Who Can Work In The UK

Who can work in the UK?

From 1st January 2021, freedom of movement between the UK and EU has ended, with the UK introducing a new immigration system. This new system treats all applications the same, regardless of which country they are applying from, and there is a range of visas on offer with different requirements. 

Skilled Worker visas

The most popular visa now available is the Skilled Worker visa. Anyone from outside the UK can apply for this visa if you can show that:

• you have a job offer from a Home Office licensed sponsor
• you speak English at the required level
• the job offer is at the required skill level of RQF3 or above (equivalent to A level)
• you'll be paid at least £25,600 or the ‘going rate’ for the job offer, whichever is higher.

If the job will pay less than this - but no less than £20,480 – you may still be able to apply by ‘trading’ points on specific characteristics against the salary. For example, if you have a job offer in a shortage occupation or have a PhD relevant to the job.

The Skilled Worker visa has replaced the Tier 2 (general) work visa. 

If you're not eligible for a Skilled Worker visa there are other types of visas on offer to work in the UK. You can find out more about these here. 

If you are an employer, here is a link to more information on checking if a potential new team member is eligible to work - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/recruiting-people-from-outside-the-uk