How do you get a UK Skilled Worker visa from Pakistan? (2026)

What is the UK Skilled Worker visa, and who is it for?

The Skilled Worker visa lets you come to the UK to do an eligible job for an employer the Home Office has approved. It is not a job-seeker visa. The job offer and the employer’s sponsorship come first.

GOV.UK’s Skilled Worker overview sets out the core requirements: an employer approved by the Home Office, a certificate of sponsorship, an eligible occupation, the minimum salary for that work, and English.

The visa can last up to 5 years before you extend it, and you can apply up to 3 months before your start date. If you are weighing up study first, read the guide to studying in the UK from Pakistan.

Does it lead to settlement?

As of 15 September 2026, the GOV.UK settlement page for Skilled Workers says you must usually have lived and worked in the UK for 5 years before applying for indefinite leave to remain. The government has consulted on an “earned settlement” model that would double the standard period to 10 years for most migrants, and in March 2026 GOV.UK said the responses were still being considered. Treat 10 years as a proposal, not a rule.

How do you check that a UK employer can sponsor you?

Every genuine Skilled Worker job starts with a licensed sponsor. The Home Office publishes the register of licensed sponsors on GOV.UK, listing each organisation’s name, town, sponsorship category and rating. It was last updated on 14 September 2026 when this guide was checked, and it changes often.

How to search the register

1. Open the register page on GOV.UK and preview or download the CSV file.
2. Search for the company’s exact legal name, not the brand on the advert.
3. Check that the town matches the address on your offer letter.
4. Confirm the entry covers the Skilled Worker route, and note the rating.

What a certificate of sponsorship actually is

Once a licensed sponsor offers you the job, it assigns you a certificate of sponsorship, or CoS. GOV.UK describes it as an electronic record, not a physical document. You receive a reference number for your visa application, and you must apply within 3 months of getting it. A PDF labelled “certificate of sponsorship” is not the certificate.

The GOV.UK document list also asks for your job title, salary, occupation code, and the employer’s name and sponsor licence number.

Which jobs qualify after the 2025 changes?

Since 22 July 2025, the Home Office guidance on sponsoring a skilled worker says a job must be skilled to RQF level 6, which is graduate level. GOV.UK’s table of eligible jobs marks each occupation code as “higher skilled” or “medium skilled”.

Higher skilled jobs

These are eligible in the normal way, subject to salary. Your employer chooses the code, but it must match the duties you will actually do.

Medium skilled jobs and the shortage lists

Jobs at RQF levels 3 to 5 only qualify if the occupation is on the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List. Appendix Skilled Worker says a Temporary Shortage List occupation only counts where the certificate of sponsorship was issued before 31 December 2026. Most entries on the Immigration Salary List expire on the same date, and the sponsor guidance says both lists are due to be removed by the end of 2026.

Care workers: overseas recruitment has closed

GOV.UK’s guidance for health and social care applicants says that from 22 July 2025 the route for care workers and senior care workers (codes 6135 and 6136) closed to new applications from overseas. People already in the UK can still be sponsored under transitional rules until 22 July 2028. A new care worker offer asking you to apply from Pakistan does not fit the current rules.

What salary do you need for a UK Skilled Worker visa?

As of 15 September 2026, GOV.UK says you must usually be paid at least £41,700 a year or the going rate for your occupation code, whichever is higher. Each code has its own going rate in the GOV.UK going rates table, so check both numbers.

When you can be paid less

GOV.UK lists some situations where the salary can be lower, each with a floor:

• New entrants: 70% of the going rate and at least £33,400 a year, if for example you are under 26 when you apply or are switching from a Student or Graduate visa. Your total stay on this basis cannot be more than 4 years.
• Relevant STEM PhD: 80% of the going rate and at least £33,400 a year.
• Relevant non-STEM PhD: 90% of the going rate and at least £37,500 a year.
• Immigration Salary List jobs: at least £33,400 a year, with a lower visa fee.

When I read an offer letter, the salary clause is the first thing I check against GOV.UK. Pay described as “up to” an amount, or a figure just under the threshold, needs answers before anyone spends a rupee.

What English level, funds and documents do you need?

English at CEFR B2

GOV.UK says you must prove English to at least level B2 in reading, writing, speaking and listening, following a change on 8 January 2026. Pakistan is not an exempt country. The usual evidence is a Secure English Language Test with an approved provider, or a degree taught in English. A degree from outside the UK, such as a Pakistani one, must be confirmed through Ecctis.

GOV.UK’s document list does not ask for HEC attestation, though an employer or a UK professional body may still want verified degree documents.

