This route is for skilled workers with a job offer.

Salary Requirements:

• You will need to meet the minimum salary requirements according to the vacancy you will fill. CLICK HERELink opens in a new window to check minimum salary.

Certificate of Sponsorship:

• This requires applicants to have been provided with a Certificate of Sponsorship (COS) from an employer who is registered on the sponsor registerLink opens in a new window.

Student visa holders in UK switching to Skilled worker Route:

• Where completion of the current course is expected, the applicant must have completed (or be applying no more than 3 months before they are expected to complete) the course. An exception applies to PhDs and other doctoral qualifications, where the applicant must have completed at least 12 months’ study in the UK towards the qualification. This is to enable Student visa holders to be eligible as a 'new entrant' and to exempt employers from having to pay for 'Immigration Skills Charge'.

Financial Requirements:

• If you are applying for the visa in the UK and have been living in the UK for 12 consecutive months
  • You do not need to provide any bank statements as you will be exempt from the financial requirements.
• If you are applying from overseas OR have not been living in the UK for 12 months
  • You must have at least £1,270 in your bank account to show you can support yourself in the UK. You will need to have had the money available for at least 28 days in a row. Day 28 must be within 31 days of applying for this visa. You’ll usually need to show proof of this when you apply, unless either: you’ve been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months OR your employer can cover your costs during your first month in the UK, up to £1,270
    • or
  • Your employer can cover your costs during your first month in the UK, up to £1,270

It is important to note that the skilled worker route ties you into one job and one employer for the duration of that visa's validity.

Your employer will act as a sponsor and will therefore have a legal obligation to the Home Office to report on your attendance and compliance under this category.

After 5 years of being in the UK under this route, and, if you meet the minimum salary requirements at that time, you will be eligible to apply for settlement in the UK, provided other conditions are met.

Student to Skilled worker:

• You can switch to skilled worker route as soon as you have completed your course OR within the last 3 month before your official course end date, if completion of your degree is expected.

New Entrant:

There is a special provision under the Skilled Worker category for applicants who are currently here on a Student visa are considered as an applicant as a new entrant.

A “new entrant” means a new entrant to the labour market, in other words someone who is near the start of their career, who meets certain criteria. It does not mean an applicant who is making their first Skilled Worker application or entering the UK for the first time.

Applicant’s most recent permission, other than as a visitor, was under Tier 4 (General) or the Student route.

The permission must either be current, or have expired less than 2 years before the date of application.

In that permission (or previous) permission, the applicant must have been sponsored to study one of the following courses (not any other qualifications of an equivalent level):

• a UK bachelor’s degree
• a UK master’s degree
• a UK PhD or other doctoral qualification;
• a Postgraduate Certificate in Education
• a Professional Graduate Diploma of Education

The applicant must have completed (or be applying no more than 3 months before they are expected to complete) the course. An exception applies to PhDs and other doctoral qualifications, where the applicant must have completed at least 12 months’ study in the UK towards the qualification.

4-year time limit (see SW12.3 of the Immigration rules - Appendix Skilled Worker)

If you are claiming points under Tradeable Points Section E (switching from Student or Graduate route visa to Skilled Worker visa), you can be a new entrant for a maximum of 4 years.

The 4 years includes time spent in any Tier 2 route, the Graduate route or as a Skilled Worker, whether or not that permission was for a continuous period.

Please seek further advice from your employer (sponsor) if you are concerned about the 4-year limit.

As you can apply for a Skilled worker visa within the 3 months of your expected course completion date, you are only required to submit a letter which would confirm your expected course completion date. Until your degree is officially awarded, you can self-generate and download this student status letter using Student records online.

If for some reason your employer disagrees then please refer them to the Skilled worker policy guidanceLink opens in a new window

If your Student visa was issued for the purposes of studying a full-time degree-level course at a recognised body or an institution in receipt of public funding as a higher education institution (the University of Warwick is such an institution), you can start work with your sponsoring employer before receiving a decision on your skilled worker application if you have successfully completed your course and received the award

This allows you to start a full-time permanent job, which is usually not allowed before your Skilled Worker leave is granted.

You should still discuss this with your Skilled worker sponsoring employer before starting a full-time permanent job.

Even if you could start your skilled worker job before your immigration permission is granted, your employer might not want you to do this as it could lead to problems if your skilled worker application is not successful.

Your employer will let you know when you can start your job.

If you submit your skilled worker visa application online and pay the visa application fees before your Student visa expiry date, you will be covered by Section 3C leave.

Section 3C of the 1971 Immigration Act states that the conditions attached to your previous leave will continue to apply if you have applied before the leave expires until a decision is made on your visa application.

This means you are not considered an overstayer after your visa expiry date as Section 3C leave essentially extends your Student visa validity until you receive the outcome of the skilled worker visa application.

Please click on the following link and submit our online contact form:

• • Warwick | Student Immigration | I am a Student | Contact Us

Please click on the following links for more information

UK Government:

• • GOV.UK | Skilled Worker RouteLink opens in a new window
  • GOV.UK | Skilled Worker Route - Policy GuidanceLink opens in a new window
  • GOV.UK | Find an immigration adviser

Other contacts:

• • Central England Law Centre
  • UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA)
  • UK Council for International Student Affairs - Graduate Route(UKCISA)
  • Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association (ILPA)
  • The Law Society