Immigration Rules - Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Worker

Entry requirements for a Skilled Worker

SW 3.1. A person seeking to come to the UK as a Skilled Worker must apply for and obtain entry clearance as a Skilled Worker before they arrive in the UK.

SW 3.2. A person applying for entry clearance as a Skilled Worker must, if Appendix Tuberculosis applies, provide a valid medical certificate confirming that they have undergone screening for active pulmonary tuberculosis and that this tuberculosis is not present in them.

Points requirement for a Skilled Worker

SW 4.1. The applicant must be awarded 50 mandatory points from the table below. Details of how these points are awarded are set out in SW 5.1. to SW 7.4.

Mandatory points requirements	Relevant rules	Points
Sponsorship	SW 5.1. to SW 5.7.	20
Job at an appropriate skill level	SW 6.1. to SW 6.5.	20
English language skills at level B1 (intermediate)	SW 7.1. to SW 7.3.	10

SW 4.2. An applicant must be awarded 20 tradeable points from the table below. An applicant may only be awarded points from one entry in the table. Details of how these points are awarded are set out in SW 8.1. to SW 14.6.

Option	Tradeable points requirements for each option	Relevant rules	Points
A	The applicant’s salary equals or exceeds all of the following: • £26,200 per year; • £10.75 per hour; and • the going rate for the occupation code.	SW 8.1. to SW 8.5. and SW 14.1. to SW 14.6.	20
B	Educational qualification: PhD in a subject relevant to the job and the applicant’s salary equals or exceeds all of the following: • £23,580 per year; • £10.75 per hour; and • 90% of the going rate for the occupation code. In this entry, 10 points will be awarded for the educational qualification and 10 points will be awarded for the applicant’s salary.	SW 9.1. to SW 9.10. and SW 14.1. to SW 14.6.	20
C	Educational qualification: PhD in a STEM subject relevant to the job and the applicant’s salary equals or exceeds all of the following: • £20,960 per year; • £10.75 per hour; and • 80% of the going rate for the occupation code.	SW 10.1. to SW 10.6. and SW 14.1. to SW 14.6.	20
D	Job in a shortage occupation and the applicant’s salary equals or exceeds all of the following: • £20,960 per year; • £10.75 per hour; and • 80% of the going rate for the occupation code, for occupation codes where a going rate is specified.	SW 11.1. to SW 11.6. and SW 14.1. to SW 14.6.	20
E	Applicant is a new entrant to the labour market and their salary equals or exceeds all of the following: • £20,960 per year; • £10.75 per hour; and • 70% of the going rate for the occupation code.	SW 12.1. to SW 12.7. and SW 14.1. to SW 14.6.	20
F	Job in a listed health or education occupation and the applicant’s salary equals or exceeds both: • £20,960 per year; and • the going rate for the occupation code. An applicant with a job in a listed health or education occupation can only be awarded tradeable points from option F.	SW 13.1. to SW 13.7. and SW 14.1 to SW 14.6.	20

Points for sponsorship (mandatory)

SW 5.1. The applicant must have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship for the job they are planning to do; which to be valid must:
1. (a) confirm the applicant’s name, that they are being sponsored as a Skilled Worker, details of the job and salary the sponsor is offering them and PAYE details if HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) requires income tax and National Insurance for the sponsored job to be paid via PAYE; and
2. (b) if the application is for entry clearance, have been allocated by the Home Office to that sponsor for the specific job and salary details shown; and
3. (c) include a start date, stated by the sponsor, which is no more than 3 months after the date of application; and
4. (d) not have been used in a previous application which was either granted or refused (but can have been used in a previous application which was rejected as invalid, made void or withdrawn); and
5. (e) not have been withdrawn by the sponsor or cancelled by the Home Office; and(f) confirm whether or not the Academic Technology ApprovalScheme (ATAS) requirement in Appendix ATAS applies.

SW 5.2. The sponsor must be authorised by the Home Office to sponsor the job in question under the Skilled Worker route.

