- BY Nanayaa Agyeman
Changing employers on a skilled worker visa
It is certainly possible to change employer whilst on a skilled worker visa. However, there are several factors to consider throughout the process, especially considering the monumental changes to the immigration rules on 22 July 2025.
In this article we will consider the steps required to change employer on a skilled worker visa; highlight key considerations including eligibility for indefinite leave to remain and action required for dependants; and finally, delve into the care sector, discussing the initiatives and restrictions in place when changing employers within this industry.
The process
A skilled worker visa enables an individual to carry out a specific role for a specific employer. In other words, a skilled worker visa is not transferrable.
If an individual would like to change employer, with the exception of having to leave the UK to apply, they will need to go through the same steps undertaken during the initial application.
These steps include:
Step 1: Job offer
The individual will need to obtain a job offer from an employer that holds a sponsor licence. If the prospective employer does not hold a sponsor licence, they will need to apply for, and be granted, the licence to sponsor the individual’s visa.
Step 2: Consider salary and skill levels
The prospective role will need to meet the relevant salary and skill thresholds. Following the changes to the immigration rules on 22 July 2025, the applicable thresholds will depend on several factors including when the individual was first assigned a certificate of sponsorship on the skilled worker route.
We provide a summary of the relevant thresholds in the table below; for salary, only the general thresholds are provided – those relating to specific occupation codes are not included.
| First certificate of sponsorship issued | General salary level and skill level* | Examples of discounted general salary level* | Discounted skill level | Notes |
| From 22 July 2025 | £41,700 RQF Level 6 | £33,400 (if the role is on the Immigration Salary List or New Entrant provisions apply) £31,300 (if the role is on the Health and Care ASHE list, further discounts may apply) £25,000 (if listed in the health/ education codes) | RQF Level 3-5 (if the role is on the Immigration Salary List or Temporary Shortage List | |
| 4 April 2024 – 21 July 2025 | £41,700 RQF Level 3-6 | £33,400 (if the role is on the Immigration Salary List or New Entrant provisions apply) £31,300 (if the role is on the Health and Care ASHE list, further discounts may apply) £25,000 (if listed in the health/ education codes | ||
| Before 4 April 2024 | £31,300 RQF Level 3-6 | £25,000 (if the role is on the Immigration Salary List or New Entrant provisions apply) £31,300 (if the role is on the Health and Care ASHE list, further discounts may apply) £25,000 (if listed in the health/ education codes) | Some codes, for example 7115 and 7125 have been reassessed as below RQF 3 – extensions permitted, however no change of employer applications permitted to work under these codes |
*RQF stands for Regulated Qualifications Framework. RQF 3 is equivalent to A-Level and RQF 6 is equivalent to degree level
*Other discounts are available.
These changes have added a new level of complexity to the change of employment application process – how these complexities will be navigated is yet to be seen. This is particularly so given that the Home Office failed to carry out a thorough assessment or produce an impact assessment in advance of the changes. Given the foreseeable impact to the skilled worker route, which includes an expected “drop of around 40% in grants of Skilled Worker visas”, the Home Office’s approach has been criticised by the House of Lords, Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee, describing the situation as “inexplicable” and “inexcusable”.
The onus is now on sponsors, individuals and immigration professionals alike to correctly navigate the new intricacies of an already complicated system.
Step 3: Assign new certificate of sponsorship
The prospective employer will need to assign a new certificate of sponsorship with full details of the prospective role and salary. The employer must select the appropriate certificate of sponsorship category, which would be “Skilled Worker – Changes of Employment”.
Step 4: Submit new skilled worker application
A new skilled worker application will need to be submitted online and all relevant fees will need to be paid again, including the application fee and the immigration health surcharge as applicable.
The Home Office may issue a partial refund of the surcharge if the same period has been paid for twice, however the application fee is non-refundable.
Step 5: Post-approval
Once the new skilled worker application has been approved, the individual will be granted new leave to start working for the new employer. The previous skilled worker leave will be cancelled.
This raises a key question: once the new skilled worker application has been approved does the individual have to stop working for their previous employer with immediate effect?
Thankfully, the answer to this question is no. Although a skilled worker visa is not transferable, the Home Office recognises that individuals may be required to serve a notice period when changing employers – in such circumstances, there is a well-needed exception to the rule.
Indefinite leave to remain eligibility
Changing employers on a skilled worker visa will not impact an individual’s eligibility for settlement provided they continue to hold permission on the skilled worker route for a continuous period of five years (this may increase to 10 years in line with the recent White Paper).
However, when changing employers, it is prudent to carefully consider the visa duration requested to ensure it aligns with eligibility for indefinite leave to remain, where possible. This approach can save time and costs. We provide some examples below.
