be in breach of immigration laws (except under paragraph 39E).

 

Read our comprehensive guide to switching from a Skilled Worker visa to ILR>> 

 

Section E: Skilled Worker visa dependants

 

Under the Skilled Worker route, a partner and any child(ren) can apply to join the main visa-holder or to stay in the UK as ‘dependants’ if they are eligible.

Skilled Worker visa holders who are not eligible to bring dependants include care workers in SOC codes 6135/6136 applying for entry clearance under the Health and Care Worker route after 11 March 2024; applicants sponsored in medium-skilled (RQF 3–5) roles after 22 July 2025; and those switching to RQF 3–5 roles from other visa routes post-22 July 2025.

Other Skilled Worker roles, including Health and Care codes at RQF 6 +, remain eligible to bring dependants.

A dependent partner or child is any of the following:

 

• a husband, wife, civil partner or unmarried partner;
• a child under 18, including if they were born in the UK during the visa-holders stay;
• a child over 18 if they are currently in the UK as the visa-holder’s dependant.

 

To be eligible, the applicant will need to meet the various validity, suitability and eligibility requirements as set out under Appendix Skilled Worker including a relationship and financial requirement (for partner and child applicants), age and care requirements (for child applicants), and a criminal record certificate requirement (for partner applicants).

If a dependant is approved for a visa under the Skilled Worker route, this will typically be granted in line with the period of leave held by the primary visa-holder.

 

Section F: Need assistance?

 

We are specialist UK immigration lawyers, with substantial experience and recognised expertise in advising employers and workers on UK employment sponsorship, sponsor licence applications and management, and Skilled Worker visa applications. For specialist immigration advice to support your talent mobility and business operations, contact us.

 

Section G: Appendix Skilled Worker FAQs

 

What is Appendix Skilled Worker?

It is the part of the Immigration Rules that sets out every validity, suitability and eligibility test for obtaining, extending or settling on a Skilled Worker visa. Sponsors, applicants and their advisers should read it alongside Appendix Skilled Occupations, Appendix English Language and Appendix Finance.

 

Which jobs qualify after the July 2025 skill changes?

New sponsorship normally requires a role at RQF level 6 or above (Tables 1–3). Sub‑degree codes (Tables 1A, 2A, 3A) are now limited to (a) the Immigration Salary List, (b) the Temporary Shortage List or (c) workers who were already sponsored in that exact code before 22 July 2025.

 

How do I find the right SOC code and going rate?

Use the ONS Occupation Coding Tool within the Sponsor Management System, then check the corresponding salary tables in Appendix Skilled Occupations. The going rate must match the hours on the CoS and, together with the cash threshold for the chosen option, forms the minimum salary test.

 

What are Options A–K?

These are the salary “tradeable points” bands. Options A–E apply to most graduate‑level roles; Options F–J cover Health‑and‑Care ASHE codes; Option K is a concession for certain long‑sponsored health‑ and education‑sector roles. Each option has its own cash floor and percentage of the going rate.

 

Does the £17.13 hourly floor apply to every worker?

No. The hourly minimum is imposed only on Options A–E (Tables 1–3). Options F–J and K have no hourly floor, although care‑worker codes 6135/6136 must still reach £25 000 a year or £12.82 per hour, whichever is higher.

 

Can Student visa holders switch to Skilled Worker?

Yes, if they have completed their course (or a degree‑level course under Student rule ST 27.3), or they are on a PhD and at least 24 months of study have passed. The CoS start date must be no earlier than the relevant completion or 24‑month point.

 

Are dependants allowed under the route?

Yes, except where the main applicant is newly sponsored (on or after 22 July 2025) in an ISL or TSL job at RQF 3–5. Those workers cannot bring new dependants; all other Skilled Worker roles may.

 

What happens if the ISL or TSL code is removed?

All current list entries expire on 31 December 2026 unless extended. A Certificate of Sponsorship assigned after the removal date cannot rely on list concessions, so sponsors must plan recruitment timelines carefully.

 

How long does a Skilled Worker need before applying for ILR?

Five continuous years, meeting the settlement salary threshold (£41 700 for most graduate‑level roles; £31 300, £28 200 or £25 000 for Health‑and‑Care options) or the full going rate, plus the Life in the UK test and continuous‑residence requirements.

 

Can part‑time roles qualify?

Yes, but only the going rate can be pro‑rated to contracted hours; the cash threshold (e.g. £41 700 or £31 300) must always be met in full, regardless of hours worked.

 

Section H: Glossary

 

Term	Definition
Appendix Skilled Worker	The part of the Immigration Rules that sets out validity, suitability, eligibility, settlement and dependant requirements for the Skilled Worker visa.
Appendix Skilled Occupations	Companion appendix listing all Standard Occupational Classification codes that can be sponsored, together with skill level, going‑rate salaries and salary‑option tables.
Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS)	An electronic record issued by a licensed sponsor containing a unique reference that a visa applicant needs when applying for a Skilled Worker visa.
SOC 2020 code	The four‑digit Standard Occupational Classification identifier used from April 2024. Each code has an associated going‑rate salary.
Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF)	National framework defining UK qualification levels. From 22 July 2025 new sponsorship normally requires jobs at RQF level 6 (graduate) or above.
Immigration Salary List (ISL)	The Home‑Office list of shortage occupations that permit lower skill and salary thresholds. Current entries expire on 31 December 2026.
Temporary Shortage List (TSL)	One‑off list of sub‑degree occupations given temporary sponsorship concessions until 31 December 2026.
Options A–K	The salary‑points bands in Appendix Skilled Worker. Options A–E cover most graduate roles; F–J cover Health‑and‑Care codes; K is a legacy health/education concession.
Going rate	The occupation‑specific median salary set by the Home Office for each SOC code; must be met alongside the cash threshold.
Cash threshold	The fixed annual salary floor for each option (e.g. £41,700 for Option A) that must be met in full, irrespective of hours worked.
£17.13 hourly floor	Universal minimum hourly pay (max 48 hours/week) that applies to Options A–E from 22 July 2025.
Health & Care ASHE codes	Table 2 occupations (e.g. nurses, therapists) that follow Options F–J salary bands and are exempt from the £17.13 hourly rule.
Continuing‑Employment Tables 1A / 2A / 3A	Transitional tables preserving sponsorship for certain sub‑degree codes first used before 22 July 2025; concessions run to 4 April 2030 (22 July 2028 for care‑workers).
Immigration Skills Charge	Levy paid by the sponsor each time a CoS over six months is assigned to a Skilled Worker.
Sponsor licence	Home‑Office authorisation allowing a UK employer to recruit and sponsor non‑resident workers.
Settlement / ILR	Indefinite Leave to Remain: the permission to live in the UK without time restriction, usually after five years on the Skilled Worker route.
New entrant	Early‑career applicant (e.g. under 26, recent UK graduate) who may be sponsored on a reduced salary under Option E or J for up to four years.
Tradeable points	The 20 salary‑related points that can be earned by meeting one of Options A–K.
ONS Occupation Coding Tool	Online tool within the Sponsor Management System used to identify the correct SOC 2020 code for a job.
Care‑worker codes 6135/6136