How do you get a Skilled Worker visa to work in the United Kingdom in 2026?

Your UK employer must hold a valid Skilled Worker sponsor licence. If they are not licensed, they apply to the Home Office first. Only after licensing can they assign a Certificate of Sponsorship, an electronic record with a reference number, not a paper certificate you collect.

The job must sit in an eligible occupation code, be a genuine vacancy, meet National Minimum Wage and working-time rules, and meet the salary rules for that code and CoS date. Going rates and tradeable points change, so the sponsor checks the live Appendix Skilled Occupations tables rather than recycling an old offer letter. The employer normally pays the CoS fee and, for many Skilled Worker assignments, the Immigration Skills Charge.

You cannot create a CoS yourself. Once assigned, you usually must apply for the visa within three months, and not more than three months before the job start date shown on the CoS.

Apply online with the CoS reference, passport, English-language evidence where required, job title, salary, occupation code, and the sponsor’s licence number. From outside the UK you often prove identity with the UK Immigration ID Check app or at a visa application centre. From inside the UK you may switch only if your current category allows it. Visit visas and several short-stay categories cannot switch to Skilled Worker in-country.

Out-of-country decisions often arrive within about three weeks after biometrics and documents. In-country switches and extensions often take longer, commonly around eight weeks on GOV.UK guidance. After a grant, view conditions through your UK eVisa and give employers a right-to-work share code rather than a screenshot.

Start payroll with right-to-work evidence even if your National Insurance number is still pending. Keep continuous residence evidence if you later aim for indefinite leave to remain. Arrival sequencing beyond immigration sits in paperwork after moving to the UK.