You can change employer on a Skilled Worker visa, but it is a new visa application, not an HR handover. Your new employer needs a valid sponsor licence, a new Certificate of Sponsorship, and a role that meets the salary, occupation and skill rules. You must apply and wait for approval before you start the new job. Do it in the right order and your settlement clock can stay intact. Start early, resign too soon or assume your dependants are automatically updated, and you put your status at risk.
That order is everything. In our experience, the workers who run into trouble are rarely ineligible. They simply move in the wrong sequence, start the new job before approval, or let their current sponsorship end before the new one is in place. This guide sets out the safe sequence, the mistakes that cause real damage, and how to protect your route to settlement along the way. You can read the official overview on the GOV.UK Skilled Worker page.
Can you change employer on a Skilled Worker visa?
Yes, but not by simply moving jobs. Your visa is tied to a specific sponsor, a specific role and the details on your Certificate of Sponsorship. To work for a different employer, you must make a new Skilled Worker application, backed by a new Certificate of Sponsorship from the new sponsor, and it must be approved before you begin the new role.
The same can apply to internal moves. If you change to a role with a different occupation code and a materially different job description, even with your current employer, you may need a fresh Certificate of Sponsorship and a new application. A promotion that changes your duties can trip this wire, so check the SOC code and job description before you accept anything.
The safe sequence, step by step
Follow this order and you keep your status intact throughout.
- Check the new employer holds a valid sponsor licence. Not every company can sponsor. Verify it is on the Home Office register of licensed sponsors before you resign anything. If they are not licensed, they must apply first, and that usually takes time.
- Get a new Certificate of Sponsorship. The new sponsor assigns it for the specific role, salary and occupation code. This is where the salary, the SOC code and the licence status all become fixed, so it needs to be right.
- Confirm the role meets the rules. The job must sit at the required skill level and clear both the general salary threshold and the going rate for the occupation. More on the figures below.
- Apply before you start, and before your current visa expires. You submit a new online application using the new Certificate of Sponsorship reference. Applying before your current leave ends protects your position while the Home Office decides, as our note on switching visas from inside the UK explains.
- Keep working for your current employer while you wait. You can normally continue in your existing role during the decision, or work out your notice period, provided you applied in time.
- Wait for approval, then start. Only once the new visa is granted should you begin the new job. Align your notice period and start date around the approval, not around your resignation.
You will also need to prove your identity, often through a biometrics appointment or the UK Immigration: ID Check app. Current decision times sit within the ranges in our guide to immigration timelines.
The mistakes that put your status at risk
Most problems come from a handful of avoidable errors. These are the ones that do real damage.
| Mistake | Why it is risky | Safer move |
|---|---|---|
| Starting the new job before approval | Counts as unauthorised work, harming your immigration record and the new sponsor’s licence | Wait for the grant before day one |
| Resigning before the application is in | Your old sponsor reports the end of employment, which can trigger curtailment | Stay in your current role until the new application is safely submitted, and ideally until approval |
| Wrong SOC code | A code that does not match the real duties can lead to refusal or later compliance problems | Choose a code defensible against the actual job |
| Salary below threshold or going rate | Fails one or both legs of the salary test | Check both figures before accepting the offer |
| Letting your current visa lapse | You lose the protection of applying in time | Apply before your current leave expires |
| Assuming a new licence is instant | A sponsor still awaiting a licence cannot assign a valid Certificate of Sponsorship | Confirm the licence is active first |
| Travelling while the application is pending | Your application can be treated as withdrawn if you leave the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man before a decision | Stay in the Common Travel Area until the decision |
The single most damaging mistake is starting early. Right to work checks are built to catch exactly this, and a breach here follows you. If an application does go wrong, our guide on Skilled Worker refusals and the wider note on what to do after a refusal explain the options.
Will changing employer affect your settlement clock?
Changing employer does not, by itself, reset your five-year qualifying period for settlement. Time spent in the Skilled Worker route can count towards indefinite leave to remain across different employers, provided you stay continuously in the route and keep meeting the requirements. There is also no maximum time in the route, so you can keep extending as long as you qualify.
The practical risk to the clock is not the change of employer itself. It is a gap in permission, a period of unauthorised work, or a badly timed resignation that causes your leave to be curtailed before the new application is in place. Keeping the sequence clean is what protects it, and our note on settlement planning covers the longer view, alongside the latest settlement update for sponsored workers.
