UK Work Visa 2026: Requirements, Fees, Eligibility, Document Requirements

Out of many work visas in the UK, the one required by Indian students after graduating in the country is the UK Skilled Worker Visa. Once issued, the UK work visa for Indians remains valid for 5 years and helps in getting a PR in the country.

A UK work visa allows you to come or stay in the country and work with legal permission. Without it, you cannot stay, let alone work, in the country. For different skill types, the UK immigration system has policies in place that cover all. There are UK work visas that can be availed of when you don’t have a job offer, when you have a job offer or when the tenure of your job in UK is going to be short - for a fixed time. 

The main/prime work visa in the UK is the Skilled Worker Visa in the UK. This visa has replaced the Tier 2 (General) work visa. The UK Skilled Worker Visa can be obtained upon having a job offer from a Home Office-approved UK employer (sponsor) who provides a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS). Read on to learn how to switch from a UK Graduate visa to Skilled Worker Visa. 

There are a few things that you must note before starting to apply for a UK work visa. In this article, we will solve all your queries about how to get a UK work visa for Indians, UK work permit requirements, the application process and the fees around the various UK work visas for Indians and a few sponsoring options for your UK work visa.

Also Read:

• Post Study Work Visa UK (Graduate Route Visa)
• What Do Students Do Post-taking Graduate Route? How Much Do They Earn?

What are the Benefits of a UK Work Visa?

The UK is home to some of the renowned universities, colleges and industries in the world. The universities in the UK invite great talent from across the globe and the industries hire the highly skilled graduates, which makes work visa a requirement for the international students. Here are some of the benefits of getting a UK Skilled Worker Visa:

1. The first and foremost benefit of a UK Skilled Worker Visa is that it is a pathway to getting PR in the UK.
2. Having aSkilled Worker Visa provides job safety and allows you to bring your family members in the UK. 
3. Skilled Worker Visa holders have the access to public services like healthcare and education.

Who Needs a UK Work Visa?

You may be allowed to live and work in the UK even without having a visa if:

• You are a British citizen holding a British passport, or
• You are an eligible Commonwealth citizen; there are two clauses to it:
• You have the right of abode in the UK if your parents or spouse has the right to abode (right to live and work without needing a visa or going through immigration restrictions) in the UK. 
• You belong to the Windrush Generation, which enlists people who arrived in the UK before 1989, or people (and their children) who arrived in the UK before 1973 from a Commonwealth country. 

If none of the above cases stand true to you, then you will be required to apply for a work visa to work and live in the UK. However, if you feel that you have the right of abode, then you must apply for a Certificate of Entitlement in the UK.

Also Read: UK Student Visa Fees 2026

Choosing the Right UK Work Visa for You

Different UK work visas are offered based on the differing conditions of international migrants. Before beginning to find out how you must proceed to apply for a work visa in the UK, you must definitely be well-versed with the different types of work visas that you can avail of in the UK and what they cover. 

Below, we have briefly described all the work visas available in the UK and what they cover. Do check out which visa will suit you the best according to your current situation, and then you may proceed to apply for one. 

First up, let's check the popular UK work visas that need an employer's sponsorship, i.e., the Health and Care Worker Visa and the Skilled Worker Visa. 

Related Read: Documents Required for UK Student Visa in 2026

1. Health and Care Worker Visa in the UK

The Health and Care Worker Visa in the UK allows healthcare professionals to come to live and work with the NHS, NHS suppliers or in adult social care. With this visa, you can live and work in the UK for a period of 5 years; however, this tenure can be extended on subsequent request. You will be required to apply for an extension or update your visa before its expiration date, or if you change your job/employer in the UK. The Health and Care Worker Visa in the UK costs £304 for a single person for up to three years and £590 per person for more than three years. 

The preliminary requirements of this visa are:

• You must be either a qualified doctor, nurse, other healthcare professional or an adult social care professional.
• You must work with a UK employer approved by the UK Home Office. 
• You must possess a “certificate of sponsorship” from your UK employer with a minimum required salary offered (minimum salary range differs according to your field and other parameters). 

Check the UK New Immigration Rules 2026.

2. Skilled Worker Visa

A Skilled Worker Visa in the UK is a kind of work visa that allows you to live and work in the UK under an approved employer for a period of up to 5 years until extended or renewed. The Skilled Worker Visa in the UK for applicants applying from outside of the UK costs somewhere between £769 if you plan to stay for three years and £1,751 if you plan to stay longer than 3 years.

It is to be noted here that the Skilled Worker Visa has replaced the Tier 2 (General) Visa in the UK. This visa also allows you to work in the UK waters. 

The following requirements must be met before applying for a UK Skilled Worker Visa:

• To be employed with a UK Home Office-approved employer.
• The job you are going to work on must be listed on the list of eligible occupations in the UK.
• Your UK employer must provide you with a “Certificate of Sponsorship (COS)” containing the details of your employment. 
• You must be getting paid the minimum required salary, depending on your job.

Note that the following UK work visas can be applied for even without having a job offer in the UK.

3. Graduate Visa

A graduate visa in the UK allows you to stay and work for up to 2 years after the completion of your higher studies at one of the universities in the UK. The duration of this visa may last for 3 years if the applicant has completed their PhD or other doctoral education in the UK. While on this visa, the applicants can look for jobs, work on certain jobs, be self-employed, do voluntary work, live with their family (spouse and children) and even travel abroad and return. So, this means that a Graduate Visa allows you to live and work in the UK without having a job offer. The cost of a Graduate Visa per person in the UK is £880. However, a healthcare surcharge of £1,035 for each year that you're going to stay in the UK.

