Skilled Worker visa

The Skilled Worker visa route requires any international applicant who is applying under this route and coming to work in the UK to demonstrate they meet certain criteria.

The process

1. They have a job offer from Goldsmiths

2. The job is eligible

Before we can find out if a job is eligible, we need to know its 4-digit occupation code, unless we already know this from a similar job that was previously sponsored. For example:

• 2311 Higher education teaching professionals (Lecturer, Professor, Tutor)
• 2426 Business and related research professionals (Fellow - Research)

If we do not know the code, we can find it here, in the ONS occupation coding tool.

Not every job title is included. If the exact job title cannot be found, we can try searching for similar jobs. The job description must match job that they will be doing as closely as possible.

When we know the occupation code, we need to view the table of eligible jobs to see if it’s included under the Skilled Worker route.

3. The job meets the required salary threshold

In addition, the job offer must meet the applicable minimum salary threshold. This is the higher of either:

• 26,200 per year
• £10.75 per hour
• The ‘going rate’ for the type of work being done

You can check the going rate for the job in the going rates table.

Applicants can ‘trade’ characteristics, such as their qualifications, against a lower salary to get the required number of points (Please see table 1 below for further information). If the job offer is less than the minimum salary requirement, but no less than £20,960 and at least £10.75 per hour, an applicant may still be eligible if they:

• Have a job offer in a specific shortage occupation; or
• Are under 26, studying (Student visa) or a recent graduate, or in professional training; or
• Have a postdoctoral position in science or higher education; or
• Have a PhD in a STEM subject relevant to the job

Further information can be found on the government's skilled worker visa webpage.

4. They speak English to the required standard

Evidence of speaking English to required standard include:

• Secure English Language Test
• Degree-level academic qualification that was taught in a majority English speaking country (if studied abroad Ecctis required)
• National of a majority English speaking country
• Proved knowledge of English language in a previous successful visa application

The Resident Labour Market Test

Since 1 December 2020 under the new Skilled Worker visa route, the Resident Labour Market Test (RLMT) rules no longer apply.

This includes:

• Advertising the job in two different places (including in most circumstances the UK government's Find a Job website)
• Including specific information on the job advert
• Advertising the role for at least a total of 28 days
• Proving that no 'settled worker' is suitable for the role before being able to sponsor a migrant

Please note that we still will collate relevant documentation about the employee recruitment process prior to issuing a CoS to evidence that the job vacancy was genuine.