How to Apply for a UK Skilled Worker Visa: Step-by-Step Process for 2026

The Skilled Worker visa application is an interdependent chain of steps between you and your employer. If either side moves out of sequence, the whole thing stalls. This is the full process from CoS assignment to eVisa in hand, with the specific things that catch applicants off guard at each stage.

Before You Apply: The Employer's Side

Your application cannot start until your employer completes their step. You need a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) reference number — a unique digital identifier generated in the employer's Sponsor Management System.

There are two types of CoS:

Defined CoS — for applicants applying from outside the UK. The employer requests this individually from the Home Office; approval typically comes within one to two working days, though complex roles or new sponsors may take longer. The CoS must accurately state your job title, SOC 2020 occupation code, salary, start date, and working hours.

Undefined CoS — for applicants already inside the UK switching from an eligible route (Student, Graduate). Employers have an annual allocation and can assign these immediately.

Check every field on the CoS confirmation your employer provides. Errors in the SOC code, salary figure, or start date will cause a refusal — and your employer will need to assign a fresh CoS, which costs £525 each time.

Your CoS reference number is valid for three months from the date of assignment. Your visa application must be submitted before it expires.

Step 1: Complete the Online Application Form

Go to the official UKVI online application portal. You will be completing either the entry clearance application (applying from outside the UK) or the permission-to-stay application (switching or extending inside the UK).

The form asks for:

• Your CoS reference number (links the application to the employer's digital declaration)
• Your personal details, travel history, and employment history
• Details of any previous UK visa refusals or immigration breaches
• Your English language evidence (SELT reference number, or a note that you will submit Ecctis documentation)

Answer every question accurately. Any discrepancy between your answers and what the Home Office can verify — particularly on previous refusals or absences from the UK — may be treated as misrepresentation, which carries serious consequences.

Step 2: Pay the Fees

The visa application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge are paid together in the same online transaction.

Visa application fee (2026 schedule, after April 8 increases):

• Entry clearance, up to 3 years: £819
• Entry clearance, over 3 years: £1,618
• Permission to stay, up to 3 years: £943
• Permission to stay, over 3 years: £1,865
• Health and Care Worker visa (reduced rate): £324 (up to 3 years) / £628 (over 3 years)

Immigration Health Surcharge:

• £1,145 per year of the visa
• For a 5-year visa: £5,725 payable as a single upfront sum
• Health and Care Worker visa holders are exempt from the IHS entirely

Neither fee is refundable if the application is refused, except the IHS which is refunded minus an administration fee. Priority Service (£500) and Super Priority Service (£1,000) are optional add-ons paid at this stage.

Step 3: Verify Your Identity

You have two options for biometric submission:

UK Immigration: ID Check app — if you have a biometric passport, you may be able to verify your identity using the UKVI smartphone app. You scan your passport chip and complete a facial recognition check. This is faster and avoids the need for a physical appointment, though not all applicants are eligible.

Visa Application Centre (VAC) appointment — applicants who cannot use the app, or who are applying from a country where the app is not available, must attend a VAC in person to submit fingerprints and a photograph. VAC appointment availability varies significantly by location — in some countries, slots are limited and must be booked weeks in advance.

The processing clock for your application starts after biometrics are captured and submitted.

Step 4: Upload Supporting Documents

Before or at your biometric appointment, you upload your supporting documents through the commercial partner portal. The key documents are:

• Passport: The current document, valid and identical to what you registered in your UKVI account
• English language evidence: Your SELT certificate (must be B2 level, from an approved provider, less than 2 years old) OR your Ecctis statements (AQUALS + ELPS)
• Financial maintenance: Bank statements showing £1,270 continuously held for 28 consecutive days, ending no more than 31 days before the application date — unless your employer certifies maintenance on the CoS
• TB test certificate: If required for your country of residence, from an approved clinic, dated within 6 months
• Police clearance certificate: If required for your role sector (healthcare, education, social care), with mandatory foreign ministry authentication where applicable

Upload everything in one submission. You cannot add documents after submission through the standard portal.

Step 5: Wait for a Decision

Standard timelines:

• Entry clearance: 3 weeks from biometric submission
• Permission to stay: 8 weeks from biometric submission

If UKVI needs additional information or wants to verify a document, they may contact your employer's Authorising Officer through the SMS. They do not typically contact applicants directly to request additional documents — they either approve or refuse.

You can track the status of your application through the UKVI account you created during the process.

Step 6: Receive Your eVisa

Physical Biometric Residence Permits no longer exist. If your application is approved, you receive a decision email and access your visa status through your UKVI online account. Your immigration status is your eVisa.

To prove your right to work to your employer, or your right to rent to a landlord, you generate a share code through your UKVI account. The share code gives the third party a temporary view of your current immigration status. Share codes expire after 90 days but can be regenerated at any time.

When you travel to the UK for the first time on the Skilled Worker visa, you travel using the passport you registered in your UKVI account. Border Force verifies the eVisa digitally on arrival. There is no vignette sticker or physical card to collect.

What to Do If Your Application Is Refused

If the application is refused, the decision letter will state the reasons. The primary recourse is Administrative Review — you can ask UKVI to review whether the decision was made correctly based on the information submitted. Administrative Review does not allow you to submit new evidence; it examines whether the original decision was correctly reached on the existing record.

If the refusal was due to a document or salary calculation error, the most practical step is usually to correct the error and submit a new full application. This means paying the fees again.

Getting the application right the first time is therefore not just about efficiency — a refusal forfeits the application fee, and in many cases forfeits the employer's CoS assignment cost (£525) as well.

The UK Skilled Worker Visa Guide walks through every step with pre-submission verification checklists, the salary pro-rata calculator, and guidance on the specific document authentication requirements that vary by country of origin.