When is supplementary employment permitted and what are the rules?

Some immigration routes, like the global talent route, the partner route, and those with permission as dependants of points based system applicants allow individuals to have flexible work arrangements. Other routes allow a wide degree of work but with restrictions, such as students being unable to undertake ‘business activity’, which many interpret as restricting self-employment.

There are also routes that are extremely restrictive and require the worker to spend the majority of their time working for their sponsor in the UK. The innovator founder route, for instance, requires the individual to work for the relevant business they are establishing.

However, there are some routes which allow a mixture of restrictions and freedoms by permitting workers to undertake supplementary employment. Under the skilled worker, international sportsperson, creative worker, government authorised exchange, religious worker and T2 minister of religion routes, individuals can undertake supplementary employment alongside the role for which they are being sponsored.

Supplementary employment can also be undertaken by workers on the intra-company routes in place before 11 April 2022, senior or specialist workers who meet the transitional arrangement, and international agreement workers who have been granted as an employee of an overseas government or international organisation.

Supplementary employment allows a degree of work flexibility for sponsored workers in addition to their sponsored role. While this is very useful for eligible workers, it is essential that supplementary employment is undertaken within the limits of the rules and guidance.

The rules of supplementary employment

As with the wider changes to the immigration rules, supplementary employment was initially restricted to workers in higher level roles and then expanded after Brexit, when workers could undertake roles of Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) Level 3 in addition to their main role in many cases.

Now, supplementary employment has been restricted again in line with the significant changes to the skilled worker route that took effect from 22 July 2025. Transitional arrangements do apply, depending on when the worker was granted permission.

The requirements of supplementary employment are detailed in paragraph S8.12 of document 2 of the sponsor guidance. Supplementary employment must not exceed 20 hours per week. The worker must continue working in the role on their certificate of sponsorship and cannot undertake supplementary employment during the contracted working hours for the job specified on their certificate of sponsorship.

There is an exception to the rule that workers must continue working for their sponsor while undertaking supplementary employment; a skilled worker being sponsored as a general practice (GP) trainee who is granted permission until four months after the end date on their certificate of sponsorship can do supplementary work during those four months even if they are no longer working for their sponsor.

There are also restrictions on the type of roles permitted as supplementary employment. Supplementary employment must be one of the following:

• in the same profession and at the same professional level as the work specified in the worker’s CoS
• a job which is in an occupation listed in Appendix Immigration Salary List – if the occupation is later removed from this list, the worker must finish that employment
• for Skilled Workers only, a job which is in an eligible SOC 2020 occupation code listed in Table 1, 2 or 3 of Appendix Skilled Occupations
• for Skilled Workers who were granted permission under the Immigration Rules in force before 22 July 2025, and have held continuous permission as a Skilled Worker since then, a job which is in an eligible SOC 2020 occupation listed in Table 1a, 2aa or 3a of Appendix Skilled Occupations

Although the supplementary employment needs to meet these requirements, the supplementary role does not have to be with a licensed sponsor. The worker does not need to inform the Home Office of the supplementary employment, but should inform their employer.

Employers should ensure any supplementary employment meets the right to work check requirements, in particular by ensuring that it does not exceed 20 hours per week and does not take place during the contracted hours. The relevant guidance suggests obtaining a letter from the sponsor confirming their work details before offering supplementary employment. We have a unit on right to work checks for supplementary employment in our online course, Advising Employers: Right to Work Checks (Introductory).

Example 1: Alex

Alex is sponsored under the skilled worker route as a computer games designer under occupation code 2134 Programmers and software development professionals. He was sponsored after 22 July 2025.

He and a friend want to start a new computer games business called FM Goose. He becomes a Director of FM Goose.

He can work for up to 20 hours a week, outside of his contracted hours for FM Goose as the role he is undertaking is occupation code 1111 Chief executives and senior officials, listed in Table 1 of Appendix Skilled Occupations.

FM Goose must ensure it undertakes the correct right to work checks, including monitoring Alex’s hours.

Example 2: Betty

Betty was sponsored under the skilled worker route after 22 July 2025 as a brand manager under occupation code 3556 Sales accounts and business development managers.

She wants to help FM Goose in her spare time by acting as their Business Sales Executive.

However, this role would fall within occupation code 3552 Business sales executives, which is under Table 1a and 2aa of Appendix Skilled Occupations. The sponsor guidance states that skilled workers can only undertake supplementary employment in roles listed in Table 1a, 2aa or 3a of Appendix Skilled Occupations where they were granted permission under the rules in force before 22 July 2025.

As Betty was sponsored after 22 July 2025 she cannot undertake this role.

If she was sponsored before 22 July 2025, she could undertake this role.

Example 3: Carol

Carol is sponsored under the international sportsperson route as a footballer.

Carol also has a background as a carpenter. FM Goose want to employ her for a period to help make some new desks.

As she is not a skilled worker, Carol can only undertake supplementary employment in the same profession and at the same professional level as the work specified on her certificate of sponsorship or in a job which is in an occupation listed in Appendix Immigration Salary List.

A carpenter is obviously not the same profession as a footballer. However, code 5316 Carpenters and joiners is on Appendix Immigration Salary List, so Carol can undertake this work.

Carol starts work but FM Goose want Carol to only work in the evenings, so as not to cause disruption. This interferes with her contracted hours when she plays matches and trains.

Unless FM Goose can find another time for Carol to take this work, outside of her contracted hours, she would be in breach of her conditions and FM Goose may not have a valid statutory excuse in relation to her right to work.

Limits of supplementary employment

As previously noted, there is a niche transitional arrangement for some senior or specialist workers. Individuals who have permission under the global business mobility senior or specialist worker route who were previously granted permission on the intra-company routes in place before 11 April 2022 and have, since then, continuously had permission as a senior or specialist worker can take supplementary employment.

It’s also important to note that supplementary employment is separate from secondary employment. Secondary employment allows an individual to work for two sponsors, with two different certificates of sponsorship. Workers need to have used their first certificate of sponsorship in an application on a work visa route (other than as a senior or specialist worker) and have started the employment listed on that certificate of sponsorship before they can be assigned a second certificate of sponsorship. However, once they have two certificates of sponsorship there is no 20 hours per week limit on the second role.

Points to consider

Where supplementary employment is being undertaken, the Home Office may be sceptical as to whether the role the worker was sponsored to do is genuine, or whether it was just to facilitate the supplementary employment. It is therefore important that the worker continues to fulfil their genuine role, and does not breach their conditions of stay when undertaking supplementary employment.

Employers are often nervous about supplementary employment as the conditions could be breached easily by, say, a few hours of additional work. There should be strong safeguards in place to stop this happening.