SW 5.3. The sponsor must be listed as A-rated on the Home Office’s register of licensed sponsors, unless the applicant was last granted permission as a Skilled Worker and is applying to continue working for the same sponsor as in their last permission.

SW 5.4. The sponsor must have paid in full any required Immigration Skills Charge.

SW 5.5. The decision maker must not have reasonable grounds to believe the job the applicant is being sponsored to do:
1. (a) does not exist; or
2. (b) is a sham; or
3. (c) has been created mainly so the applicant can apply for entry clearance or permission to stay.

SW 5.6. The decision maker must not have reasonable grounds to believe the job the applicant is being sponsored to do amounts to:
1. (a) the hire of the applicant to a third party who is not the sponsor to fill a position with that party, whether temporary or permanent; or
2. (b) contract work to undertake an ongoing routine role or to provide an ongoing routine service for a third party who is not the sponsor, regardless of the nature or length of any arrangement between the sponsor and the third party.

SW 5.6A. The decision maker must not have reasonable grounds to believe the job the applicant is being sponsored to do does not comply with the National Minimum Wage Regulations or the Working Time Regulations.

SW 5.7. If the requirements in SW 5.1. to SW 5.6A. are met, the applicant will be awarded 20 mandatory points for sponsorship.

Points for a job at the appropriate skill level (mandatory)

SW 6.1. The applicant must be sponsored for a job in an eligible occupation code listed in Appendix Skilled Occupations or Appendix Shortage Occupation List, subject to SW 6.2.

SW 6.2. The sponsor must choose an appropriate occupation code, and the decision maker must not have reasonable grounds to believe the sponsor has chosen a less appropriate occupation code for any of the following reasons:
1. (a) the most appropriate occupation code is not eligible under the Skilled Worker route; or
2. (b) the most appropriate occupation code has a higher going rate than the proposed salary; or
3. (c) the most appropriate occupation code is not a shortage occupation and the applicant is claiming points for a job in a shortage occupation; or
4. (d) the most appropriate occupation code is not listed as “eligible for PhD points” in Table 1 of Appendix Skilled Occupations and the applicant is claiming points for an educational qualification.

SW 6.3. To support the assessment in SW 6.2., the decision maker may, in particular, consider:
1. (a) whether the sponsor has shown a genuine need for the job as described; and
2. (b) whether the applicant has the appropriate skills, qualifications and experience needed to do the job as described; and
3. (c) the sponsor’s history of compliance with the immigration system including, but not limited to, paying its sponsored workers appropriately; and
4. (d) any additional information from the sponsor.

SW 6.3A. If the ATAS requirement in Appendix ATAS applies, the applicant must provide a valid ATAS certificate.

SW 6.4. If the requirements in SW 6.1. to SW 6.3A. are met, an applicant will be awarded 20 mandatory points for a job at the appropriate skill level, subject to SW 6.5.

SW 6.5. No points will be awarded for a job at the appropriate skill level if the applicant is not also being awarded the 20 mandatory points for sponsorship under SW 5.7.

Points for the English language requirement (mandatory)

SW 7.1. An applicant must show English language ability on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages in all 4 components (reading, writing, speaking and listening) of at least level B1 (intermediate).

Tradeable points option A

SW 8.1. The applicant must be sponsored for a job in an appropriate eligible occupation code listed in Table 1 of Appendix Skilled Occupations.

SW 8.2. The salary for the job for which the applicant is being sponsored must equal or exceed all of the following:
1. (a) £26,200 per year; and
2. (b) £10.75 per hour; and
3. (c) the going rate for the occupation code.

SW 8.3. The salary will be considered as set out in SW 14.1. to SW 14.6.

SW 8.4. If the requirements in SW 8.1. to SW 8.3. are met, the applicant will be awarded 20 tradeable points for their salary, subject to SW 8.5.

SW 8.5. No points will be awarded for salary if the applicant is not also being awarded the 20 mandatory points for sponsorship under SW 5.7. and the 20 mandatory points for a job at the appropriate skill level under SW 6.4.

Tradeable points option B

SW 9.1. The applicant must be sponsored for a job in an appropriate occupation code listed as being “eligible for PhD points” in Table 1 of Appendix Skilled Occupations.

