Work Permit for UK

To secure a work visa or a work permit for the UK, in most cases, you will need to have a job offer from an employer with a sponsor licence. There are some exceptions to this, however, including the high potential individual (HPI) visa, and the graduate visa, as explained below. After Brexit, EU nationals who wish to work in the UK must also apply for a work visa or work permit. However, EU nationals with Pre-Settled or Settled Status under the EU settlement scheme do not require a work visa or permit to work in the UK.

There are several types of UK work visas and work permits available; these include the following:

• Skilled worker visa
• Scale up visa
• Temporary worker visa
• Global business mobility visa
• High potential individual visa
• Graduate visa
• Global talent visa
• UK ancestry visa

Skilled worker visa

The Skilled Worker visa is a sponsored working visa route that enables skilled foreign nationals to work in the UK and replaced the previous Tier 2 (general) visa. In order to apply for a Skilled Worker visa, applicants must score enough points on the Home Office’s points-based system (PBS) by:

• Having a job offer from a licenced sponsor
• Having a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS)
• Having a job on the list of eligible occupations¹
• Meeting the minimum salary requirements (£38,700or the ‘going rate’² for your occupation. You may qualify for a lower salary requirement depending on your circumstances, including if you have a job on the immigration salary list³or if you are under 26 years, or if you have a Ph.D.)
• Meeting the English language requirements

Skilled Worker visa applicants are normally permitted to stay for up to 5 years, at which point they can apply to extend their stay. It is also possible to gain permanent settlement in the UK (ILR) after 5 years.

Health and Care Worker visa

The Health and Care Worker visa is very similar to the Skilled Worker visa. This visa is open to qualified doctors, nurses, health professionals, and adult social care professionals who are sponsored to work for a licenced health and care sector employer in the UK. Health and Care visa applicants must have an eligible job and meet the salary requirements of this category.

Scale up visa

The Scale Up visa is a brand new immigration route that opens on 22^nd August 2022. The Scale Up visa is for foreign nationals with high levels of skills or qualifications with a job sponsored by a UK company in the scale up phase (growth phase). It is expected that there will be two options available under the Scale-Up visa; sponsored and unsponsored. Scale-Up visa 2022 applicants are expected to require:

• A high level of skills or be considered “academically elite”
• A Certificate of Sponsorship is required when applying for the first time; if you were previously given permission to stay as a Scale-Up worker, you will not require sponsorship.
• A highly skilled job offer from a Scale-Up company (i.e. with annual growth in staff or turnover of at least 20% over the last 3 years)
• A salary of £33,000 or more
• Sufficient knowledge of the English language

It is also expected that the Scale Up visa will be renewable (i.e. it can be further extended), and holders will be able to settle in the UK (ILR) after spending 5 continuous years here.

Temporary worker visa

Temporary Worker visas allow foreign nationals to work in the UK for a short duration, but only for permitted purposes. There are several types of Temporary Work visas available in the UK, as follows:

• Charity Worker visa
• Creative Worker visa
• Government Authorised Exchange visa
• International Agreement visa
• Religious Worker visa
• Seasonal Worker visa

Temporary Worker visas are issued for a period of between 3 months and 2 years; this will depend on the visa you choose. In most cases, you will need to be at least 18 years or over, have a job offer and Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) from a licence temporary worker sponsor, and have sufficient funds to support yourself (at least £1,270). It is important to check the exact eligibility criteria for your chosen visa.

You will also be able to extend your Temporary Worker visa, but holders should be aware that there is often a maximum permitted length of stay. While you cannot take a permanent role in the UK on a temporary visa, you may be able to switch to a different type of visa that will allow you to do so (e.g. a Skilled Worker visa). Likewise, Temporary Worker visas do not provide a route to direct settlement, but you may be able to switch to a different type of visa that qualifies for ILR.

Global business mobility visa

The Global Business Mobility visa scheme launched in 2022 and includes 5 new visas, all of which are intended to make it easier for overseas businesses to operate within the UK. Visas under this route enable existing employees of overseas businesses to come to the UK to work for a business here or, in the case of the expansion visa, establish a new branch or subsidiary. The new visas are as follows:

• Senior or Specialist Worker visa – replaces the Intra-Company Transfer Visa (ICT)
• Graduate Trainee visa – replaces the Intra-Company Transfer Graduate Visa
• UK Expansion Worker visa – replaces the existing Sole Representative of an Overseas Business Visa
• Secondment Worker visa
• Service Supplier visa

Global Business Mobility visa applicants must have a Certificate of Sponsorship and meet certain criteria specific to the visa they are applying for. The permitted length of stay under this scheme varies from 6 months (for the service supplier visa) to 5 years (for a Senior or Specialist Worker visa). In most cases, it is possible to extend a Global Business Mobility visa, but only within the maximum length of stay permitted. None of the Global Business Mobility visas provide a direct route to settlement, however, it is possible to switch to a different type of visa that qualifies for ILR.

How to get a work permit for the UK without a job offer

It is possible to get a work visa or work permit in the UK without a job offer by applying for a High Potential Individual visa, Graduate visa, or Global Talent visa. While a job offer is not required, applicants will need to meet other criteria to make a successful application for an unsponsored work visa in the UK.