Right to work checks

Acceptable documents to establish a continuous statutory excuse:

1. A passport (current or expired) showing the holder is a British citizen or a citizen of the UK and Colonies having the right of abode in the UK
2. A passport or passport card (in either case, whether current or expired) showing that the holder is an Irish citizen.
3. A document issued by the Bailiwick of Jersey, the Bailiwick of Guernsey or the Isle of Man, which has been verified as valid by the Home Office Employer Checking Service, showing that the holder has been granted unlimited leave to enter or remain under Appendix EU(J) to the Jersey Immigration Rules, Appendix EU to the Immigration (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Rules 2008 or Appendix EU to the Isle of Man Immigration Rules.
4. A current passport endorsed to show that the holder is exempt from immigration control, is allowed to stay indefinitely in the UK, has the right of abode in the UK, or has no time limit on their stay in the UK.
5. A current Immigration Status Document issued by the Home Office to the holder with an endorsement indicating that the named person is allowed to stay indefinitely in the UK, or has no time limit on their stay in the UK, together with an official document giving the person’s permanent National Insurance number and their name issued by a government agency or a previous employer.
6. A birth or adoption certificate issued in the UK, together with an official document giving the person’s permanent National Insurance number and their name issued by a government agency or a previous employer.
7. A birth or adoption certificate issued in the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or Ireland, together with an official document giving the person’s permanent National Insurance number and their name issued by a government agency or a previous employer.
8. A certificate of registration or naturalisation as a British citizen, together with an official document giving the person’s permanent National Insurance number and their name issued by a government agency or a previous employer.

List B, group one - documents where a time-limited statutory excuse lasts until the expiry date of permission to enter or permission to stay:

1. A current passport endorsed to show that the holder is allowed to stay in the UK and is currently allowed to do the type of work in question.
2. A document issued by the Bailiwick of Jersey, the Bailiwick of Guernsey or the Isle of Man, which has been verified as valid by the Home Office Employer Checking Service, showing that the holder has been granted limited leave to enter or remain under Appendix EU(J) to the Jersey Immigration Rules, Appendix EU to the Immigration (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Rules 2008 or Appendix EU to the Isle of Man Immigration Rules.
3. A current Immigration Status Document containing a photograph issued by the Home Office to the holder with a valid endorsement indicating that the named person may stay in the UK, and is allowed to do the type of work in question, together with an official document giving the person’s permanent National Insurance number and their name issued by a government agency or a previous employer.

List B, group two - documents where a time-limited statutory excuse lasts for six months:

1. A document issued by the Home Office showing that the holder has made an application for leave to enter or remain under Appendix EU to the immigration rules (known as the EU Settlement Scheme) on or before 30 June 2021 together with a Positive Verification Notice from the Home Office Employer Checking Service.
2. A Certificate of Application (digital or non-digital) issued by the Home Office showing that the holder has made an application for leave to enter or remain under Appendix EU to the immigration rules (known as the EU Settlement Scheme), on or after 1 July 2021, together with a Positive Verification Notice from the Home Office Employer Checking Service.
3. A document issued by the Bailiwick of Jersey, the Bailiwick of Guernsey or the Isle of Man showing that the holder has made an application for leave to enter or remain under Appendix EU(J) to the Jersey Immigration Rules or Appendix EU to the Immigration Rules (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Rules 2008, or Appendix EU to the Isle of Man Immigration Rules together with a Positive Verification Notice from the Home Office Employer Checking Service.
4. An Application Registration Card issued by the Home Office stating that the holder is permitted to take the employment in question, together with a Positive Verification Notice from the Home Office Employer Checking Service.
5. A Positive Verification Notice issued by the Home Office Employer Checking Service to the employer or prospective employer, which indicates that the named person may stay in the UK and is permitted to do the work in question.

Find your job occupation code

To find out if a role is eligible for sponsorship, you will first need to look up the job’s occupation code. You can search for your job in the CASCOT occupation coding website. 

Note:

• not every job title is included
• if you cannot find your exact job title, try searching for similar jobs
• if you cannot find a suitable job match, it is likely that the job type is unsuitable, and sponsorship is not possible

Job occupation code identified

Once you have your job occupation code, visit the government's Skilled Worker visa: eligible occupations and codes web page to find the code and job type. Jobs usually need to be listed as a higher skilled role to be eligible for sponsorship. 