Money to support yourself

Unless you are exempt, GOV.UK says you need at least £1,270, held for 28 days in a row, with day 28 within 31 days of your application. A PKR statement from a bank in Lahore or Islamabad must show the same unbroken balance. You can skip this if your sponsor certifies on your CoS that it will cover your first month, up to £1,270. The sponsor guidance says only A-rated sponsors can do this, so ask the employer to confirm it in writing.

TB test

Pakistan is on the GOV.UK list of countries where you need a TB test. If you are coming for 6 months or more, you must be tested at a Home Office approved clinic, and the certificate is valid for 6 months from your x-ray.

Criminal record certificate for some jobs

If you apply from outside the UK for a job in education, healthcare, therapy or social services, GOV.UK says you need a criminal record certificate. In Pakistan that is the police character certificate, which GOV.UK’s country guidance says comes from local police, including district offices of the Senior Superintendent of Police. Keep your NADRA records and degree papers consistent with your passport.

How much does a UK Skilled Worker visa cost?

As of 15 September 2026, GOV.UK lists these application fees for each person applying, including partners and children. The Home Office fee table from 8 April 2026 shows the same figures.

You also pay the Immigration Health Surcharge, which GOV.UK sets at £1,035 a year, or £776 a year for applicants under 18. Over a 3-year visa, that is more than £3,000 for each adult.

The costs the sponsor pays, not you

GOV.UK tells employers they must pay the certificate of sponsorship fee and the Immigration Skills Charge themselves. The sponsor guidance, Part 2 says a sponsor must not recoup either from a sponsored worker by any means, and the Home Office will normally revoke the licence of a sponsor that does.

Can you bring your family on a Skilled Worker visa?

Usually yes, if your job is higher skilled. Your partner and children apply as dependants, and each pays the same fee and surcharge. Unless an exemption applies, GOV.UK says they need £285 for a partner, £315 for the first child and £200 for each additional child, held for 28 days.

Medium skilled jobs are different. The sponsor guidance says those workers are generally no longer allowed to bring dependants. GOV.UK keeps exceptions for people continuously in such a role since before 22 July 2025, and for care workers employed since before 11 March 2024. For a new applicant from Pakistan, a medium skilled offer normally means coming alone.

How do you spot a fake UK job offer?

Fake UK job offers follow a recognisable pattern. They promise a quick visa, ask for money early, and avoid anything you could check.

The sponsor must be on the register

A company that is not on the register of licensed sponsors cannot assign you a certificate of sponsorship. Fraudsters sometimes copy a real company’s name onto a fake letter, so the email domain, address and contact person must match too.

The costs you should never be asked to pay

The CoS fee and the Immigration Skills Charge are the sponsor’s costs. GOV.UK’s health and social care guidance also says it is illegal for UK-based agencies to charge recruitment fees for finding you work in the UK. And the GOV.UK page on visa scams says you will never be asked to pay for a visa in cash or by money transfer.

Warning signs

• Payment requested for a certificate of sponsorship, a “job offer fee” or a “file charge”.
• No interview, or a short call with no real questions about your work.
• A job unrelated to your education and experience.
• Emails from Gmail or other free addresses instead of the company’s own domain.
• Pressure to pay within a day or two, before “the seats are gone”.
• Contact only on WhatsApp, with no website, landline or named manager you can verify.
• A care worker job offered to someone applying from outside the UK.

How to check a company on Companies House

The Companies House search service lets you search by company name, number or officer name. Check:

• Its status: active, dissolved or in liquidation.
• The registered office address, compared with your offer letter.
• How long it has existed, and whether its accounts are up to date.
• The named directors, and whether your contact is one of them.

Companies House says it does not check the accuracy of what is filed. A clean record shows the company exists, not that the job does.

Read the offer letter like a contract

I read an offer as a contract, not a congratulations letter: the employer’s legal name and address, the duties, salary, hours, start date, and who pays which costs. Vague duties, a missing address, or a clause making you repay “sponsorship costs” if you leave are reasons to stop. The same care applies to anyone you pay for help, as the guide on how to check a visa consultant in Pakistan explains. If you want a lawyer to read your offer, you can book a free first consultation.

Where to report it in the UK

The GOV.UK visa scams page tells you to contact Report Fraud, which has replaced Action Fraud. Keep the emails, sender addresses, dates and your replies. Illegal working or smuggling can also be reported to the Home Office through its immigration crime reporting page, without giving your name.