SW 9.2. The applicant must have a UK PhD or other academic doctoral qualification, or an overseas academic qualification which Ecctis confirms meets the recognised standard of a UK PhD.

SW 9.3. The applicant’s sponsor must provide a credible explanation of how the qualification is relevant to the job for which the applicant is being sponsored.

SW 9.4. If the applicant has been correctly awarded points for an educational qualification in a previous grant of permission as a Skilled Worker, the applicant does not need to provide evidence of the qualification again, but the sponsor must still provide the explanation in SW 9.3.

SW 9.5. The applicant may only be awarded points for one qualification.

SW 9.6. The salary for the job the applicant is being sponsored for must equal or exceed all of the following:
1. (a) £23,580 per year; and
2. (b) £10.75 per hour; and
3. (c) 90% of the going rate for the occupation code.

SW 9.7. The salary will be considered as set out in SW 14.1. to SW 14.6.

SW 9.8. If the requirements in SW 9.1. to SW 9.5. are met, the applicant will be awarded 10 tradeable points for a relevant educational qualification, subject to SW 9.10.

SW 9.9. If the requirements SW 9.6. to SW 9.7. are met and the occupation code is listed in Table 1 of Appendix Skilled Occupations, the applicant will be awarded 10 tradeable points for their salary, subject to SW 9.10.

SW 9.10. No points will be awarded for a relevant educational qualification or salary if the applicant is not also being awarded the 20 mandatory points for sponsorship under SW 5.7. and the 20 mandatory points for a job at the appropriate skill level under SW 6.4.

Tradeable points option C

SW 10.1. The applicant must meet the requirements in SW 9.1. to SW 9.5.

SW 10.2. The applicant’s sponsor must provide a credible explanation that the qualification in question is in a Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) subject.

SW 10.3. The salary for the job the applicant is being sponsored for must equal or exceed all of the following:
1. (a) £20,960 per year; and
2. (b) £10.75 per hour; and
3. (c) 80% of the going rate for the occupation code.

SW 10.4. The salary will be considered as set out in SW 14.1. to SW 14.6.

SW 10.5. If the requirements in SW 10.1. to SW 10.4. are met, the applicant will be awarded 20 tradeable points for a relevant educational qualification in a STEM subject and their salary, subject to SW 10.6.

SW 10.6. No points will be awarded for a relevant educational qualification and salary if the applicant is not also being awarded the 20 mandatory points for sponsorship under SW 5.7. and the 20 mandatory points for a job at the appropriate skill level under SW 6.4.

Tradeable points option D

SW 11.1. The applicant must be sponsored for a job in an appropriate eligible occupation code listed in Appendix Shortage Occupation List as being a shortage occupation in the nation of the UK where that job is based, unless SW 11.2. applies.

SW 11.2. If, on or before the date the sponsor assigned the Certificate of Sponsorship to the applicant, the applicant’s job was removed from Appendix Shortage Occupation List, both of the following conditions must be met:
1. (a) the applicant’s most recent permission was as a Skilled Worker in which they were sponsored to work in a shortage occupation under the applicable rules at that time; and
2. (b) the applicant is being sponsored to continue working in the same job for the same sponsor as in their previous permission.

SW 11.3. The salary for the job the applicant is being sponsored for must equal or exceed all of the following:
1. (a) £20,960 per year; and
2. (b) £10.75 per hour; and
3. (c) if it is listed in Table 1 of Appendix Skilled Occupations, 80% of the going rate for the occupation code.

SW 11.4. The salary will be considered as set out in SW 14.1. to SW 14.6.

SW 11.5. If the requirements in SW 11.1. to SW 11.4. are met, the applicant will be awarded 20 tradeable points for a job in a shortage occupation and their salary, subject to SW 11.6.

SW 11.6. No points will be awarded for a job in a shortage occupation and salary if the applicant is not also being awarded the 20 mandatory points for sponsorship under SW 5.7. and the 20 mandatory points for a job at the appropriate skill level under SW 6.4.

