United Kingdom
Skilled Worker visa (points-based system)
Also known as: Skilled Worker route, PBS, ex-Tier 2 General
- Pass mark
- 70 pts
- Model
- Fixed threshold
- Leads to
- Temporary → PR
- Path to PR
- 5 yr
- Job offer
- Yes
- Language test
- Yes
- Processing
- 1–2 mo
Points system
Job offer from an approved sponsor
20 ptsMandatory / non-tradeable. Requires a Certificate of Sponsorship from a Home Office licensed sponsor.
Job at the required skill level
20 ptsMandatory / non-tradeable. Raised to RQF6 (degree level) on 22 July 2025.
English language at B1
10 ptsMandatory / non-tradeable. CEFR level B1 across reading, writing, speaking, listening.
Salary (tradeable)
20 pts20 points from meeting the salary threshold, OR from a relevant PhD (10), a STEM PhD (20), a job on the shortage / Immigration Salary List (20), or the new-entrant rate (20).
Pass mark: 70 points.
Path to permanent residency
- Grants PR directly: No
- Years to permanent residency: 5
Indefinite Leave to Remain (settlement) after 5 years of continuous residence. The May-2025 Immigration White Paper proposed a default 10-year ILR qualifying period — not yet enacted.
Visas & streams
- Skilled Worker visa
Eligibility requirements
- Job offer from a Home Office licensed sponsor
- Job at RQF6 (degree) skill level
- Salary at or above the general threshold (£41,700) or the occupation's going rate
- English at CEFR B1
- A valid Certificate of Sponsorship
Disqualifiers
- No licensed sponsor
- Salary below the applicable threshold
- Job below the required skill level
- Criminal or immigration-history grounds
Recent changes
- 2024-04-04
General salary threshold raised from £26,200 to £38,700.
- 2025-07-22
Skill threshold raised to RQF6 (degree); general salary threshold raised to £41,700; the Immigration Salary List replaced by a time-limited Temporary Shortage List.
- 2025-05
Immigration White Paper proposed extending the standard ILR qualifying period to 10 years (not yet law).
Notes
70 points total: 50 mandatory (sponsor + skill level + English) plus 20 tradeable from salary or its substitutes. Reference salary floors as of 2025: new entrant ~£33,400, PhD-relevant ~£37,500, shortage-list floor £33,400, general £41,700.
EasyPassport is a document-organization tool focused on citizenship by descent. This page is reference research, not legal or immigration advice. Points tables, thresholds, and salary floors change frequently — always verify with the official program authority before acting.