An employee already working or studying in the UK on a different visa can often move onto the Skilled Worker route without leaving the country. This is known as ‘switching’. For employers, switching an existing employee, intern, graduate hire or dependant into sponsored employment involves the same eligibility tests as recruiting someone from overseas, plus a small number of switching-specific rules that catch employers out.
This guide sets out who can switch, who cannot, what your organisation needs to do at each stage, and what it costs. It covers in-country switching applications only, not applications made from outside the UK or extensions for someone who already holds a Skilled Worker visa.
Key Takeaways
Most people in the UK on a work, study or family visa can switch to a Skilled Worker visa without leaving the country, provided they have a qualifying job offer from a licensed sponsor.
A small number of visa categories, including visit visas and short-term student visas, cannot switch in-country; the person must leave the UK and apply from abroad.
The job must meet the standard salary threshold of £41,700 a year or the specific ‘going rate’ for the occupation, whichever is higher, unless a recognised discount applies.
From 8 January 2026, anyone switching to this visa from a different route (other than the Health and Care Worker visa) must prove English to level B2, not the previous B1.
The employer, not the employee, pays the Certificate of Sponsorship fee and the Immigration Skills Charge, and both are due before the employee can submit their application.
Which UK Visas Can Switch to a Skilled Worker Visa?
Most people who are lawfully in the UK on a work, study, family or dependant visa can apply to switch to a Skilled Worker visa without returning to their home country, provided they meet the standard eligibility requirements and have valid permission to remain on the day they apply. This includes people currently on a Student visa, Graduate visa, Health and Care Worker visa, other Worker or Temporary Worker routes, and dependant partner or child visas.
Home Office guidance confirms that switching applicants must meet the same job, salary and English language requirements as anyone applying for this route, and that the applicant must not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man before a decision is made, or the application will be treated as withdrawn (GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa – switch to this visa).
Students switching are subject to an additional condition. They must show one of the following at the point of application:
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They have completed the course they were sponsored to study
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Their job start date falls after their course finishes
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They are studying full time for a PhD and have done so for at least 24 months
Who Cannot Switch to a Skilled Worker Visa In-Country?
A defined set of visa categories are excluded from in-country switching altogether. Anyone in the following categories must leave the UK and apply for a Skilled Worker visa from abroad instead:
This list is set out directly in Home Office guidance (GOV.UK: switch to this visa). If your organisation has identified a candidate on a visit visa or a seasonal worker visa, plan for an out-of-country application from the outset; an in-country switching application from someone in these categories will be rejected.
What Must Be True Before You Assign a Certificate of Sponsorship?
A Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) is the electronic sponsorship record your organisation creates for the employee. It is not a physical document, but the employee needs the CoS reference number to make their visa application. Before you assign one, three tests must be satisfied.
The occupation must be eligible. Each job has a four-digit Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code. Roles classified as ‘higher skilled’ are generally eligible for sponsorship. Roles classified as ‘medium skilled’ are only eligible if they appear on the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List, or where the worker is extending or switching into the prison officer role (code 3314) (GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa – your job). Check the specific code against the table of eligible occupations.
The salary must meet the threshold. The general minimum is whichever is higher of £41,700 a year or the published ‘going rate’ for the occupation code, checked against the going rates table. Lower salary rules apply in specific circumstances, most relevant to switching cases:
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Roles on the immigration salary list require at least £33,400 a year
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‘New entrants’ can be paid 70% of the going rate, provided the salary is still at least £33,400 a year. Importantly for switching cases, to anyone currently in the UK on a Student visa studying at bachelor’s level or above, or on a Graduate visa (or who has held one of these in the past two years) (GOV.UK: when you can be paid less)
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Relevant PhD holders can be paid 80% (STEM subjects, minimum £33,400) or 90% (other subjects, minimum £37,500) of the going rate
The new entrant route matters in practice: a graduate hire moving from a Graduate visa into a sponsored role will often meet the salary test at a materially lower figure than a direct external hire in the same role, but the total time spent in the UK under the new entrant provisions, including any time on the Graduate visa, cannot exceed four years.
Your organisation must hold a sponsor licence covering the role. You must be on the register of licensed sponsors. If you are not yet licensed, you will need to apply for a sponsor licence before you can assign a CoS; this typically takes around 8 weeks and costs £611 (small businesses and charities) or £1,682 (medium and large organisations). Employers sponsoring care workers or senior care workers in England must also be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
The English Language Requirement: What Changed on 8 January 2026?
From 8 January 2026, anyone switching to a Skilled Worker visa from a different route must demonstrate English to at least level B2 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) scale, an increase from the previous B1 requirement (GOV.UK: knowledge of English). This can be met through a UK school qualification, a degree taught in English, or a Secure English Language Test with an approved provider.
Two exceptions matter for switching employers. First, anyone who already held a Skilled Worker visa before 8 January 2026 and is extending or updating it (rather than switching from a different route) still only needs B1, and does not have to re-evidence English. Second, anyone switching specifically from a Health and Care Worker visa does not need to provide English evidence again. Neither exception applies to someone switching in from a Student, Graduate or other route for the first time; they must meet the B2 standard.
Step‑by‑Step: How Employers Handle a Switching Application
Confirm the employee's current visa allows in‑country switching, and that it has not expired, using the exclusion list above.
