UK Skilled Worker Visa 2026: Rules, Salary and Costs

The Skilled Worker visa is still the main way to work in the UK with a job offer. It is now harder to get than it was in 2024. The July 2025 reforms raised the skill level, raised the salary floor and tightened English. This guide covers the rules as they stand in October 2026, checked against GOV.UK.

What changed in 2025 and 2026

Most of the changes came from the May 2025 Immigration White Paper and the rule changes that followed. In brief:

People who got their first certificate of sponsorship before 22 July 2025 can often extend under the older rules. That transitional protection does not help new applicants from Nigeria.

Who qualifies

You need all of the following:

• A job offer from a UK employer that holds a Home Office sponsor licence
• A job whose occupation code is eligible for the route
• A certificate of sponsorship (CoS) from that employer
• A salary that meets the threshold for your job
• English at B2 level
• Enough savings, unless your employer certifies your maintenance

The skill level rule

GOV.UK sorts occupation codes into "higher skilled" and "medium skilled". Higher-skilled jobs (RQF level 6 and above, roughly graduate level) are eligible. Medium-skilled jobs (RQF 3 to 5) are eligible for new applicants only if the job is on the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List.

The Temporary Shortage List is not permanent. The sponsor guidance says those jobs are due to be removed by the end of 2026 unless the Migration Advisory Committee recommends they stay. If your plan depends on a medium-skilled role, check the current list before you spend money.

The full list of codes is in the eligible occupations publication on GOV.UK.

Salary thresholds

For most applicants, you must be paid whichever is higher:

• £41,700 a year, or
• the "going rate" for your occupation code

Some applicants can be paid less. These are the main discounts listed on GOV.UK:

Health and education jobs on national pay scales have their own going rates, usually tied to those scales. Check the occupation tables for your exact code, because the going rate is often higher than the general floor.

The certificate of sponsorship

The CoS is an electronic record, not a paper certificate. Your employer assigns it and gives you a reference number to use in your visa application.

You must apply within 3 months of getting it. The CoS states your job title, occupation code and salary, so these must match your contract and the job you actually do.

Your employer pays for the CoS and the immigration skills charge. Since 16 December 2025 the skills charge has been £480 for the first 12 months for small or charitable sponsors and £1,320 for medium or large sponsors, with more for each extra six months. You should never be asked to repay these.

What it costs you

These are the applicant fees on GOV.UK as of October 2026:

The health surcharge is paid upfront for the whole visa. A 3-year visa means 3 years of surcharge on top of the fee. A partner or child coming with you pays the same fee and surcharge again, and needs their own maintenance funds.

The £1,270 must be in your account for at least 28 days in a row, with day 28 falling within 31 days of applying. You do not need to show it if your employer confirms on the CoS that it will cover your first month's costs up to that amount.

Budget separately for your English test, TB test, police certificate, Ecctis assessment (if needed) and flight. Fees change, so check GOV.UK on the day you pay.

English: B2 is now the bar

From 8 January 2026, new Skilled Worker applicants must prove English at B2 on the CEFR scale. That is a step up from the old B1 level.

Nigeria is not on the exempt-country list. Most Nigerian applicants prove English in one of two ways:

• A Secure English Language Test (SELT) from a Home Office-approved provider, passed at B2
• A degree taught in English, confirmed by an Ecctis assessment as equal to a UK bachelor's degree or higher

The Ecctis route can save you a test, but it takes time and costs money. Start it early if you plan to use it.

Step by step: from offer to arrival

1. Check the job. Confirm the employer is on the register of licensed sponsors and the occupation code is eligible.
2. Confirm the salary. Compare it with £41,700 and the going rate for that code.
3. Sort out English. Book a B2-level SELT or start your Ecctis application.
4. Get your TB test. Nigeria is on the TB test list, so use a Home Office-approved clinic.
5. Get a police certificate if needed. Nurses, doctors, teachers, social workers and other listed roles need a criminal record certificate from every country where they have lived for 12 months or more in the last 10 years (if 28 or older).
6. Receive your CoS. Your employer assigns it and sends you the reference number.
7. Apply online. Pay the fee and health surcharge, then prove your identity with the ID Check app or at a visa application centre.
8. Wait for the decision. GOV.UK says it usually takes about 3 weeks from outside the UK.
9. Travel and start work. Your status is held as an eVisa, which you access through your UKVI account.

Document checklist

• Valid passport (check it will not expire soon)
• CoS reference number
• Proof of English at B2 (SELT result or Ecctis confirmation)
• Bank statements showing £1,270 for 28 days, unless your employer certifies maintenance
• TB test certificate from an approved clinic
• Criminal record certificate, if your job needs one
• Ecctis reference for any overseas PhD you are relying on
• Certified translations of anything not in English
• Marriage or birth certificates for dependants

Settlement: what is certain and what is not

Under the current rules on GOV.UK, Skilled Workers can usually apply for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) after 5 years, if they still meet the requirements.

That may change. The government's "earned settlement" consultation ran from November 2025 to February 2026. It proposes ten years as the normal qualifying period, with shorter periods for some people, such as high earners and public service workers. Ministers have said new rules could apply to people already in the UK who have not yet settled.

One change is already law. From March 2027, most settlement applicants will need English at A-level standard instead of GCSE level.

Where this fits in your plans

If you are a nurse, doctor or allied health professional, the Health and Care Worker visa is usually cheaper and does not charge the health surcharge. For a wider view of routes, rent and the first month after landing, see Live and work in the UK.