Your dependants also need attention. Their visas are linked to your status, not your employer, but when you update your Skilled Worker visa because of a new job or employer, your partner and children will need to apply separately to update their visas. They can apply at the same time as you, or before their current visas expire.
Salary and the going rate
The salary test has two legs, and you must clear the higher of them unless a specific reduced-rate rule applies. The standard general threshold now sits at £41,700 for most applicants, and separately the job must meet the going rate for its occupation code. A role can pay above the general figure and still fail if it falls short of the going rate for that code, so both need checking against the offer.
There are transitional arrangements. Workers whose first Certificate of Sponsorship predates 4 April 2024, with continuous Skilled Worker leave since, may be able to rely on a lower framework, currently £31,300 or the lower going rate, for eligible applications. Some roles or applicant categories can also attract reduced rates, including certain roles on the immigration salary list or other permitted lower-rate categories. The detail changes often, so read the current salary rules and the pay period rules before you commit, and see our summary of the Skilled Worker changes in 2026 for the wider shifts.
What if you lose your job or there is a gap?
If your sponsored employment ends, whether through redundancy or resignation, your sponsor must report it, and the Home Office will usually curtail your visa to 60 days, or to the end of your existing permission if that is sooner. That window is your time to find a new sponsor and apply, switch to another route, or leave the UK. It is not a lot of time, so act quickly. Our guidance on what to do if your sponsored job disappears walks through the practical steps.
The lesson runs the other way too. Because leaving your current role early can start that clock, the safest path when changing employer is to keep your existing sponsorship live until the new visa is granted.
Costs and timing
A change of employment application from inside the UK carries an application fee, currently £943 for a grant of up to three years and £1,865 for more than three years, plus the Immigration Health Surcharge at £1,035 per year. A priority service may be available for a faster decision, but it is not guaranteed for every case. The current schedule is in our note on the latest visa fees. A clear covering letter tying your evidence together helps a caseworker grant it without queries.
Related routes and alternatives
Changing employer is not always the right move. If you are thinking of leaving sponsored work to run your own business, the sponsorship model may not fit. The Start-up visa is now closed to new applications, so business founders usually need to look at the Innovator Founder route or another suitable route. For an overseas company setting up here, the UK Expansion Worker visa works on different tests. If you are coming into sponsorship from another visa, our notes on switching to a Skilled Worker visa and switching routes into sponsorship set out how.
A couple of family points sit alongside this. To bring a partner rather than rely on the dependant route, or where a relationship is unmarried, check the unmarried partner visa rules. And if a child in your family will attend a UK school in their own right, that is a child student visa matter rather than a dependant one.
Frequently asked questions
Can I start my new job before my visa is approved?
No. You must wait for the Home Office to grant your new Skilled Worker visa before starting the new role. Beginning early counts as unauthorised work and can damage both your immigration record and the new sponsor’s licence. Keep working for your current employer until approval comes through.
Does changing employer reset my five-year settlement clock?
No. Time in the Skilled Worker route counts towards settlement across different employers, as long as you remain continuously in the route and keep meeting the requirements. A gap in permission or a period of unauthorised work is what can break continuity, not the change itself.
Do I need a new Certificate of Sponsorship to change employer?
Yes. Your new employer must hold a valid sponsor licence and assign a new Certificate of Sponsorship for the specific role, salary and occupation code. Without a valid one, you cannot make the application.
What happens to my dependants when I change employer?
They do not change employer with you, but they do need to update their visas separately when you update your Skilled Worker visa because of a new job or employer. They can apply at the same time as you, or at any time before their current visas expire.
Can I change roles with the same employer without a new application?
Sometimes. A minor change may not need one, but a move to a different occupation code, or a promotion that materially changes your duties, can require a new Certificate of Sponsorship and a fresh application. Check before the role changes.
How long does a change of employment application take?
Standard in-country processing is usually up to 8 weeks, and a faster service may be available. Apply before your current visa expires so your position is protected while the decision is pending, and do not start the new role until approval is granted.
Get your move checked before you resign
The rules reward doing things in the right order, and punish getting ahead of the approval. If you would like your new offer, salary, occupation code and timing checked before you hand in your notice, our immigration solicitors in London can confirm the new role qualifies and map out a sequence that keeps your status and your settlement clock intact. Talk to us before you resign, not after.
