The way to Apply for a UK Expert Employee Visa

By Nicki Behnamfar –
Authorized Affiliate

07 Nov 2025

1. Overview of the Expert Employee Visa

Underneath the brand new points-based immigration system, the Expert Employee visa is now the primary immigration route for people of all nationalities (besides British and Irish) who want to work within the UK. The Expert Employee visa was launched on 1 December 2020, and changed the Tier 2 (Normal) visa.   

2. Expert Employee Visa Necessities

As an applicant for the Expert Employee route, you will have to have the ability to exhibit that you’ve got a verified job provide from a Dwelling Workplace Licensed Sponsor, that the job provide is on the required ability stage and that you would be able to show you meet the required commonplace of English language. 

Your minimal wage should be no less than the very best of the minimal wage threshold of £41,700 per 12 months or the ‘going charge’ for the kind of work you’ll be doing. 

It’s possible you’ll be entitled to a diminished wage, with a minimal of £33,400 a 12 months, if any of the next apply: 

• You’re below 26, learning or a latest graduate, or in skilled coaching – you will be paid 70% of the job’s commonplace going charge;
• You’ve got a science, expertise, engineering or maths (STEM) PhD stage qualification that’s related to your job (when you’ve got a related PhD stage qualification in every other topic your wage should be no less than £37,500) – 80% or 90% of the job’s commonplace going charge, relying on which topic you’re certified in; 
• You’ve got a postdoctoral place in science or larger schooling – 70% of your job’s commonplace going charge in case you’ll be working in a postdoctoral place in sure science or larger schooling roles;
• Your job is on the Immigration Wage Record. (Additionally see our article UK Immigration Wage Record 2025).

3. Eligible Occupations and Talent Stage Necessities

In your job to be eligible for sponsorship, it should be thought of an RQF Stage 6 or above, until it’s on the Momentary Scarcity Record (TSL). Beforehand, you is also paid much less in case your job code was on the scarcity occupation record, nevertheless this not applies in case your job position is between RQF Stage 3 – 5, you might doubtlessly be eligible for sponsorship, ought to your job code present up on this record. It must be famous that this can be a non permanent provision, till the tip of 2026, and we nonetheless have no idea if extension purposes might be accepted at that stage. 

Additionally see our article UK Momentary Scarcity Record Steering 2025.

4. Making use of for a Expert Employee Visa

You could have a sound Certificates of Sponsorship from an employer holding a sound Sponsor Licence. 

An software for a Expert Employee visa will be submitted as much as three months earlier than the work begin date listed in your Certificates of Sponsorship. The appliance course of will depend upon whether or not you’re making use of from abroad, extending your present permission to stay within the UK, from contained in the UK, or switching from one other route into the Expert Employee route, from contained in the UK. 

5. Making use of for a Expert Employee Visa from Exterior the UK

In case you are making use of for a Expert Employee visa from abroad then you should apply on-line utilizing an internet software type. 

6. Extending or Switching to the Expert Employee Visa within the UK

In case you are making use of from inside the UK for permission to remain within the UK as a Expert Employee, you may both be making an software to increase, or an software to change into the Expert Employee class. 

An in-country software for permission to remain on the Expert Employee route will be made in case you are within the UK, with legitimate go away, and don’t fall into any of the beneath classes: 

• Customer;
• Brief-term pupil;
• Father or mother of a kid pupil;
• Home employee in a personal family; 
• Seasonal employee; 
• On immigration bail; or
• Exterior the Immigration Guidelines

In the event you maintain go away in any of the above classes then you can be required to go away the UK and make an software for a Expert Employee visa from your private home nation. 

7. Expert Employee Visa Utility Course of

After you have accomplished, submitted, and paid the charges for the Expert Employee software type, you can be requested to add your supporting paperwork. 

8. Expert Employee Visa Charges and Immigration Well being Surcharge

The bottom price for a Expert Employee visa software ranges from £769 to £1,751 relying on a wide range of components. It will possibly depend upon the size of the Expert Employee visa you’re making use of for, the position that you’ve got been supplied, and whether or not you’re making use of from inside or outdoors of the UK. The Immigration Well being Surcharge might be added at £624 per 12 months, per applicant. This should be paid upfront, in a single sum. For instance, in case you are making use of along with your dependant, for a 3-year visa, that’s £624 per particular person per 12 months, totalling £3,744.

In case you are eligible for a Expert Employee visa as a well being and care employee, you’ll profit from a diminished charge on software charges and Immigration Well being Surcharge price. 

9. EU Residents and the Expert Employee Visa

In case you are an EU citizen and arrived within the UK earlier than 31 December 2020, then you might be eligible to make an software for Pre-Settled Standing or Settled Standing below the EU Settlement Scheme. The deadline for making use of to the scheme was 30 June 2021, nevertheless you should still be eligible to use when you’ve got a sound purpose on your late software. An software below this scheme is free, and there aren’t any restrictions on employment.  

In case you are an EU citizen and never eligible for the EU Settlement Scheme, then you’ll be able to submit an software for a Expert Employee visa. 

10. Pathway to Settlement (Indefinite Go away to Stay)

At current, people on the Expert Employee route can apply for Indefinite Go away to Stay (ILR) after 5 years of steady residence. You’ll be able to mix time on this route with the next visas:

• Any Tier 1 visa – besides Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur)
• Expert Employee, Well being and Care Employee or Tier 2 (Normal)
• Scale-up Employee
• T2 Minister of Faith or Tier 2 (Minister of Faith)
• Worldwide Sportsperson, T2 Sportsperson or Tier 2 (Sportsperson)
• Innovator Founder
• World Expertise
• Consultant of an Abroad Enterprise

11. Proposed Adjustments to Settlement Necessities

Nonetheless, this residence interval might enhance to 10 years, as proposed within the White Paper, Restoring Management over the Immigration System, printed by the UK authorities in Could 2025:

• 263. These standards alone don’t mirror our strongly held perception that folks ought to contribute to the economic system and society earlier than gaining settled standing in our nation and so they fail to advertise integration, which limits the broader profit from long run migration into the UK and will increase stress on public companies. We’ll due to this fact reform the present guidelines round settlement by way of an growth of the precept behind the Factors-Based mostly System, that people ought to earn their proper to privileged immigration standing within the UK by way of the long-term contribution they create to our nation. 

• 264. This growth of the Factors-Based mostly System will enhance the usual qualifying interval for settlement to ten years. 

Which means that those that apply for the Expert Employee route should wait 10 years as a way to settle within the class. As of but, it’s unclear if this will even be utilized to these already on the Expert Employee route. 

For skilled recommendation and help with a Expert Employee visa software, please contact our immigration barristers on 0203 617 9173 or full our enquiry type beneath.

13. Continuously Requested Questions