Tradeable points option E

SW 12.1. The applicant must be sponsored for a job in an appropriate eligible occupation code listed in Table 1 of Appendix Skilled Occupations.

SW 12.2. The applicant must meet one or more of the following requirements:
1. (a)the applicant must be under the age of 26 on the date of application; or
2. (b)the job offer must be for a postdoctoral position in any of the following occupation codes:
  1. •2111 Chemical scientists
  2. •2112 Biological scientists and biochemists
  3. •2113 Physical scientists
  4. •2114 Social and humanities scientists
  5. •2119 Natural and social science professionals not elsewhere classified
  6. •2311 Higher education teaching professionals; or
3. (c)the job offer must be in a UK Regulated Profession and the applicant must be working towards a recognised professional qualification for that profession; or
4. (d)the applicant must be working towards full registration or chartered status with the relevant professional body for the job they are being sponsored for; or
5. (e)the application must be for permission to stay and the applicant’s most recent permission must have been as a Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) Migrant; or
6. (f)all of the following conditions apply:
  1. (i)the applicant’s most recent permission, other than as a visitor, was as a Student; and
  2. (ii)that permission is either current or expired less than 2 years before the date of application; and
  3. (iii)in that permission or any previous permission as a Student, the applicant was sponsored to study one of the following courses (not any other qualifications of an equivalent level):
    1. •a UK bachelor’s degree; or
    2. •a UK master’s degree; or
    3. •a UK PhD or other doctoral qualification; or
    4. •a Postgraduate Certificate in Education; or
    5. •a Professional Graduate Diploma of Education; and
  4. (iv)the applicant has completed (or is applying no more than 3 months before they are expected to complete) the course in (iii) above, or the applicant is studying a PhD and has completed at least 12 months study in the UK towards the PhD, or
7. (g) the applicant’s most recent permission, other than as a visitor, was as a Graduate, and that permission is either current or expired less than 2 years before the date of application.

SW 12.3. Granting the application must not mean the applicant’s combined permission as a Skilled Worker, Graduate and/or Tier 2 Migrant would be more than 4 years in total, whether or not the permission is for a continuous period.

SW 12.4. The salary for the job the applicant is being sponsored for must equal or exceed all of the following:
1. (a) £20,960 per year; and
2. (b) £10.75 per hour; and
3. (c) 70% of the going rate for the occupation code.

SW 12.5. The salary will be considered as set out in SW 14.1. to SW 14.6.

SW 12.6. If the requirements in SW 12.1. to SW 12.5. are met, the applicant will be awarded 20 tradeable points for being a new entrant to the labour market and their salary, subject to SW 12.7.

SW 12.7. No points will be awarded for being a new entrant to the labour market and salary if the applicant is not also being awarded the 20 mandatory points for sponsorship under SW 5.7. and the 20 mandatory points for a job at the appropriate skill level under SW 6.4.

Tradeable points option F

SW 13.1. The applicant must be sponsored for a job in an appropriate eligible occupation code listed in Table 2 of Appendix Skilled Occupations.

SW 13.2. The salary for the job for which the applicant is being sponsored must equal or exceed both:
1. (a) £20,960 per year; and
2. (b) the going rate for the occupation code.

SW 13.3. The salary will be considered as set out in SW 14.1. to SW 14.5.

SW 13.4. If the applicant is being sponsored for a job in the occupation code “2231 Nurses” or “2232 Midwives”, their salary may be temporarily (for up to 8 months) less than the £20,960 per year required under SW 13.2(a) in either of the following circ*mstances:
1. (a) the applicant has previously held Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) registration and is undertaking an NMC-approved programme with a view to returning to practice; or
2. (b) the applicant is working towards NMC registration and all of the following conditions apply:
  1. (i) the applicant has passed the NMC’s English language requirements and Computer Based Test of competence, before the date of application; and
  2. (ii) the applicant will sit an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) to obtain NMC registration no later than 3 months after the stated job start date.

