Skilled Worker Visa Documents Needed: Complete 2025 List

The UK Skilled Worker visa (which replaced the Tier 2 General visa) is the primary route for overseas workers to take up employment in the UK. It requires your employer to hold a valid sponsor licence and issue you a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS).

While your employer handles the sponsorship side, you are responsible for gathering and submitting the right personal documents. This guide covers everything you need — from both sides of the application.

Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS)

The Certificate of Sponsorship is the cornerstone of your application. It's a virtual document — a reference number your employer assigns to you through the Home Office's Sponsorship Management System.

Your CoS must contain:

• Job title and SOC code — the occupation code that determines salary thresholds and eligibility.
• Salary details — must meet the general threshold (£38,700) or the going rate for your occupation, whichever is higher.
• Start date — your CoS must be used within 3 months of being assigned.
• Sponsor details — your employer's sponsor licence number.
• Working hours — confirming whether the role is full-time or part-time.

Personal Documents

These are the documents you need to provide:

Identity and Travel

• Current valid passport — must have at least one blank page. Make sure it won't expire during your intended stay.
• Previous passports — especially if they contain travel history to the UK or immigration stamps.
• Passport-sized photographs — 2 photos, 45mm × 35mm, white background, taken within the last 6 months.
• National ID card — if applicable to your nationality.

English Language Evidence

You must prove English at CEFR level B1 (intermediate) in all four skills: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Acceptable evidence includes:

• IELTS for UKVI (Academic or General Training) — minimum 4.0 in each component. This is the most common test.
• PTE Academic UKVI — Pearson Test of English, accepted since 2020.
• LanguageCert — another approved SELT provider.
• Degree taught in English — confirmed by UK ENIC as equivalent to a UK degree. You'll need the degree certificate and an ENIC statement of comparability.
• Nationality exemption — citizens of majority English-speaking countries (USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, etc.) are exempt.

Financial Evidence

You need to show you can support yourself when you arrive in the UK. The requirement is £1,270 held for 28 consecutive days, ending no more than 31 days before your application date.

Acceptable evidence:

• Personal bank statements — showing a balance of £1,270+ throughout the 28-day period. Statements must be from a recognised financial institution.
• Building society passbook
• Letter from your bank — confirming the funds held, covering the 28-day period, on headed paper with your name and account number.

Employer certification: If your employer has certified maintenance on your CoS (by ticking the relevant box in the SMS), you do not need to provide financial evidence. Most large employers do this as standard.

Criminal Record Certificate

You must provide a criminal record certificate from any country where you have lived for 12 months or more (continuously or in total) in the 10 years before your application.

This includes:

• Your home country
• Any country where you studied or worked for 12+ months
• The UK (if you're switching from another visa) — this is an ACRO certificate

Processing times vary wildly by country — some take 2-3 weeks, others 3-6 months. Start this early.

TB Test Certificate

If you are applying from a country on the TB testing list, you need a valid TB test certificate from an approved clinic. The certificate is valid for 6 months from the date of the test.

Job-Specific Documents

Depending on your role, you may also need:

ATAS Certificate

An Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate is required if your job involves research at PhD level or above in certain sensitive subjects (engineering, technology, science). Your employer should tell you if this applies. ATAS certificates are free but can take several weeks.

Professional Registration

For regulated professions, you need evidence of UK registration:

• Doctors: GMC registration
• Nurses: NMC registration or a decision letter
• Engineers: Engineering Council registration (if required by the role)
• Teachers: QTS or equivalent for teaching roles in schools
• Solicitors/lawyers: SRA or relevant bar admission

Qualifications

• Degree certificates — original or certified copy.
• Academic transcripts — especially if your employer referenced your qualifications in the CoS.
• UK ENIC statement of comparability — if your degree is from outside the UK and you're using it to prove English or as a job requirement.
• Professional qualifications — any relevant professional certifications.
• Certified translations — all documents not in English must be accompanied by a certified translation.

Salary Thresholds in 2025

The salary landscape changed significantly in April 2024. Here's the current picture:

Your salary must meet both the general threshold and the going rate for your specific occupation — whichever is higher applies.

What Your Employer Needs to Do

While this is primarily your employer's responsibility, it helps to understand what they need:

• Valid sponsor licence — they must be a licensed sponsor (you can check the public register).
• Assign a CoS — either a defined CoS (for applications from outside the UK) or an undefined CoS (for switching within the UK).
• Resident labour market test — no longer required since the post-Brexit system, but the role must be genuine and at the appropriate skill level (RQF 3+).
• Right to work check — they'll need to verify your right to work once your visa is granted.

Switching from Another Visa

If you're already in the UK on another visa (Student, Graduate, etc.), you can often switch to a Skilled Worker visa without leaving. Additional considerations:

• Your current visa must allow switching (most do, with exceptions like Visit visas).
• You may qualify for new entrant rates if switching from a Student or Graduate visa.
• You'll need an ACRO criminal record certificate for your time in the UK.
• Processing is done within the UK — typically 8 weeks standard, or 5 working days with priority.

Application Steps

1. Receive your CoS — your employer assigns it and gives you the reference number.
2. Complete the online application on GOV.UK.
3. Pay the fees — application fee (£719-£1,420 depending on job type and duration) plus IHS (£1,035/year).
4. Book biometrics — at a VFS/TLS centre (outside UK) or UKVCAS centre (inside UK).
5. Upload documents — submit everything digitally through the application portal.
6. Attend biometrics — fingerprints and photo.
7. Wait for decision — keep checking your email for updates.

Common Mistakes

• CoS expired before application submitted — don't delay. Apply within days of receiving your CoS.
• Bank statements don't cover 28 consecutive days — the most common financial evidence error.
• Criminal record certificate from wrong country — remember, it's every country you've lived in for 12+ months in the last 10 years.
• English test from non-approved provider — only SELT tests are accepted. A general IELTS Academic test is NOT the same as IELTS for UKVI.
• Wrong SOC code on CoS — check this carefully. If the code is wrong, the entire application can be refused.