Example 1: Kwame
Kwame has been on a skilled worker visa with his current employer for two years and therefore he will be eligible for settlement in three years.
He would like to change employer, however the prospective employer typically offers sponsorship for up to two years only.
In the interests of time and costs, Kwame may wish to ask for a duration of three years as this will allow him to complete five years of continuous residence.
If Kwame is granted a duration of two years, at the end of this period he will have only completed four years of continuous residence and will have to submit a further skilled worker application before becoming eligible for indefinite leave to remain. A further application will take time and incur further costs, which could be avoided with proper planning.
Example 2: Ama
Ama has been on a skilled worker visa with her current employer for three years and seven months and therefore she will be eligible for settlement in one year and five months.
She would like to change employer and is considering the most appropriate visa duration for her new visa.
In the interests of costs, Ama may wish to request a visa duration of two years as this will allow her to complete five years of continuous residence with contingency.
A duration of more than two years will incur higher costs of the immigration skills charge and the immigration health surcharge, potentially unnecessarily.
Action for dependants (partner and/or children)
Unlike with skilled workers, the immigration guidance does not require dependants to submit new immigration applications if there is a change of employer. Dependant visas are linked to the skilled worker, not the employer; provided the skilled worker continues to have permission on this route, the dependant’s status is unaffected.
That being said, a family may wish (and it may be advisable in certain cases) to apply together to ensure visa expiry dates and indefinite leave to remain applications are aligned. However as above, it is not strictly necessary and will depend on the circumstances.
Changing employers in the care sector
The care sector has faced considerable attention in recent years. In 2022 the skilled worker route expanded to include care workers to address severe labour shortages within the sector. Although these changes significantly eased the shortages, in 2024 the Home Office revoked hundreds of sponsor licences within the sector for alleged abuse which resulted in the displacement of more than 39,000 sponsored workers who were left without a job or a sponsor.
To deal with this crisis within the care sector, the Home Office implemented various measures including the displaced worker scheme.
Displaced Worker scheme
The Home Office launched a scheme to support sponsored care workers who had been displaced following the revocation of their employer’s sponsor licence. Among other things, this scheme was designed to connect displaced care workers with local authorities to help them find new sponsoring employers within the care sector.
Despite allocating a whopping £31 million to fund this scheme, reports now reveal that it has not been as successful as initially envisaged. Following several Freedom of Information Requests commissioned by the Work Rights Centre, the data shows that more than 28,000 displaced workers attempted to utilise the scheme to find new employment, however less than 4% were successfully placed with a new sponsoring employer through the scheme.
With such substantial funding and high hopes, it is not entirely clear why the scheme has not been as successful as envisaged. It would be useful to know if the displaced workers were able to find alternative employment through their own means, if sponsors were reluctant to engage for fear of their sponsor licences being revoked or if perhaps, the scheme by itself is simply inadequate to deal with the magnitude of the crisis.
The Work Rights Centre urge the Home Office to consider alternative measures including giving displaced workers the flexibility to take up any job within the care sector – with or without sponsorship. Such measures would significantly widen the pool of employers and would certainly remove financial barriers, in the form of visa application costs, that may be preventing workers from being placed with new employers.
Restrictions under the skilled worker route
To deal with the crisis and ensure sponsors are utilising the pool of displaced workers, the Home Office has placed restrictions on who can change employers to be sponsored as a care worker. As of 22 July 2025, only individuals who are already sponsored as care workers are permitted to change employers and remain in that sponsored role. For example, if an individual is sponsored as a nurse, they are not permitted to change employers and be sponsored as a care worker.
Care workers on other immigration routes, for example graduate route, are permitted to switch to the skilled worker route to continue in this employment, provided they have been with their current employer for at least 3 months and will continue working with said employer. If they wish to change employer and be sponsored as a care worker, the above restrictions will apply.
It is early days, and it is yet to be seen if this restriction will adequately deal with the current crisis. Although, considering these restrictions, the end of overseas recruitment for care workers and the continued labour shortages within the sector, it would not be surprising if the displaced workers were soon in high demand, with care providers competing fiercely to obtain workers to meet their demanding business needs.
Conclusion
Changing employer under the skilled worker route is certainly possible.
However, it is important to consider all steps required to ensure the application is successful and to carefully consider the additional factors, such as indefinite leave to remain and dependants in the interests of time and costs. Finally, ‘care’ should be taken when considering employment changes within the care sector; initiatives have been implemented, however restrictions also apply and given the Home Office’s stance over the recent years, it is possible more changes are yet to come.
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