Can I Change to a New Employer on a Skilled Worker Visa?

Yes. You can switch from your current Skilled Worker sponsor to a new sponsor, provided your visa is still valid. Applications can be made from within the UK or from overseas.

Your new employer must be a Home Office-approved sponsor and issue you a new Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS). The new CoS will confirm many of the same details as your most recent CoS, although you may have a new Standard Occupational Code (SOC) code, job title, salary and job start/end date.

Once your new Skilled Worker application is granted, you must usually start the role within 28 days of the start date listed on your CoS. Be sure to factor in your notice period with your current employer before finalising your new start date.

How Do I Find a New Job? 

You will need to find a new job in the same way as any other applicant. Once you have found your new employer, you will need to discuss the sponsorship process with them as this can vary from one employer to another.

It is important that if you do decide to work for a new employer before your new visa is granted that you only work for a maximum of 20 hours per week for them, in addition to your primary sponsored role, as this is the amount permitted by UKVI. The additional role can be in any eligible SOC code, not necessarily the same one you are currently sponsored for. You must continue to work for your primary sponsor if you are working for an additional 20 hours of supplemental employment. 

What Do I Need to Apply?

As you have applied under the Skilled Worker route before, certain documents will not need to be provided again. Typically, you will need:

• Your passport and proof of immigration status (BRP or share code)

• Your new Certificate of Sponsorship

If you provided evidence of English Language at CEFR level B1 in your last application, you will not need to do so again. Similarly, if you have been in the UK for at least 12 months before applying, you will not need to provide financial evidence for yourself or your dependants; however, you can also ask your sponsor to certify maintenance for you on your CoS if you still need to meet the financial evidence requirement.

If your previous application was made outside the UK, you can now use the UK Immigration ID Check app instead of attending a biometric appointment. Your ID app will verify your passport/ID document independently as part of the application process so these will not need to be uploaded separately as part of the application.

Do My Dependants Need to Apply When I Change Employer on a Skilled Worker Visa?

Your dependants can also make a new application to extend their dependant leave but are not required to do so if they have existing leave. Their current status will remain valid until the expiry of their current grants of leave. This means that they will not need to always make a new application at the same time as your skilled worker application.

Although you should always submit your dependants’ application in advance of their leave’s expiry, it is up to you to decide whether it is best so submit your dependants’ application at the same time as yours or to wait until you are closer to the expiry of their grants of leave.

When applying, dependants will generally need the same documents as before, plus:

• Proof that you and your dependant partner have remained living together continuously for `the past two years

• For dependant children over 16, evidence they have not formed an independent life

Your dependant partner and children 6 and over at the time of their last application can use the ID app to submit their applications. If they were 6 or below at the time of their last application, they will need to attend a biometric appointment to provide their biometric data.

Important: As of 11 March 2024, if you are changing into a care worker Health and Care visa for the first time, UKVI will no longer permit dependants to join you. This is the case even if they hold valid dependant visas.

Cost of Changing Employer on a Skilled Worker Visa

You and your dependants will need to submit new applications to make a change of employment. The amount that needs to be paid will vary, but typical Skilled Worker change of employment application includes:

• Visa application fee (up to 3 years): £885 per person

• Visa application fee (over 3 years): £1,751 per person

• Immigration Health Surcharge per adult (18+): £1,035 per year

• Immigration Health Surcharge per child (below 18): £776 per year

• Priority service (optional): £500 per person

Your sponsor must also pay the Immigration Skills Charge and the CoS fee.

Will Changing Employer Affect My ILR?

As a skilled worker, you will be on the route to apply for ILR after 5 years. If you change employer, this will not affect your or your dependants’ eligibility for the 5 year route of ILR. You can include the time spent under all of your Skilled Worker visas for the 5 year route, so long as this has been held consecutively.