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Working in the UK on a Skilled Worker visa: requirements, costs, salary and visa

Written by KarirAman editorial team Approved by Kaiser Khan (editor), Updated and verified

Open Skilled Worker visa

Open for eligible jobs with a licensed sponsor. Since 22 July 2025 salary thresholds rose and the skill threshold returned to RQF level 6.

Status as of 7 October 2026 Home Office (GOV.UK)

Summary

  • The Skilled Worker visa needs a job offer from a Home Office approved employer and a certificate of sponsorship (CoS).
  • The minimum salary is the general threshold or the job's going rate, whichever is higher; a lower threshold applies in some cases.
  • New applicants must prove English at B2 or above, for example with a Secure English Language Test (SELT).
  • The visa lasts up to 5 years before it needs extending.
  • The sponsor licence fee, CoS fee and immigration skills charge must be paid by the employer.
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On this page
  1. What are the requirements?
  2. What does it cost and who pays?
  3. How much does it pay?
  4. Which visa is used?
  5. What are the steps?
  6. Which schools or training lead to the United Kingdom?
  7. What changed on 22 July 2025?
  8. What are the warning signs of offers to the United Kingdom through this route?
Official routes, who runs them, and their legal basis
Route Run by Official link Who pays placement costs Legal basis
Skilled Worker visa Skilled Worker visa Independent PMI (no agency), legal-entity employer Official source There is no placement agency; the applicant pays the visa fee and other requirements unless the employer covers them. Do not pay a placement fee to any middleman. See the cost rules Kementerian Hukum RI (peraturan.go.id) Kementerian Hukum RI (peraturan.go.id)

See this route in the comparison table

What do you need to work in the United Kingdom through Skilled Worker visa?

Placement channels from Indonesia for working in the United Kingdom through Skilled Worker visa: Independent PMI (no agency), legal-entity employer. Language tests asked for: Secure English Language Test (SELT) from an approved provider: B2 or above for new applicants.

Placement channels from Indonesia
Independent PMI (no agency), legal-entity employer An independent migrant worker goes without an agency, only to a legal-entity employer, and must report to the labour office and the Indonesian mission. This is not the same as an individual employer (a household), or an individual who places migrant workers, which is banned.
Job types
Jobs with an eligible occupation code, generally at RQF level 6, or listed on the immigration salary list or temporary shortage list
Language tests
TestLevelCEFR equivalent
Secure English Language Test (SELT) from an approved providerB2 or above for new applicantsB2

What does working in the United Kingdom through Skilled Worker visa cost, and who pays?

The Skilled Worker visa route to the United Kingdom uses no placement agency: you pay the visa fee and other requirements unless the employer covers them, and no middleman is owed a placement fee.

  1. Law 18/2017 Article 30(1): Indonesian migrant workers may not be charged placement costs. Kementerian Hukum RI (peraturan.go.id)
  2. Ministerial Regulation P2MI 17/2025: the employer bears placement costs. A worker may be charged only costs that are written and itemised in the Placement Agreement. Kementerian Hukum RI (peraturan.go.id)
  3. Any request for money outside that document, in cash or to a personal account, is a red flag.

Cost rules for this route

  • Sponsorship costs: The sponsor licence fee, certificate of sponsorship fee and immigration skills charge must be paid by the employer, not you. Department of Health and Social Care (GOV.UK)
  • Visa fee, healthcare surcharge and maintenance funds: Applicants pay the visa application fee and the immigration healthcare surcharge for each year, and show maintenance funds unless exempt or the sponsor certifies them. Amounts are on GOV.UK. UK Visas and Immigration (GOV.UK)

What is the minimum pay for working in the United Kingdom through Skilled Worker visa?

The official pay floor for the Skilled Worker visa route in the United Kingdom is GBP 33,400.00 per year, in force from 22 July 2025 (Home Office (GOV.UK)). This is the legal minimum in the United Kingdom, not an offered wage.

Official floor
Area or group Official floor Approximate rupiah value
Skilled Worker, lower threshold Applies to: Lower Skilled Worker threshold for applicants under 26, students or recent graduates, professional trainees, jobs on the immigration salary list and holders of a relevant STEM PhD GBP 33,400.00 per year In force from about IDR 790,593,197 rate as of 8 October 2026
Skilled Worker, general threshold Applies to: Minimum annual salary for the Skilled Worker visa, or the job's going rate if higher GBP 41,700.00 per year In force from about IDR 987,057,974 rate as of 8 October 2026

Home Office (GOV.UK) UK Visas and Immigration (GOV.UK)

Which visa do you need to work in the United Kingdom through Skilled Worker visa?