SW 13.5. Where SW 13.4. applies:
1. (a) the sponsor must confirm that the applicant will stop being sponsored if they do not achieve full NMC registration within 8 months of the job start date (if the applicant was last granted permission as a as a nurse or midwife on the Skilled Worker route, the 8 months is counted from the start date of the job they were sponsored to do in their most recent permission); and
2. (b) during the 8 months in (a), or until the applicant achieves NMC registration (if sooner), the applicant’s salary must be at least equal to the appropriate Agenda for Change Band 3 rate, as stated in Table 3 of Appendix Skilled Occupations.

SW 13.6. If the requirements in SW 13.1. to SW 13.5. are met, the applicant will be awarded 20 tradeable points for a job in a listed health or education occupation and their salary, subject to SW 13.7.

SW 13.7. No points will be awarded for a job in a listed health or education occupation and salary if the applicant is not also being awarded the 20 mandatory points for sponsorship under SW 5.7. and the 20 mandatory points for a job at the appropriate skill level under SW 6.4.

Consideration of salary (all tradeable points options)

SW 14.1. Salary only includes guaranteed basic gross pay (before income tax and including employee pension and national insurance contributions) and other guaranteed payments which are treated exactly the same as basic gross pay for tax, pension and national insurance purposes .

SW 14.2. Salary does not include other pay and benefits, such as any of the following:
1. (a)pay which cannot be guaranteed because the nature of the job means that hours fluctuate; or
2. (b)additional pay such as shift, overtime or bonus pay, (whether or not it is guaranteed); or
3. (c)employer pension and employer national insurance contributions; or
4. (d)any allowances, such as accommodation or cost of living allowances; or
5. (e)in-kind benefits, such as equity shares, health insurance, school or university fees, company cars or food; or
6. (f)one-off payments, such as ‘golden hellos’; or
7. (g)any payments relating to immigration costs, such as the fee or Immigration Health Charge; or
8. (h)payments to cover business expenses, including (but not limited to) travel to and from the applicant’s country of residence, equipment, clothing, travel or subsistence.

SW 14.3. If the applicant is being sponsored to work more than 48 hours a week, subject to SW 14.3A, only the salary for the first 48 hours a week will be considered towards the salary thresholds of £26,200, £23,580 or £20,960 per year referred to in SW 8.1. to SW 13.7.

For example, an applicant who works 60 hours a week for £10 per hour will be considered to have a salary of £24,960 (£10 x 48 x 52) per year and not £31,200 (£10 x 60 x 52).

SW 14.3A. If the applicant is being sponsored to work a pattern where the regular hours are not the same each week, resulting in uneven pay:
1. (a) work in excess of 48 hours in some weeks can be considered towards the salary thresholds, providing the average over a regular cycle (which can be less than, but not more than, 17 weeks) is not more than 48 hours a week; and
2. (b) any unpaid rest weeks will count towards the average when considering whether the salary thresholds are met; and
3. (c) any unpaid rest weeks will not count as absences from employment for the purpose of paragraph 9.30.1 in Part 9 of these rules.
For example, an applicant who works a pattern of 60 hours a week for £12 per hour for two weeks, followed by an unpaid rest week, will be considered to work 40 hours a week on average and have a salary of £24,960 (£12 x 40 x 52) per year.

SW 14.4. Going rates will be pro-rated, and the £10.75 per hour salary requirement will be calculated, to the applicant’s working pattern, as follows:
1. (a) going rates for occupation codes listed in Table 1 of Appendix Skilled Occupations are based on a 37.5-hour week and will be pro-rated as follows:
(the going rate for the occupation code stated in Table 1 of Appendix Skilled Occupations) x (the number of weekly working hours stated by the sponsor ÷ 37.5)
1. (b)where an applicant’s salary is required to be 70%, 80% or 90% of the going rate, the resulting figure from the calculation in (a) will be multiplied by 0.7, 0.8 or 0.9 as appropriate, to calculate the required salary; and.
2. (c)going rates for the health and education occupation codes listed in Table 2 of Appendix Skilled Occupations will be pro-rated as stated in Appendix Skilled Occupations; and
3. (d)the applicant’s full weekly hours will be included when checking their salary against the going rate and the £10.75 per hour salary requirement, even if they work more than 48 hours a week.