If the job is listed as a medium skilled job, you can usually only apply for this visa if your job is on either:

• the government's immigration salary list
• the government's temporary shortage list

If the role is not on either of these lists, there may be a possibility of sponsorship under transitional provisions if you meet the following conditions:

• you have been granted permission as a Skilled Worker under the Immigration Rules in force before 22 July 2025
• you have had continuous permission as a Skilled Worker since that grant of permission

The salary you need to be paid

As well as being an eligible skilled occupation, there are general salary and going rate salary thresholds which the job needs to meet. 

You will need to look at the minimum salary for the type of work you will be doing. You can find the going rate on the government's Skilled Worker visa: going rates for eligible occupation codes web page. Note that there are two rates. If you qualify for the standard rate, because you got your first certificate after 4 April 2024, read the ‘standard rate’ column. 

Who gets paid at the lower rate

You may qualify for the lower rate if you:

• are applying for a Health and Care Worker visa in certain occupations
• got your certificate of sponsorship for your first Skilled Worker visa before 4 April 2024, and have continually held one or more Skilled worker visas since then 

How to find out if the job salary meets the general salary threshold and going rate thresholds 

Look at the job advert to see what the salary range is for the job. Usually, the lowest salary in the range would apply when first starting in a role and so you should use this as the starting salary.

The standard general salary threshold is typically £41,700 per year, however there may be circumstances where you can be paid a lower salary. The applicable general salary threshold depends on which option you are claiming points under. For Certificate of Sponsorships (Cos) assigned on or after 22 July 2025, it can be any of:

• £41,700
• £37,500
• £33,400
• £31,300
• £28,200; or 
• £25,000 per year

The minimum salary may be lower if you’re extending your Skilled Worker visa or updating your visa because you have a new job or employer.

There may be other circumstances where you can be paid less or qualify for salary discounts, for example: 

• you must be paid at least £33,400 per year if you are being sponsored for a job on the immigration salary list. View the government's immigration salary list to see if your job is included and how much you will need to be paid. You must still be paid at least the standard going rate for your job. Check the government's standard going rate for your job
• there are different salary rules if you work in some healthcare or education jobs. Your salary must be at least £25,000, or more if your job’s ‘going rate’ is higher. Visit the government's health and care worker visa web page for details
• you are under 26, studying or are a recent graduate, or are in professional training. You can be paid 70% of your job’s standard going rate if your salary will be at least £33,400 per year and one of the following applies:
  • you are under 26 on the date you apply
  • you are currently in the UK on a Student visa studying at bachelors degree level or above (or you have been in the last two years, and a Student or Visit visa was your most recent visa)
  • you are currently in the UK on a Graduate visa (or you have been in the last two years, and a Graduate or Visit visa was your most recent visa)
  • you will be working towards a recognised qualification in a UK regulated profession
  • you will be working towards full registration or chartered status in the job you are being sponsored for
    
    For further details visit the government's website.

The Certificate of Sponsorship does not guarantee that a visa application will be approved; it is part of the process. You will still need to satisfy the wider requirements of the Skilled Worker route set by the Home Office.

You will usually need to prove your knowledge of the English Language. 

Level of English required

If this is your first Skilled Worker visa, you must prove you can read, write, speak and understand English to at least level B2 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) scale. If you are switching from another visa type, you will also need to evidence this to level B2.

If you already had a Skilled Worker visa before 8 January 2026 and you are applying to extend or update it, you need level B1 English. 

You can prove your knowledge of the language in a number of different ways including: 

• having a UK school qualification
• having a degree from a UK institution
• having a degree from an institution that was outside the UK and taught in English
• passing an English test from an approved provider

Further information can be found on the government's Skilled Worker visa knowledge of English web page.

Depending on your circumstances, you may need to provide evidence that you have enough funds to support yourself.

For details visit the government's Skilled Worker visa documents you will need to provide web page.

This will depend on the role itself. Typical roles which require this check are in healthcare and education, such as:

• care workers
• social workers
• teachers
• therapists

In addition to this, an overseas criminal records check is required as part of the employment checks if the role requires a DBS check.

Further information is available on the government's criminal records check web page.