Skilled Worker visa: Work visa for skilled jobs with a licensed sponsor; lasts up to 5 years before extending. Official source

What are the steps to work in the United Kingdom through Skilled Worker visa?

  1. Look for a job with an eligible occupation code, from an employer on the register of licensed sponsors.
  2. Get a job offer; the employer issues an electronic certificate of sponsorship (CoS) with a reference number.
  3. Prepare proof of English at B2 or above and other requested documents, such as a criminal record certificate for certain jobs.
  4. Apply online within three months of receiving the CoS; you can apply up to three months before your start date.
  5. Report as an independent migrant worker to the labour office and the Indonesian mission under Law 18/2017 Article 63.

The order and timings are editor estimates, not promises.

Which schools or training lead to the United Kingdom?

The education and training routes linked to working in the United Kingdom through Skilled Worker visa: Bachelor's degree (S1) in Indonesia, Language tests for working abroad, Scholarships for Indonesians.

What changed on 22 July 2025?

Statement of Changes HC 997 raised the general and lower Skilled Worker salary thresholds and returned the skill threshold to RQF level 6, with transitional protection for workers already on the route. Jobs below RQF 6 can only be sponsored if they are on the immigration salary list or the temporary shortage list. The salary thresholds are in the pay table on this page.

What are the warning signs of offers to the United Kingdom through this route?

  • You are asked to pay for a certificate of sponsorship (CoS), a sponsor licence or the immigration skills charge. The UK government says the employer must pay these.
  • A UK-based agency asks you for a recruitment fee. The UK government says this is illegal.Department of Health and Social Care (GOV.UK)
  • The employer is not on the Home Office register of licensed sponsors.Home Office (GOV.UK)
  • The salary offered is below the Skilled Worker threshold or the job's going rate, without meeting a lower-threshold condition.UK Visas and Immigration (GOV.UK)
  • An individual recruiter claims they can send or place you. Law 18/2017 Article 69 bars individuals from placing Indonesian migrant workers.Kementerian Hukum RI (peraturan.go.id)

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Frequently asked questions

Can the salary be below the general Skilled Worker threshold?

In some cases, such as applicants under 26, students or recent graduates, professional trainees, jobs on the immigration salary list, or holders of a relevant PhD, as long as pay meets the lower threshold. Some health and education jobs follow national pay scales. Details are on the official GOV.UK page.

Can I settle in the UK after five years?

The official GOV.UK page says that after five years you may be able to apply to settle (indefinite leave to remain) if you meet the other requirements. Settlement rules can change, so check the official page again before planning on it.

Who wrote and reviewed this page?

Written by KarirAman editorial team Published Updated

Prepared with AI assistance. Checked against official sources and approved for publication by Kaiser Khan (editor). Approval date: .

Sources

The facts on this page come from these sources. Dates show when we opened them.

  1. Skilled Worker visa: Your job (GOV.UK) UK Visas and Immigration (GOV.UK) · accessed
  2. Skilled Worker visa: Knowledge of English (GOV.UK) UK Visas and Immigration (GOV.UK) · accessed
  3. Skilled Worker visa: How much it costs (GOV.UK) UK Visas and Immigration (GOV.UK) · accessed
  4. Register of licensed sponsors: workers (GOV.UK) Home Office (GOV.UK) · accessed
  5. Undang-Undang Nomor 18 Tahun 2017 tentang Pelindungan Pekerja Migran Indonesia Kementerian Hukum RI (peraturan.go.id) · UU 18/2017 · accessed
  6. Peraturan Menteri P2MI/Kepala BP2MI Nomor 17 Tahun 2025 tentang Biaya Penempatan Pekerja Migran Indonesia Kementerian Hukum RI (peraturan.go.id) · Permen P2MI 17/2025 · accessed
  7. Statement of changes to the Immigration Rules: HC 997, 1 July 2025 Home Office (GOV.UK) · HC 997 · accessed
  8. Applying for health and social care jobs in the UK from abroad, part 1 (GOV.UK) Department of Health and Social Care (GOV.UK) · accessed
  9. Skilled Worker visa UK Visas and Immigration (GOV.UK) · accessed
How to cite

KarirAman (2026). Working in the UK on a Skilled Worker visa: requirements, costs, salary and visa. Updated 7 October 2026. https://kariraman.com/en/work-abroad/united-kingdom/skilled-worker-visa/

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