Transitional arrangements for salary on the Skilled Worker route

SW 14.5. If the applicant is applying for permission to stay or settlement, the applicant was granted permission as a Tier 2 (General) Migrant and has had continuous permission as a Skilled Worker ever since, the following transitional arrangements apply:
1. (a) if the date of application is before 1 December 2026 salary may also include allowances (the other restrictions in SW 14.20 also apply), providing the following conditions are met:
  1. (i) the applicant is applying to work for the same sponsor as in their previous permission; and
  2. (ii) the allowances are guaranteed, will be paid for the duration of the applicant’s permission, and would be paid to a local settled worker in similar circ*mstances, such as London weighting; and
2. (b) if the date of application is before 24 May 2023 and the applicant had permission as a Tier 2 (General) Migrant based on a certificate of sponsorship given to them by their sponsor before 24 November 2016, the applicant does not need to score 20 tradeable points from options A to F, as set out in SW 8.1. to SW 13.6, instead, 20 tradeable points will be awarded for a salary of £20,800 or above, or at least the going rate for the occupation code, if higher (the other requirements in SW 14.1. to SW 14.4. also apply), but these points will not be awarded if the applicant is not also being awarded the 20 mandatory points for sponsorship under SW 5.7. and the 20 mandatory points for a job at the appropriate skill level under SW 6.4; and
3. (c) the applicant was sponsored to work in one of the occupation codes in the table below at the time they applied for their last permission as a Tier 2 (General) Migrant and has continued to be sponsored in that occupation code ever since (whether as a Tier 2 (General) Migrant and/or as a Skilled Worker), and the date of application is before 1 December 2026, the going rates in the table below apply, instead of the going rates listed in Table 1 of Appendix Skilled Occupations. These going rates are based on a 40-hour working week and must be pro-rated for other working patterns, based on the weekly working hours stated by the applicant’s sponsor:

Occupation code	Going rate - option A	90% of going rate - option B	80% of going rate - options C and D	70% of going rate - option E
2113 Physical scientists	£29,000 (£13.94 per hour)	£26,100 (£12.55 per hour)	£23,200 (£11.15 per hour)	£20,300 (£9.76 per hour)
2119 Natural and social science professionals not elsewhere classified	£29,000 (£13.94 per hour)	£26,100 (£12.55 per hour)	£23,200 (£11.15 per hour)	£20,300 (£9.76 per hour)
2311 Higher education teaching professionals	£33,000 (£15.87 per hour)	£29,700 (£14.28 per hour)	£26,400 (£12.69 per hour)	£23,100 (£11.11 per hour)

SW 14.6. If the applicant was granted permission as a Skilled Worker under the Rules in place before 6 April 2021, and has had continuous permission as a Skilled Worker since then, the £10.75 per hour salary requirement does not apply, but all other salary requirements continue to apply.

Genuineness requirement for a Skilled Worker

SW 14A.1. The applicant must:
1. (a) genuinely intend, and be able, to undertake the role for which they are being sponsored; and
2. (b) not intend to undertake employment other than in the role for which they are being sponsored, or as otherwise permitted by SW 18.2.

Financial requirement (mandatory) for a Skilled Worker

SW 15.1. If the applicant is applying for permission to stay and has been in the UK with permission for 12 months or longer on the date of application, they will meet the financial requirement and do not need to show funds.

SW 15.2. If the applicant is applying for entry clearance, or has been in the UK for less than 12 months on the date of application, either:
1. (a) the applicant must have funds of at least £1,270; or
2. (b) the applicant’s A-rated sponsor must certify that they will, if necessary, maintain and accommodate the applicant up to the end of the first month of their employment, to an amount of at least £1,270.

SW 15.3. If SW 15.2.(a) applies, the applicant must show that they have held the required funds for a 28-day period and as specified in Appendix Finance.