To be able to apply for the Graduate Visa, one must be present in the UK. You can apply for this visa only if you:

• Are in the UK
• Currently have a UK student visa or a Tier 4 (General) student visa and completed a UG, PG or other higher education in a university in the UK. 
• Are given a “passed” status by your institution at the UK Home Office. 

4. India Young Professionals Scheme Visa

Selected young Indian professionals aged between 18 to 30 years can apply for an India Young Professionals Scheme Visa if they are selected in the India Young Professionals Scheme Ballot. One must initiate their application process only if they get selected in the India Young Professionals Scheme Ballot. The application fee for the India Young Professionals Scheme visa for a single person is £319.

This kind of UK work visa allows skilled Indian youth to live and work in the UK for a period of up to 2 years. The recipient can keep travelling to and from the UK during the time when their Youth Professionals Scheme Visa is still active and valid. The India Young Professionals Scheme Visa allows you to work in the UK even without having a job offer. 

To be eligible to apply for this visa, one must:

• Be an Indian citizen aged 18 to 30 years old (at the time of application).
• Possess eligible qualifications.
• Have savings of £2,530. 

5. Global Talent Visa

If you are aged 18 years or more and already a leader or a potential leader in fields of academia and research, arts and culture or digital technology, then you can apply for a Global Talent Visa to work in the UK. The cost of the Global Talent Visa is £766.  

You have to apply for an endorsement to prove that you are in a leadership position or a potential leader. Or, if you have won an eligible award, you can apply for the Global Talent Visa to work in the UK even without having an endorsement. 

This UK work visa allows you to live and work in the UK for a period of 5 years. 

6. High Potential Individual (HPI) Visa

This kind of UK work visa allows you to live and work in the UK for a period of 2 years, given that you have been awarded a qualification in the last 5 years by an eligible institution. The tenure of this UK work visa may extend for up to 3 years if you possess a PhD or other doctoral degree. The application fee for the High Potential Individual Visa is £880. However, candidates also need to pay:

• a health surcharge of £1,035,
• qualification review cost of £252 to Ecctis, and 
• hold a minimum balance of £1,270 to show that you can support yourself while you are in the UK.  

While on an HPI Work Visa, one can look for jobs, work on certain jobs, be self-employed, do voluntary work, live in the UK with spouse and children, and travel to and from the UK. 

However, this type of UK work visa doesn’t allow you to: 

• Apply for permanent residence in the UK, 
• Extend the visa duration
• Avail of public funds and/or the State Pension

UK Work Permit Visa Requirements 2026

One must successfully fulfil all the requirements of their chosen UK work visa before applying and paying the fees for one! The necessary requirements for different UK work visas for Indian citizens have been mentioned in their designated sections above. Here are the basic requirements for getting a Skilled Worker Visa in the UK in 2026:

1. English Language: Since English is the major official language in the UK, the first and foremost requirement for all work visas in the UK is your ability to read, write, speak and comprehend the English language. For this reason, you will be required to present a minimum required score in any of the accepted standard tests of the English language, IELTS or TOEFL. Indian students who complete their higher education in the UK are not required to take an English test for this visa.
2. Job in the UK: To get a UK Skilled Worker Visa, one must be appointed by an employer that has been approved by the UK Home Office. Your employer must also provide you with a "Certificate of Sponsorship" (CoS) that contains the details of the role offered to you in the UK, along with the designated minimum salary depending on the role. Remember the job you do should be on the list of eligible occupations.
3. Salary You Receive: You must be getting paid at least, whichever is higher of the following:
   • £41,700 per year, or
   • the “going rate” of your job type

How to Get a UK Work Visa?

Now, UK work visa aspirants have great news as most of the UK work visas for Indians can be applied for by filling out an online form. To get a UK Work Visa application form online, one must visit the official link of their desired UK work visa for Indian citizens to live and work in the UK. Some of these UK work visas can be availed even without having a sponsorship or job offers. 

The UK Skilled Worker Visa application process is simple and easy, and varies based on the fact whether you are applying from within the UK or outside the UK. You will be required to check your eligibility, gather the required documents and prove your identity before submitting the application form online. Check out the simple steps on how to get a UK work visa from India (i.e. from outside of the UK) below.

• Gather the required documents before starting

• Verify your identity through one of two methods:

  • Use the 'UK Immigration: ID Check' app to scan documents and create/access your UKVI account.

  • Visit a visa application centre for fingerprints and photo collection.
• For in-person appointments: 
  • The centre may keep your passport during processing.
  • You might need to travel to another city or country to reach the nearest centre.
• Complete your application by filling out an online application, uploading the required documents & paying the application and other associated fees. 
• Wait for the approval of your UK work visa application. 

UK Skilled Worker Visa Processing Time 2026

The processing time of different UK work visas are given below.

UK Work Visa Fees and Financial Requirements 2026

Each visa application in the UK comes with mandatory fees. However, applicants are also required to show proof of funds - enough to support their stay in the UK. Each work visa has a designated amount of funds that each applicant must possess, without which their application for a working visa in the UK may get rejected. 

These minimum funds required under each type of UK work visa are given under the “Minimum Funds Require” column in the table below. The application fees for different work visas in the UK for Indians are given below. 

Income Tax in the UK

If you are living in the UK then, you will be required to pay a tax on your income. The “income” includes - pension, savings interest, wages and benefits. The tax is applied to your income provided above your personal allowance. 

However, one is not supposed to pay UK income tax for short business trips or meetings in the UK. 

Usually, the UK income tax is deducted from your taxable salary by your employer. But in case you have some other income source in the UK or are self-employed (or you work for yourself) then you can apply for a Self-assessment Tax Return. 

In the end, it's important that you understand which UK work visa will suit your requirements and apply for it. Applying in time can boost your chances of getting one. This was all about the work visas in the UK. For study-abroad assistance, reach out to Shiksha's Counseling Services for free.