Moving to the UK for Work
Moving to the UK for work usually starts with one question: can you legally take the job? For most overseas candidates, the realistic route is a Skilled Worker visa tied to a licensed UK employer. That means the employer, role, salary, occupation code and application route all matter before you spend time applying.
Do you need a visa?
British and Irish citizens can work in the UK without a work visa. Most other overseas candidates need immigration permission before they can start work. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens who arrived after 31 December 2020 normally need a visa unless they already have status under another route.
The main sponsored route is the Skilled Worker visa. You cannot apply for it in isolation: you need a job offer from a UK employer approved by the Home Office, and the role must meet the route rules.
The main work visa routes
The Skilled Worker visa is the common route for professional and skilled roles. It normally requires a licensed sponsor, an eligible occupation code, English language evidence, and pay at or above the relevant salary threshold.
The Health and Care Worker route covers eligible health and care roles and has separate fee and salary rules. The care worker and senior care worker route closed to new overseas applications from 22 July 2025, with limited transitional switching rules for people already in the UK.
The Graduate visa can help recent UK graduates work without immediate sponsorship, but it does not lead directly to settlement. Global Talent is different again: it is for leaders or potential leaders in specific fields and does not require a job offer.
You can start with live roles from licensed sponsors on the MEJobs visa-sponsored board.
Salary requirements
For most Skilled Worker applications, the minimum salary is the higher of 41,700 pounds per year or the going rate for the occupation code. Some roles have a going rate above the general threshold, so the job title alone is not enough.
Reduced thresholds can apply for specific cases, including new entrants, relevant PhD holders, postdoctoral roles, some health and education jobs, and jobs on the Immigration Salary List. These are exceptions, not a general discount.
Only guaranteed gross pay counts. Bonuses, overtime, commission and most benefits cannot usually be used to make up the salary threshold.
What it costs
For a Skilled Worker application made from outside the UK, the standard application fee is 819 pounds for up to 3 years and 1,618 pounds for more than 3 years. The Immigration Health Surcharge is usually 1,035 pounds per year, so a 3-year visa normally adds 3,105 pounds before other costs.
The employer must pay the Certificate of Sponsorship fee and any Immigration Skills Charge that applies. From April 2026, the Immigration Skills Charge is 480 pounds for the first 12 months and 240 pounds for each extra 6 months for small or charitable sponsors, or 1,320 pounds then 660 pounds for medium or large sponsors.
Applicants should also budget for English language evidence, TB testing where required, travel, temporary accommodation and the first month in the UK. GOV.UK also says applicants usually need 1,270 pounds available for support unless exempt or certified by the sponsor.
Finding an employer who sponsors visas
Not every employer can sponsor. They need a Home Office sponsor licence, and holding a licence still does not mean every vacancy will sponsor. The useful process is to combine sponsor evidence with the live job advert.
Stronger targets include NHS trusts, universities, large corporates, engineering employers, technology teams and specialist regulated roles. Weaker targets are usually broad entry-level roles, low-salary admin roles, vague adverts and employers with no direct sponsor evidence.
MEJobs cross-references sponsor evidence against live listings and separates visa-sponsored roles so candidates do not have to guess from employer names alone.
The application process
First, secure a job offer from a licensed sponsor. The employer confirms the role, salary, start date and occupation code, then assigns a Certificate of Sponsorship.
You then submit the visa application online, pay the application fee and health surcharge, provide documents, and attend biometrics if required. Standard processing can take several weeks, with priority options sometimes available for an extra fee.
After arrival, new workers normally need to set up right-to-work access, National Insurance, banking, accommodation, GP registration and local tax arrangements.
Best UK cities to start with
London has the largest sponsor base and the widest role mix, but living costs and salary pressure are high. Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Bristol, Leeds, Cambridge, Glasgow, Cardiff and Oxford can all be worth checking depending on your sector.
The better search is not only city-first. Search by role family, salary fit and sponsor evidence together, then use location to judge cost of living and commuting.
Settlement and long-term planning
After 5 continuous years on an eligible Skilled Worker route, many workers can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain if they meet the rules. The ILR application fee from April 2026 is 3,226 pounds.
After holding ILR for 12 months, some people can apply for British citizenship if they meet the nationality rules. The naturalisation fee from April 2026 is 1,709 pounds.
Absences from the UK matter for settlement, and personal circumstances can change eligibility. Treat this as planning context, not legal advice.