Skilled Worker sponsorship depends on the job, not on how impressive you are. Since 22 July 2025 a new Skilled Worker role must sit at RQF level 6, which is degree level, unless the occupation appears on the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List. The general salary threshold is £41,700 or the going rate for the occupation code, whichever is higher. You do not need to hold a degree yourself.
That distinction between the job and the applicant is the single most misunderstood part of the system, and it changes which adverts are worth your time.
RQF Level 6 Describes the Occupation Code
Every job maps to a Standard Occupational Classification code. The Home Office attaches a skill level to the code. If the code sits below RQF 6, the role cannot be sponsored for a new applicant regardless of the employer's willingness, the salary offered, or your own qualifications.
The reverse also holds. If the code sits at RQF 6 or above, you can be sponsored without a degree, provided you meet the other requirements. People with strong practical experience and no formal qualification are routinely sponsored into eligible codes.
What to Check Before Applying
- The occupation code the employer would use, which is not always obvious from the job title
- Whether that code is eligible for new Skilled Worker applications
- The going rate for the code, which can exceed the general threshold
- Whether the employer already holds a sponsor licence covering that route
The Salary Test Has Two Parts
You must clear the general threshold and the going rate for the specific occupation. The general figure for most new applicants is £41,700. Lower thresholds apply to defined groups, including new entrants and PhD holders in relevant roles, and to occupations on the Immigration Salary List.
From 8 April 2026 sponsors must meet the threshold in each individual pay period rather than averaging across a year. Variable hours, unpaid leave or a dip in commission can therefore create a compliance problem mid-employment, and some employers have grown cautious about sponsoring roles with irregular pay.
Health and Care Roles Work Differently
Roles on Agenda for Change pay scales have their own salary rules, with a lower minimum applying to Skilled Worker and Health and Care visa holders on those scales. If you are applying into the NHS, do not assume the general figure applies to you.
The Temporary Shortage List and Its End Date
A small number of occupations between RQF levels 3 and 5 remain sponsorable through the Temporary Shortage List. That list is time-limited and runs only to 31 December 2026. Roles on it do not permit dependants, so a partner or child cannot accompany or join you on that basis.
If you are planning around a Temporary Shortage List occupation, treat the end date as a hard deadline and check the current list rather than a summary written earlier in the year. Anyone relying on this route should have a view on what happens afterwards.
How to Read a Sponsorship Advert Honestly
Adverts saying sponsorship is available are not all equivalent. Some employers hold a licence and sponsor routinely. Others hold a licence and sponsor only at senior level. A third group will consider sponsorship in principle and have never done it, which usually means a long delay and a significant chance of nothing happening.
- Ask directly whether the employer has sponsored this specific role type before
- Ask which occupation code they would assign
- Ask whether a Certificate of Sponsorship is already allocated or needs requesting
- Ask what their usual timeline from offer to start date looks like
Employers who sponsor regularly answer these in a sentence. Hesitation is itself informative and saves you weeks.
What to Put on Your CV
State your status plainly near the top: current permission, any expiry date, and whether you require sponsorship. Hiding it wastes everyone's time and tends to surface at offer stage when goodwill is thinnest.
Where you already hold permission that allows work without sponsorship, say so explicitly in those words. Recruiters screening a large pile will not infer it, and an unexplained visa reference is often read as a complication rather than the absence of one.
Timing the Application
Sponsorship adds steps between offer and start date, and each has its own clock. The employer assigns a Certificate of Sponsorship, you apply, and the application is processed. Priority services can compress the final stage but not the employer's internal approval.
Ask early what the employer's realistic timeline is, then tell them yours. If you are currently on permission that expires soon, or you hold a Graduate visa with a fixed end date, that date drives everything and should be on the table in the first conversation rather than discovered later.
Switching From Inside the UK
Switching from another route while in the UK is generally faster than applying from overseas, because there is no travel or entry step. Where you are switching, do not let your existing permission lapse before the new application is submitted. Applying before expiry usually allows your existing conditions to continue while the decision is pending, and employers unfamiliar with that rule often need it explained.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I Need a Degree for a Skilled Worker Visa?
No. RQF level 6 describes the occupation, not the applicant. You can be sponsored into an eligible code on the strength of experience alone.
Can an Employer Sponsor Me Into a Role Below RQF 6?
Only if the occupation appears on the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List. Otherwise the role is not available for new Skilled Worker applications, whatever the employer wishes.
What If I Was Already Sponsored in a Lower-Skilled Role?
Transitional arrangements protect people who were sponsored below RQF 6 before 22 July 2025, allowing extensions and employer changes within those provisions subject to continuous residence.
Does the Employer Pay the Visa Costs?
Sponsors must pay the Immigration Skills Charge and cannot pass it to you. Other costs, including the application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge, are commonly paid by the applicant unless the employer offers otherwise.
Is It Worth Applying to Employers Who Do Not Mention Sponsorship?
Sometimes, where the employer appears on the register of licensed sponsors. An employer with a licence who did not think to mention it is a much better prospect than one with no licence at all.
Where to Put Your Effort
Filter by occupation code eligibility before anything else, then by whether the employer has a licence and a record of using it. That pair of checks removes most of the applications that were never going to convert, and leaves you time to make the remaining ones properly.
This article is general information about the immigration rules and not legal advice. Rules and salary figures change, so confirm the current position on GOV.UK or with a qualified adviser before making decisions.
Sources
UK Government. Skilled Worker visa.
https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa
Migration Advisory Committee / UK Government. Temporary Shortage List: Stage 2 report.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/temporary-shortage-list-stage-2-report/temporary-shortage-list-stage-2-report-accessible
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