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Skilled Worker Visa

Herrington Carmichael is a full service law firm offering legal advice to UK and international businesses as well as individuals and families.
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Skilled Worker Visa

A Skilled Worker Visa allows an individual to legally enter the UK to live and work. It requires you to have a job with an approved employer.

The employer must hold a Sponsor Licence and be able to offer a skilled position to an individual who requires sponsorship if they are unable to fill the role from within the resident labour workforce.

Individuals will be able to work, volunteer, take on additional part-time employment, and study in the UK. The main applicants dependants will be eligible to join them on this visa. It does lead to British Citizenship.

How we can help

We offer expert, personalised immigration services to individuals and businesses. We have a good relationship with the Home Office which allows us to effectively manage the progress of skilled worker visa applications.

We offer free 10-minute consultations where we can assess your situation and offer guidance.

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Usof Shah
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What our clients say about us

We have also greatly benefited from the excellent work of Usof Shah, Immigration Director, whose expertise has been instrumental in helping our members address critical skills shortages in the construction industry. Usof has provided clear, actionable guidance on immigration laws, empowering our members to legally employ skilled foreign workers and sustain their businesses. His commitment extends beyond traditional legal services - he has delivered live webinars and offered free advice to some of our SME members, which was highly valued and, in several cases, helped save their companies. This combination of deep legal expertise, accessibility, and genuine care for clients' success sets him apart from others in the field.

Throughout my UK career, I came across many solicitors and solicitor firms. But Herrington Carmichael is the best so far. Their quick response, wider knowledge, and straightforward decisions come with a very competitive advisory fee. I can easily recommend them, and I did. Their success rate for me is 100%. In a nutshell, they are brilliant.

The individual deals with my requirements and makes sure I fully understand what he is advising and what the best way to proceed is.

Responsive, commercial, and able to explain immigration requirements in clear, simple terms.

The individuals we work with stand out for being approachable, knowledgeable, and responsive. Usof Shah, in particular, has been extremely professional, helpful, and practical in his advice.

Usof Shah stands out for his strong combination of technical expertise, commercial awareness, and responsiveness. He is able to explain complex immigration matters in a clear and practical way while remaining highly approachable and solutions-oriented throughout the process. What differentiates him from competitors is the level of personal attention and ownership he brings to matters. He is proactive, detail-oriented, and demonstrates a strong understanding of the operational and business needs of his clients rather than approaching matters from a purely technical perspective. I have particularly valued his responsiveness, clear communication, and ability to manage matters efficiently under tight timelines. He consistently provides pragmatic advice and maintains a high level of professionalism, which creates a strong sense of confidence and reliability throughout the engagement.

Usof Shah and his team stood out for their professionalism, responsiveness, and clear communication.

Herrington Carmichael’s team stands out for its strong expertise in immigration matters, combined with a highly personalized and responsive service. Over the past few years, they supported me and three members of my family, managing each of our individual cases efficiently and professionally. Compared to other firms, they are notably more organized and responsive.

Thank you for helping me to apply the exceptional assurance and I got the application succeed very quickly.

Usof was a pleasure to work with and his wealth of knowledge on the topic of immigration law was evident. We collaboratively delivered a successful webinar to hundreds of construction professionals on the post-Brexit immigration system and Usof was able to answer complex questions on the spot, demonstrating his attention to detail and professionalism. We would not hesitate to recommend Usof and Herrington Carmichael.

Usof Shah has been a great source of information and guidance both in setting up to become a sponsor and also in getting candidates sponsored.

The team provides useful guidance and support on the pitfalls and processes of being a sponsor. The team helps set everything up to become a sponsor as well as assisting with processing CoS applications.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to your most pressing questions about our services and processes.

You will need a job offer from a UK employer that meets the following requirements:

  • the UK employer has been approved as a sponsor by Home Office
  • you have received a certificate of sponsorship by your UK employer with information about the role you will be fulfilling
  • the job is on the list of eligible occupations
  • you are being paid the minimum required salary or more – dependent on the work you do.

You will need to accept the job offer before you apply for the visa.

Yes. You will need to prove that you are able to speak, read, write and understand English. There are various methods to do this, including taking an English test or having graduated with a degree that was taught in English.

Whichever results in the highest salary from the below options:

  • £41,700 per year.
  • The ‘going rate’ for the type of work you will be doing, whichever is higher.

The fees charged by Home Office can be found on their official website here.

You will need to pay the healthcare surcharge with your application. Some employers may pay this for you – however, it is at their own discretion. If they do pay this on your behalf, they will need to stipulate it on the certificate of sponsorship.

The healthcare surcharge is £1,035 per year per person. If your visa is valid for 5 years, you will need to pay £5,175 per person that is applying.

You will need to have at least £1,270 available to support yourself for your first month in the UK. Your employer may offer to cover this for you and will need to stipulate this on the certificate of sponsorship.

This amount increases if you are bringing your dependants with you.

  • The certificate of sponsorship reference number as provided by your employer
  • proof of english language requirement
  • a valid passport (it will need to have a blank page for your visa if you are from outside the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Iceland or if you are from one of these countries and your passport does not have a biometric passport chip)
  • your job title and salary
  • the job occupation code as stipulated by the government
  • the name of your employer as well as their sponsor licence number – it will be on your certificate of sponsorship

Other documents that may be required dependent on your circumstances?

  • evidence that you can support yourself in the UK if your employer is not sponsoring this
  • proof of your relationship with the dependants (partnerand children) on your application
  • tuberculosis test results if you are from a listed country
  • a criminal record if you are in specific job
  • an ATAS certificate if your employer requires one for sensitive research subjects
  • your PhD certificate, or unique Ecctis reference number if your qualification is from outside the UK

You will need to prove your identity as part of the application process. Depending on which country you are applying from, you will be asked to either:

  • Attend a visa application centre to have your fingerprints and photograph taken for your biometric residence permit
  • use the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app to scan your relevant documents

You will be told which option you will need to complete during your application process. If you attend a visa appointment, please note that:

  • they may keep your passport and documents while processing your application (they will need your passport to put your visa in if applicable)
  • you might have to travel to get to your nearest visa application centre (it may be in another country)

The same applies if you are applying for your partner and dependants.

Yes. Your dependants (partner and children) may come with you if they are eligible. They will need to complete separate applications.

A dependent is classified as:

  • your husband, wife, civil partner or unmarried partner
  • your child under 18 – including those born in the UK during your stay
  • your child over 18 if they are still fully dependent on you

You will need to provide evidence of your relationship to your dependants.

It usually takes up to 3 weeks to receive a decision if applying from overseas. It is possible to pay to get a faster decision.

Yes. After 5 years on this visa you can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), also known as settlement. Once you have ILR, you can apply to become a British Citizen 12 months later. This applies to you and your dependants.

Your child will not automatically get British citizenship. If you wish to travel in and out of the UK, you will need to apply for a dependent’s visa for them. You will need to provide a full UK birth certificate to do this and apply before they turn 18.

Once one parent becomes settled or a British citizen, then your child could apply to be registered as a British Citizen.

Your partner and child will be able to:

  • Work – excluding as a sportsperson or coach
  • Study
  • Travel abroad (limited to their passport) and return
  • Apply to settle and for British citizenship when they are eligible
  • They will not have access to public funds and State pension.
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