Appendix Skilled Occupations: Guide 2025
Appendix Skilled Occupations plays an important role in the UK visa sponsorship system, as it sets out the job roles that are eligible under the Skilled Worker, Global Business Mobility and Scale Up routes. Sponsored work visa salary and skills thresholds, along with Temporary Shortage List and Immigration Salary List rules, are changing from […]
Immigration Salary List 2025
The Immigration Salary List (ISL) specifies shortage occupations and sets a mandatory salary floor for each role included on the list. The ISL replaced the Shortage Occupation List on 4 April 2024. Following rule changes from 22 July 2025, inclusion on the Immigration Salary List no longer grants a percentage discount. Instead, the list specifies […]
How to Get a UK Sponsorship Licence in 2025
To hire most non-UK resident workers, your organisation will need to hold a valid sponsorship licence. We are specialists in sponsor licence applications & compliance. Sponsoring overseas nationals can provide UK businesses with significant benefits, not least being able to fill much needed skills gaps with talented migrant workers. However, applying for a sponsor licence […]
Work Permit UK: Options & Advice
The term “work permit” is not an official term under the current UK immigration system. It is a general, informal way of referring to the Skilled Worker visa, which is the primary work visa for foreign nationals who wish to work in the UK. The Skilled Worker visa is part of the UK’s points-based immigration […]
Shortage Occupation List 2025
The Shortage Occupation List is no longer used for applications under the Skilled Worker visa. It was replaced by the Immigration Salary List (ISL) in April 2024. The ISL specifies salary thresholds for specific occupations under the Skilled Worker route. Under changes announced in the Immigration White Paper, the Immigration Salary List will operate alongside […]
SOC Codes for Skilled Worker Eligible Occupations
Matching the role you are recruiting for with the relevant occupation code, or SOC code, is a crucial step when hiring a new sponsored worker under the Skilled Worker, Global Business Mobility or Scale Up routes. It will be important for the sponsor to allocate the correct occupation code to avoid issues with the Home […]
Sponsor Licence Application Fee: Employers’ Guide
The sponsor licence application fee is a mandatory cost that UK employers must pay when applying for a licence to sponsor skilled workers from overseas. The fee is determined by the size and type of the organisation and is paid as part of the application process to UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI). Sponsoring skilled overseas […]
Student to Skilled Worker Visa Switching (Sponsor Guide)
If your organisation is hiring international graduates, immigration will be a key part of the recruitment and onboarding stages. For applicants, switching from the Student to Skilled Worker visa is rarely straightforward, but the process can be made easier and more certain if the sponsor and applicant work together on the application. While the Graduate route […]
Tier 2 ICT Visa Extension After 5 Years: What Now?
The Tier 2 Intra-Company Transfer (ICT) visa was designed for employees of multinational companies who needed to transfer to a UK branch of their organisation. Although the route has now closed to new applicants and been replaced by the Global Business Mobility: Senior or Specialist Worker visa, many individuals remain in the UK on legacy […]
Skilled Worker Change of Employment
Skilled Worker visa holders are subject to a number of ongoing conditions during their period of leave in the UK, including the requirement to notify the Home Office of certain changes to their circumstances. One of the most significant of these is a change of employment. Whether the worker is moving to a new role […]