UK work visas
Start with GOV.UK's current work-visa overview to identify which routes exist before relying on any secondary explanation.
Open GOV.UK work visasUK career and work orientation
Research the career opportunity. Verify the legal requirements at the point of decision.
Working in the UK brings together two different tasks: understanding the labour market and checking whether you have the required permission or immigration route. SCP supports the career-information side and signposts current official sources for the legal side.
Current-information boundary
Use current GOV.UK guidance before relying on any visa, fee, salary or sponsorship requirement.
The page contains dated 2024 salary thresholds and route descriptions that may change through Immigration Rules updates.
Retain orientation only and direct visitors to current GOV.UK visa and sponsorship guidance.
Current-information rule
Do not rely on copied visa figures, old occupation lists or dated sponsor information.
Immigration Rules, sponsorship status, fees, salary requirements and occupation classifications can change. This page therefore avoids reproducing time-sensitive figures and directs you to the current GOV.UK source instead.
Official UK sources
Check the live requirement before you act.
Skilled Worker visa
Use the official Skilled Worker pages for current eligibility, job, sponsorship and application requirements.
Open Skilled Worker guidanceLicensed sponsors
Check an employer against the current official register rather than relying on an old downloaded list or third-party directory.
Open the sponsor registerHealth and Care Worker visa
For eligible health and care roles, use the dedicated GOV.UK route for current requirements and application information.
Open Health and Care Worker guidanceOccupation codes and eligible jobs
Use the current Immigration Rules appendix when checking occupation codes and role-specific requirements.
Open Skilled Occupations appendixImmigration adviser search
Where regulated immigration advice is needed for individual circumstances, use the official adviser-finding service.
Find regulated immigration adviceCareer research sequence
Build the employment case separately from the immigration check.
- 1
Clarify the role
Identify the occupations and sectors that fit your evidence rather than starting with a visa label.
- 2
Research employers
Check realistic employers, locations, recruitment practices and whether sponsorship is relevant to your circumstances.
- 3
Verify the rules
Check the live GOV.UK route, occupation and sponsor information immediately before acting.
- 4
Prepare your evidence
Adapt your CV, examples and interview evidence to the role while keeping every claim accurate and supportable.
- 5
Review before commitment
Re-check official requirements before paying fees, accepting an offer, relocating or making another significant commitment.
SCP career tools
Use the career resources for evidence, not for visa eligibility decisions.
FOCUS
Organise self-understanding, opportunity research, communication, information and starting steps.
Use FOCUS →Career Resources
Use CV, interview, application and employability resources to prepare evidence for real roles.
Explore career resources →Global Guide
Step back to the broader international career-research pathway when the question is not UK-specific.
Return to Global Guide →SCOPE
Structure a complex relocation or career question before deciding what information or human support is needed next.
Open SCOPE →Important boundary
Use regulated advice when your individual immigration circumstances require it.
Official information can explain the rules, but complex personal circumstances may require regulated immigration advice. SCP does not act as an immigration adviser and does not assess whether a particular visa, sponsor, occupation or application will qualify.