Check the role, salary and skill level meet the current thresholds for the occupation code, including whether a new entrant, PhD or immigration salary list discount applies.
Assign the Certificate of Sponsorship through your Sponsorship Management System (SMS) account, following Home Office sponsor guidance. Pay the CoS fee, currently £525 per certificate.
Pay the Immigration Skills Charge (ISC), where it applies, in full and upfront for the length of sponsorship stated on the CoS. Current rates are £1,320 for the first 12 months and £660 for each further six months for medium and large sponsors, or £480 and £240 respectively for small and charitable sponsors, following the Immigration Skills Charge (Amendment) Regulations 2025. An exemption generally applies to a worker's first Skilled Worker CoS switching directly from the Student route with the same sponsor; check ISC guidance before relying on it.
The employee applies online before their current visa expires, within three months of the CoS reference number being assigned.
The employee proves their identity and provides documents, either through the UK Immigration: ID Check app or at a UKVCAS appointment.
Wait for a decision. In‑country switching decisions usually take up to 8 weeks, longer if documents need verification or an interview is required (GOV.UK: how long it takes).
Do not let the employee travel outside the common travel area while the application is pending; doing so causes it to be withdrawn.
Worked Example: Switching a Graduate Visa Holder Versus Hiring Externally
These figures are illustrative only. Always confirm the current going rate for the specific occupation code before assigning a Certificate of Sponsorship.
Assume a medium-sized employer wants to sponsor someone into a role with a standard going rate of £39,000 a year, and is comparing two candidates: an existing employee currently on a Graduate visa, and an external candidate applying from overseas with three years’ relevant experience who does not qualify as a new entrant.
The comparison shows why timing a graduate’s transition into sponsorship, rather than recruiting the equivalent role externally, can materially reduce both the salary the role must pay and the employer’s upfront sponsorship costs, provided the new entrant conditions and time limits are met.
What Happens to the Employee’s Family When They Switch?
A partner or child’s visa does not automatically switch when the main applicant’s does. If they hold their own visa, it remains valid until its original expiry date, and they can apply to switch either alongside the main applicant or at any point before their own visa runs out (GOV.UK: switch to this visa).
There is an important restriction where the sponsored role is a care worker, senior care worker, or otherwise listed as ‘medium skilled’. In these cases, a partner or child already in the UK can only switch to become a dependant if specific conditions apply, for example the child was born in the UK, the sponsored worker is the child’s only living parent, or the child’s other parent is also sponsored in a medium-skilled role. HR and mobility teams should flag this early where the role being switched into falls into this category, since it affects family planning for the employee well before the visa application stage.
Employer Compliance Duties After the Switch
Sponsoring a switching employee carries the same ongoing duties as sponsoring a new hire from overseas. Two are worth highlighting.
Right to work checks. The employee’s existing right to work check, carried out under their previous visa, does not automatically cover their new Skilled Worker permission. Once the switch is granted, run a fresh online right to work check using the employee’s share code at the Home Office’s checking service, and retain a copy of the result, in line with the current employer’s guide to right to work checks. This establishes your statutory excuse against a civil penalty under the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006.
Reporting duties. As a licensed sponsor, you must report specified changes affecting the worker through the Sponsorship Management System, generally within 10 working days of the change, under Workers and Temporary Workers: sponsor duties and compliance. A successful switch changes the worker’s immigration category and permission end date, both of which should be reflected in your own compliance records alongside the usual salary, job title and work location checks required under Appendix D.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, and this is the normal route. The employee applies online before their current visa expires; there is no requirement to wait until it has run out, and doing so would leave them without valid permission while the application is pending.
Time spent on some visa categories, including Student visas, does not count towards the five years generally needed for settlement on the Skilled Worker route. The settlement clock typically starts from the date the Skilled Worker permission is granted, so timing the switch has a direct effect on how soon the employee can apply for indefinite leave to remain.
The employer pays it, in full, at the point the Certificate of Sponsorship is assigned, unless an exemption applies. It cannot lawfully be passed on to the employee or deducted from their salary.
The employee has no right to work in the switched-to role and, depending on the circumstances of the refusal, may need to leave the UK. Employers should not allow the employee to start or continue in the new role until the switch is granted, and should take specialist advice immediately if a refusal is received, since options and time limits vary by case.
Care workers and senior care workers can switch in-country in the same way as other applicants, provided the CQC registration and salary requirements are met, but the dependant restrictions described above will usually apply to their partner and children.
Yes. Switching visa category always requires a new CoS, even where the job, salary and employer are unchanged, because the CoS underpins the specific application being made.
Conclusion
Switching an existing employee into the Skilled Worker route is often more straightforward, and can be cheaper, than recruiting for the same role externally, but only where the eligibility, salary and English language conditions are checked in the right order before a Certificate of Sponsorship is assigned. Getting the salary discount or the exclusion list wrong at the outset risks a refusal that neither the employer nor the employee can easily unwind.
If your organisation is planning multiple switching applications, for example converting a cohort of graduate hires or interns into sponsored roles, a structured review before each CoS is assigned protects both your sponsor licence and your employees’ immigration status.
This article is for general information only and does not constitute immigration advice. Individual circumstances, including nationality, visa history and occupation code, can change the outcome. Speak to a qualified immigration adviser before acting, and note that this content requires review by a qualified adviser before client-facing use.
