Every applicant must score at least 70 points to be eligible for the Skilled Worker route:

• Offer of a job by an approved sponsor, e.g., Queen’s University (20 points)
• Job at an appropriate skill level, i.e., RQF level 3 and above (20 points)
• Knowledge of the English language at level B1 (10 points)
• Meeting the minimum salary requirements, i.e., £38,700 per year or the going rate for your occupation code (20 points)

50 of these points must come from meeting the mandatory criteria. For salary, it is possible to trade points if you are paid below the salary threshold, provided you are eligible.

You can be paid between 70% and 90% of the usual going rate for your job if you meet one of the following criteria:

• you’re a “new entrant”, i.e., you’re under 26, studying or a recent UK graduate, in professional training, or offered a PhD level position with a higher education institution (e.g., Queen’s University), and your visa duration will not exceed four years
• you have a science, technology, engineering or maths (STEM) PhD level qualification that’s relevant to your job
• you have a PhD level qualification in any other subject that’s relevant to your job
• your job is on the immigration salary list

Standard salary: New Skilled Worker visa holders from 4 April 2024

If your CoS was issued on or after 4 April 2024, the below options apply to you. This includes if you are moving to the UK from overseas or if you are in the UK and switching to the Skilled Worker visa from any other visa route, e.g. a Graduate or Student visa, or a Skilled Worker visa sponsored by another employer (where the original CoS was issued on or after 4 April 2024):

*NOTE: If your PhD was awarded in another country than the UK you will require a Ecctis certificate (PhD verification) to claim tradeable points.

Lower salary: Continuing Skilled Worker visa holders from before 4 April 2024

If you hold a Skilled Worker visa which was granted on the basis of a CoS assigned before 4 April 2024, the below options apply to you.

You will usually need to prove your knowledge of the English language when you apply, unless you did this in a previous successful visa application to CEFR level B1 or you’re a national of one of the following countries:

• Antigua and Barbuda
• Australia
• the Bahamas
• Barbados
• Belize
• the British Overseas Territories
• Canada
• Dominica
• Grenada
• Guyana
• Jamaica
• Malta
• New Zealand
• St Kitts and Nevis
• St Lucia
• St Vincent and the Grenadines
• Trinidad and Tobago
• USA

If you hold dual citizenship which includes one of the countries above, but you are not applying on the basis of that passport, you should still include the details of this in your visa application to meet the English language requirement.

If neither of the above applies to you, you must prove you can read, write, speak and understand English to at least level B1 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) scale. You can do this by either:

• passing a Secure English Language Test (SELT) from an approved provider.
• having a GCSE, A level, Scottish National Qualification level 4 or 5, Scottish Higher or Advanced Higher in English, gained through study at a UK school that you began when you were under 18.
• having a degree-level academic qualification that was taught in English. If this was obtained outside the UK, you’ll need to apply for confirmation through Ecctis that your qualification is equivalent to a UK bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or PhD.

Successful candidates will be referred to International Staff Support upon receipt of their offer letter. The International Staff Support team will request that you complete a CoS form and, as applicable, will also request an ATAS research statement from the School and forward to you upon receipt. A CoS will be issued no more than three months ahead of the anticipated start date. The ATAS certificate, if applicable, must be obtained before the CoS can be issued.

Simultaneously, you should take any steps as applicable to ensure that you are able to prove your knowledge of English, trade points and have tuberculosis test results when submitting your visa application.

When issuing the CoS, the University will certify maintenance for you (and your dependants, if applicable), which means you will not need to demonstrate that you have money to support yourself as part of the visa application.

For all successful applications, the grant (visa duration) will include two additional weeks at the end of the work period.

If any details on the CoS need to be amended ahead of your visa application, please contact International Staff Support.

If you’re applying from outside the UK, the cost for the Skilled Worker visa is:

• £719 per person (up to three years work duration)
• £1,420 per person (more than three years work duration)

If you’re a non-EU/EEA/Swiss national and wish to have your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) delivered directly to Queen’s, the Alternative Collection Location code is: 2HE572. Your BRP will then be delivered to the Student Information Point (located on level one in the One Elmwood Student Centre). International Staff Support will contact you by email once your BRP has been delivered and advise you on how to collect your BRP.

If you’re applying from inside the UK to extend or switch to the Skilled Worker visa, the cost is:

• £827 per person (up to three years work duration)
• £1,636 per person (more than three years work duration)

You and your dependants will also pay an immigration healthcare surcharge for each year of your stay.

The visa duration is tied to the contract of employment. To become eligible for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), you must have held a Skilled Worker visa for five years.

Relevant international researchers applying for a Skilled Worker visa must have obtained an ATAS certificate ahead of their visa application. The ATAS certificate, if applicable, must therefore be obtained before the CoS can be issued. The ATAS requirement only applies to certain nationalities, and in certain roles and research fields.

If you are applying to come to the UK for more than six months, from a country which is considered to have a high incidence of TB, you must provide a valid medical certificate (issued by a Home Office approved medical practitioner) which confirms you have undergone screening and have been diagnosed as free from active TB.

Your partner and children can apply to join you or to stay in the UK as your dependants if they’re eligible. A dependant partner or child is any of the following:

• your husband, wife, civil partner or unmarried partner
• your child under 18 - including if they were born in the UK during your stay
• your child over 18 if they’re currently in the UK as your dependant

You’ll need to provide evidence of your relationship when you apply.

In addition, for children to be granted a dependant visa, they must be accompanied by both parents. If they are not, the parent in the UK must be able to show "sole responsibility" (generally by way of a court order), or there must be other compelling reasons (the threshold for this is quite high). There is a good article on the obstacles to be overcome here.

Dependant visa holders are able to work and/or study full time. There is no English language requirement for those applying for dependant visas.

A dependant can apply at the same time as the main applicant to enter the UK. Alternatively, they can wait until you have entered the UK and started work before they apply. Dependants will not require a Certificate of Sponsorship, but each family member will need to complete a separate application and pay the visa fee. If their application is successful, their visa will end on the same date as yours.

To apply for ILR, the qualifying period for dependant visas holders is five years. Should any dependants have arrived in the UK later than the main applicant, you may wish to factor this in for the purpose of their ILR eligibility. A dependant visa holder seeking to extend their dependant visa after the main applicant has been granted ILR can only apply for/be granted a three-year extension.

A RTW check must take place prior to undertaking any duties.

If you are arriving from abroad and don’t have a UK entry stamp in your passport, e.g. if you have entered Northern Ireland through the Republic of Ireland, you must show evidence that you did not enter the UK before your visa became valid, for example by providing International Staff Support with a bus or train ticket (in paper or electronic form).

If you enter the UK before the ‘valid from’ date on your visa, you will not have permission to work. If this happens, you must leave the Common Travel Area (UK, Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Man and Ireland) and re-enter the UK once your visa becomes valid.

If you already hold a Skilled Worker visa with a different employer and receive a job offer with Queen’s, you must obtain a new visa before employment in the new role can start. You can continue working in your current role for your current employer until the new visa is granted by UKVI and/or while working out a contractual notice period. The same applies where an internal candidate changes roles/occupational codes, e.g. a Research Fellow switching to a Lecturer (Education) role.

To hold a sponsor licence, the University must adhere to requirements set out by the UK government. To retain your visa to allow you to continue to work at the University, you are responsible for keeping your personal information up-to-date and agree any absences with your manager.