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VisaRoles

The UK Skilled Worker visa for tech roles

The UK route is simpler than the US one: no lottery, no annual window. The catch is that only employers holding a sponsor licence can hire you, and the salary bar moved up in 2025.

Checked September 2026

What the role has to clear

Since 22 July 2025 the job generally must be at degree level (RQF 6) and pay at least £41,700, or the going rate for that occupation, whichever is higher.

Most software, data and engineering roles at real tech employers clear both comfortably. Junior support and operations roles often do not.

The sponsor licence is the gate

The Home Office publishes the register of licensed sponsors, and only organisations on it can issue a Certificate of Sponsorship. A licence means an employer can sponsor, not that it will for a given role.

So two checks matter: is the employer licensed, and does this specific posting rule sponsorship out. We do both, which is why some UK roles are hidden from our lists.

Practical tips

  • London salaries clear the threshold most easily; some regional roles sit right at the line.
  • Ask whether the role's occupation code matches the duties, since the going rate follows the code.
  • Employers who sponsor regularly answer this question in one line. Hesitation is a signal.
  • Ireland and the Netherlands are worth running in parallel: both sponsor tech roles routinely.

Stop guessing which employers can hire you.

Every open role on VisaRoles carries its sponsorship verdict and the line it came from. Free, updated daily.

UK jobs with visa sponsorship

Common questions

What salary do I need for a UK Skilled Worker visa?
Generally at least £41,700 or the going rate for the occupation, whichever is higher, for roles at degree level or above.
How do I know if a company can sponsor me?
It must appear on the Home Office register of licensed sponsors. We check every tracked employer against it and mark the licensed ones.
Is there a cap or lottery?
No. Applications run all year, which makes the UK a good parallel track to a US search.

Official sources

General information, not legal advice. Immigration rules change and individual cases differ — confirm your own with a licensed immigration attorney.