Criminal record certificate requirement (mandatory) for a Skilled Worker

SW 16.1. If the applicant is applying for entry clearance and is being sponsored for a job in any of the occupation codes listed below, they must provide a criminal record certificate from the relevant authority in any country in which they have been present for 12 months or more (whether continuously or in total) in the 10 years before the date of application, and while aged 18 or over:
1. •1181 Health services and public health managers and directors
2. •1184 Social services managers and directors
3. •1241 Health care practice managers
4. •1242 Residential, day and domiciliary care managers and proprietors
5. •2211 Medical practitioners
6. •2212 Psychologists
7. •2213 Pharmacists
8. •2214 Ophthalmic opticians
9. •2215 Dental practitioners
10. •2217 Medical radiographers
11. •2218 Podiatrists
12. •2219 Health professionals not elsewhere classified
13. •2221 Physiotherapists
14. •2222 Occupational therapists
15. •2223 Speech and language therapists
16. •2229 Therapy professionals not elsewhere classified
17. •2231 Nurses
18. •2232 Midwives
19. •2312 Further education teaching professionals
20. •2314 Secondary education teaching professionals
21. •2315 Primary and nursery education teaching professionals
22. •2316 Special needs education teaching professionals
23. •2317 Senior professionals of educational establishments
24. •2318 Education advisers and school inspectors
25. •2319 Teaching and other educational professionals not elsewhere classified
26. •2442 Social workers
27. •2443 Probation officers
28. •2449 Welfare professionals not elsewhere classified
29. • 3213 Paramedics
30. • 3216 Dispensing opticians
31. • 3217 Pharmaceutical technicians
32. • 3218 Medical and dental technicians
33. • 3219 Health associate professionals not elsewhere classified
34. • 3231 Youth and community workers
35. • 3234 Housing officers
36. • 3235 Counsellors
37. • 3239 Welfare and housing associate professionals not elsewhere classified
38. • 3443 Fitness instructors
39. • 3562 Human resources and industrial relations officers
40. • 6121 Nursery nurses and assistants
41. • 6122 Childminders and related occupations
42. • 6123 Playworkers
43. • 6125 Teaching assistants
44. • 6126 Educational support assistants
45. • 6141 Nursing auxiliaries and assistants
46. • 6143 Dental nurses
47. • 6144 Houseparents and residential wardens
48. • 6145 Care workers and home carers
49. • 6146 Senior care workers

SW 16.2. The requirement in SW 16.1. does not apply if the applicant provides a satisfactory explanation why it is not reasonably practicable for them to obtain a criminal record certificate from any or all of the relevant authorities.

Decision on an application as a Skilled Worker

SW 17.1. If the decision maker is satisfied all the suitability and relevant eligibility requirements for a Skilled Worker are met, the application will be granted, otherwise the application will be refused.

SW 17.2. If the application is refused, the person can apply for an Administrative Review under Appendix AR: Administrative Review.

Period and conditions of grant for a Skilled Worker

SW 18.1. The applicant will be granted entry clearance or permission to stay until 14 days after the end date of their certificate of sponsorship (the end date of the certificate of sponsorship may be up to a maximum of 5 years after the start date of their certificate of sponsorship), subject to SW 18.1A.

SW 18.1A. If the applicant is being sponsored in the occupation code “2211 Medical practitioners” for General Practitioner (GP) specialty training, they will be granted entry clearance or permission to stay until 4 months after the end date of their certificate of sponsorship.

SW 18.2. The grant will be subject to all the following conditions:
1. (a) no access to public funds; and
2. (b) work is permitted only in the job the applicant is being sponsored for, subject to (c) to (e); and
3. (c) supplementary employment is permitted, providing the person continues to work in the job for which they are being sponsored (and where the supplementary employment takes place during the 4-month period after the end date of their certificate of sponsorship referred to in SW 18.1A the requirement to continue to work for the sponsor will not apply); and
4. (d) voluntary work is permitted; and
5. (e) working out a contractual notice period is permitted, for a job the applicant was lawfully working in on the date of application; and
6. (f) study is permitted, subject to the ATAS condition in Appendix ATAS.
7. (g) DELETED

Immigration Rules - Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Worker - Guidance (2024)