Skilled Worker Visa Points Calculator 2025 — UK Points-Based System
The UK Skilled Worker visa requires 70 points. Some are mandatory (job offer, sponsor, skill level), others are tradeable (salary, shortage occupation, PhD). Calculate your points and check whether you qualify.
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Certificate of Sponsorship — The Employer's Role
A Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) is not a physical document — it is a unique reference number allocated by the sponsor employer via the sponsor management system. It contains details of the job, salary, start date, and applicant. The CoS reference number is then used by the employee in their visa application. Sponsors must assign a CoS before the applicant can apply for their visa; the CoS has a limited validity period (typically three months) within which the application must be submitted.
Sponsors must hold a valid licence and maintain compliance with their sponsor duties. Any change to the employee's role, salary, or working arrangements that affects the CoS conditions must be reported to UKVI. Sponsors who fail to maintain proper records or report changes risk having their licence downgraded, suspended, or revoked — which would immediately affect the immigration status of all sponsored workers.
Pre-Settled and Settled Status for EU Citizens
EU, EEA, and Swiss nationals who were resident in the UK before 31 December 2020 applied for Pre-Settled or Settled Status under the EU Settlement Scheme — separate from the points-based immigration system. Those with Settled Status have indefinite leave to remain and can live and work in the UK without restriction. Those with Pre-Settled Status have five years' temporary leave and must apply for Settled Status before it expires by demonstrating continuous residence. EU nationals arriving after December 2020 must use the standard Skilled Worker or other immigration routes and are fully subject to the points-based system.
Health and Care Worker Visa
Healthcare and social care workers can apply under the Health and Care Worker visa route, which offers lower application fees and faster processing. To qualify, you must be coming to work for the NHS, a registered healthcare setting, or in adult social care with a role on the eligible occupation list. The salary threshold for Health and Care Worker visas is set by NHS pay scales and relevant sector rates rather than the standard £38,700 — typically lower for many healthcare roles. The route also allows quicker settlement pathways.
Student Visa to Skilled Worker Route
International students who complete a degree at a UK university can switch from a Student visa to a Skilled Worker visa after graduation (or use the Graduate visa for a two-year period of unrestricted work). The Graduate visa allows graduates to work in any role for two years (three years for PhD graduates) — providing time to find sponsored employment before applying for a Skilled Worker visa. The route from Student → Graduate → Skilled Worker has become the most common pathway for international graduates to achieve long-term settlement in the UK.
Settlement and Indefinite Leave to Remain
Skilled Worker visa holders can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) after five years of continuous residence in the UK on a Skilled Worker visa (or a combination of qualifying routes). ILR requires a passing score on the Life in the UK test and meeting English language requirements. The ILR application fee is £2,885 (2025). After 12 months of ILR, you can apply for British citizenship. The Skilled Worker route is therefore a clear pathway to permanent residence and eventual citizenship.
Skilled Worker Visa Duration and Extension
Skilled Worker visas are typically granted for up to five years (or the period of the Certificate of Sponsorship plus one month, whichever is shorter). Before the visa expires, you must either extend it (if you continue in the same or a new sponsored role), switch to another visa category, or leave the UK. Extensions are made through the standard online immigration system and require a new Certificate of Sponsorship from your employer. Apply for an extension before your current visa expires — applying in time generally allows you to continue working while the extension is processed under the "3C leave" provisions.
Immigration law changes frequently. Always rely on the most current Home Office guidance at gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa rather than informal sources or advice from non-regulated individuals. If you need immigration advice, use a solicitor regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) or an immigration adviser registered with the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC). Using unregulated advisers carries significant risks — errors in immigration applications can have serious and long-lasting consequences for your right to remain in the UK.
For sponsors, maintaining a sponsor licence in good standing requires ongoing compliance: reporting changes to sponsored workers' employment within prescribed timescales, keeping up-to-date contact and salary records, conducting right-to-work checks, and attending any HMRC compliance visits. A proactive approach to licence management and regular internal audits substantially reduces the risk of a compliance action by UKVI that could threaten your licence and the status of all your sponsored workers.