Where to report it in Pakistan

The Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis says complaints about fake agents, rather than licensed promoters, are referred to the Federal Investigation Agency. You can use the FIA complaint portal, which has categories for immigration and for human trafficking and smuggling, or call the FIA helpline on 1991.

Pakistan’s overseas employment rules and protector registration

Under the Emigration Ordinance 1979, anyone recruiting people for work abroad needs a licence, and the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment (BEOE) regulates these Overseas Employment Promoters and lists those with active licences. BEOE also says every Pakistani going abroad on a work visa must be registered and “protected”, meaning the Protector of Emigrants countersigns the employment contract. If you found a UK job yourself, direct emigrant registration would normally apply. Confirm current documents and fees with your Protector of Emigrants office.

How do you apply, step by step?

Once the offer has passed your checks, the application follows a set order.

1. 1

   Check the employer and the offer

   Search the GOV.UK register of licensed sponsors for the employer’s legal name and town, then check the company on Companies House. Do not pay anyone for the job or the certificate of sponsorship.

2. 2

   Confirm the job code and salary

   Find the occupation code in the GOV.UK table of eligible jobs. Compare the salary with £41,700 and the going rate, or with a reduced option that genuinely applies to you.

3. 3

   Get your English evidence at B2

   Take an approved Secure English Language Test, or have your English-taught degree confirmed through Ecctis. The level must be at least CEFR B2.

4. 4

   Book your TB test and any police certificate

   Use a Home Office approved clinic; the TB certificate lasts 6 months from your x-ray. Jobs in education, healthcare, therapy or social services also need a police character certificate.

5. 5

   Receive your certificate of sponsorship

   Your employer gives you the reference number and its sponsor licence number. Apply within 3 months of getting it, and no earlier than 3 months before your start date.

6. 6

   Apply online and pay the official fees

   Apply on GOV.UK, pay the fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge, and upload your documents, including bank statements unless your sponsor has certified maintenance.

7. 7

   Prove your identity and wait for the decision

   Use the UK Immigration: ID Check app or a visa application centre, as instructed. GOV.UK says a decision usually takes 3 weeks from outside the UK.

8. 8

   Register with the Protector of Emigrants

   Before you leave Pakistan, complete emigrant registration and protection with the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment, using direct registration if you found the job yourself.

GOV.UK’s processing times page gives 3 weeks as the usual Skilled Worker decision time outside the UK, and GOV.UK gives 8 weeks inside it. These are usual times, not promises.

What goes wrong most often?

Paying for the job or the certificate

The rules place the CoS fee and the Immigration Skills Charge on the sponsor. Money paid to an agent for a “ready CoS” is very hard to get back, and a fake CoS reference can cause far bigger problems than a lost fee.

Accepting a job code that does not match the duties

A code picked to clear the skill or salary threshold, when the real duties differ, puts the application at risk. Read the code’s description on GOV.UK and compare it with your contract.

Letting the bank balance dip

Without certified maintenance, £1,270 must stay in the account for 28 days in a row, ending within 31 days of applying. One badly timed withdrawal breaks it.

Leaving out an earlier refusal

Hiding an earlier UK refusal, even for a visit, turns a manageable issue into a question of honesty. The guide to reading a visa refusal letter explains how to handle one, and the UK visit visa guide covers that route.

A realistic example

This is an illustration, not a real client. The names and details are invented.

Hira Aslam is a 29-year-old software developer in Lahore with a computer science degree taught in English. In March, after two video interviews and a technical test, a UK software company offers her a role paying above both £41,700 and the going rate for its occupation code.

She finds the company’s legal name and town on the register of licensed sponsors. Companies House shows it active and filing on time, and one director interviewed her. The offer letter names the code, salary and start date, and says the employer pays the CoS fee and skills charge.

In April she passes a Secure English Language Test at B2. In May the employer assigns a 3-year CoS and confirms in writing that it has certified maintenance. She takes a TB test at an approved clinic, applies online, pays £819 and the surcharge on GOV.UK, and attends her appointment. After approval she registers as a direct emigrant before flying. Nobody else asked her for money.

The version that goes wrong

Kamran, an invented store supervisor in Faisalabad, sees a Facebook post for a “UK care visa, sponsorship ready”. A WhatsApp agent sends a PDF “CoS” within two days, with no interview, and asks for PKR 1,500,000 as a “CoS and file fee”, half of it today. The emails come from Gmail and the company is not on the register. A closed care route, a charge the rules place on the employer, and pressure to pay: the right move is to stop, keep every message and report it to the FIA.

Key takeaways

Frequently asked questions