A Skilled Worker Visa allows an individual to live and work in the UK whilst carrying out an eligible job with an approved employer (sponsor).
Not all roles are eligible for sponsorship, determined by the nature of the work, the skill level and or/the salary. Our job adverts will detail whether the role may be eligible for sponsorship. If the role is likely to be eligible, we recommend that you assess your individual eligibility before applying for the position. Find out more about the Skilled Worker visa on the GOV.UK website.
Eligibility criteria
To be eligible for a Skilled Worker Visa, you must score a minimum of 70 points, split into mandatory (“non-tradeable”) points and “tradeable” points.
Job offer from an eligible sponsor
You will receive these points as soon as the offer has been made. The HR Team will issue their conditional offer letter and contract before the Certificate of Sponsor (CoS) is assigned.
Points awarded: 20
Job at appropriate skill level
The job must be in an eligible occupation code; this will be assessed by the Recruitment Team.
Points awarded: 20
English language requirement
You must meet the English Language Requirement (Level B1 or higher). You can evidence this in several ways.
Points awarded: 10
Total: 50 points
You must also score a further 20 “tradeable” points, based on:
- the salary being offered;
- other criteria if required and applicable (e.g. relevant academic qualifications, sponsored to work in a role on the shortage occupation list, if you are a ‘new entrant’ to the UK's labour market)
Find out more about English language requirements on the GOV.UK website.
ATAS certificate
You will require an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate if your role involves research at postgraduate level in certain sensitive subjects.
The Recruitment Team will be in touch with the next steps should this apply to you
UK ENIC certificate
You can apply for a UK ENIC certificate in support of your visa application; you will need to do this if:
- You are using your PhD as a tradeable point, and it was issued by an overseas institution;
- You have an academic degree taught in English, but it was awarded by an overseas institution, and you would like to use this to satisfy the English Language Requirement.
Visit Ecctis for more information and to apply for your ENIC certificate, if applicable. You will need to send your UK ENIC reference number when asked so that we can include this on your Certificate of Sponsor (CoS).
Process
Once you have been offered a position at our University, our Recruitment Team will be in touch to discuss whether you meet the required number of points for sponsorship. Once you have accepted a formal offer of employment, Human Resources (HR) will initiate the onboarding process via our recruitment portal.
As part of the process, we may need to ask you to confirm how you will meet the points criteria for sponsorship, including how you will meet the English Language Requirements. We will also ask you to provide the relevant documentation to support your application, such as your passport and any current visa, your qualifications, your UK ENIC reference number if applicable, and your English Language Test reference number if applicable.
Once the Recruitment Team is satisfied that the requirements for sponsorship have been met, we will assign your Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS). Once assigned, we will email you your CoS which you will need to apply for your visa.
You must keep the Recruitment Team updated on the progress of your visa application.
Certificate of Sponsor Duration
We will assign your CoS based on the duration of your employment contract with us. If you have a permanent contract, you will be issued with a 3-year CoS. You can apply to extend your visa as many times as you like (subject to your contractual position) as long as you still meet the eligibility requirements.
After five years, you may be eligible to apply for indefinite leave to remain ‘settlement’.
Applying for your visa
We recommend familiarising yourself with the application process before you apply as you will need to provide various documentation, depending on your circumstances.
You can apply for your visa up to 3 months before the day you are due to start work in the UK. This is the date listed on your CoS.
Dependents
Your partner and children can apply to join you or to stay in the UK as your ‘dependants’ if they’re eligible. If their application is successful, their visa will end on the same date as yours.
Find out more about dependants on the GOV.UK website.
Timeframes
Once you have completed your application, you will usually get a decision from the Home Office within:
- three weeks, if you’re outside the UK
- eight weeks, if you're inside the UK
You’ll receive an email with the decision and details of what you need to do next.
Fast-tracked decisions
You may be able to apply for a faster decision on your visa application. The timeframes associated with the fast-track decisions depend on whether you are applying from inside the UK or outside the UK.
Costs
You will need to pay for your visa application and the healthcare surcharge. Rates are available on the GOV.UK website. Please note that if you are including dependents in your visa application, the rates will also apply to them.
Support with visa costs
The University is able to offer an interest-free loan of £1,500 to help cover the cost of your visa fee and healthcare surcharge. You will be able to request the visa loan once we have issued your CoS. The loan will be recovered from your salary in 12 equal monthly instalments upon the start of your employment.
Receiving the decision
You will receive an email from the Home Office with the result of your visa application and details of the next steps. If your application is successful and you verified your identity through the UK Immigration: ID Check app, your application status will be completely online and you do not need a biometric residence permit (BRP).
If you verified your identity at a visa application centre, you will need to collect your biometric residence permit (BRP) once you are in the UK. You must do this before the vignette sticker in your travel document expires, or within ten days of arriving in the UK, whichever is later.
You can collect your BRP from a name Post Office branch; the closest one to the University is in Derby city centre.
You cannot use your BRP to confirm your right to work. Instead, once you receive your BRP you can prove your right to work online.
In making your travel plans, you should aim to arrive in the UK prior to your start date at the University.
Right to work check
Once you have your online right to work status, please let the Recruitment Team know so that we can verify your status.
We will also need to see your BRP. We must verify your right to work before your start in post.
Refusals
If your visa application is refused, you will receive a letter or an email from the Home Office explaining why it has been refused.
You must let the Recruitment Team know immediately if your application is refused as the University will need to notify UKVI as part of its reporting obligations.