UK CV for international applicants: Skilled Worker sponsorship, the rules behind it and the right-to-work line
A UK CV from an international applicant needs one line saying whether you need visa sponsorship. For a Skilled Worker job, the employer must be a licensed sponsor and the role must pass GOV.UK’s occupation, salary and English rules.1
Written 13 October 2026. CitedCV. How we write our guides
First step: confirm the employer holds a sponsor licence
Check the employer before you tailor anything. A Skilled Worker visa needs a job offer from an employer the Home Office has approved, and GOV.UK publishes every approved employer in the register of licensed sponsors: workers, a spreadsheet it replaces most working days. If the company is missing, no CV can lead to a visa unless the company first applies for a licence.
- Open the register of licensed sponsors on GOV.UK and download the CSV file of Worker and Temporary Worker sponsors.
- Open it in a spreadsheet and search the Organisation Name column. Try the legal name as well as the brand, because the register lists the registered organisation.
- Read the Route column. Only rows marked Skilled Worker cover a Skilled Worker job; Creative Worker, Charity Worker or Global Business Mobility rows do not.
- Use Town/City to tell apart organisations with similar names.
- Save the file date with your notes, because the list changes almost every day.
What the 13 October 2026 file contained
We downloaded the register on 13 October 2026 and counted it ourselves. It had 143,218 rows; 123,195 of them were licences for the Skilled Worker route. The rest covered routes such as Global Business Mobility, ministers of religion, Creative Worker, sportspeople and Government Authorised Exchange. GOV.UK recorded five updates between 7 and 13 October.
If the employer is not on the list
GOV.UK says an employer can apply for a licence if it is eligible. The fee is £611 for small businesses and charities and £1,682 for medium and large organisations, and processing usually takes around 8 weeks. That is a conversation for after an offer, not a request to put in your CV.
How the Skilled Worker rules decide whether a job can be sponsored
Once a licensed employer wants you, it runs four tests before it assigns a certificate of sponsorship (CoS), the electronic record whose reference number goes into your visa form. You must apply within 3 months of getting it. The figures below are the ones GOV.UK and the Immigration Rules showed on 13 October 2026.
The occupation code and its skill level
Every sponsored job is matched to a 4-digit SOC 2020 occupation code. GOV.UK points to the CASCOT coding tool and warns that similar jobs can carry different codes: bricklayers, roofers and carpenters are eligible, construction labourers are not. Appendix Skilled Occupations treats codes skilled to RQF level 6 or above, roughly degree level, as Higher Skilled, and those can be sponsored.
Codes skilled to RQF levels 3 to 5 are Medium Skilled. A new applicant can be sponsored in one only if the job is on the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List. Both lists carry an end point: the Temporary Shortage List, and most Immigration Salary List entries, count only for a certificate of sponsorship issued before 31 December 2026.
The salary floor
The usual minimum is whichever is higher: £41,700 a year or the going rate for the code. Going rates vary widely. Appendix Skilled Occupations lists £54,700 for programmers and software development professionals (2134) and £46,800 for mechanical engineers (2122), both on a 37.5-hour week. GOV.UK gives its own example: a £42,000 offer fails when the going rate is £45,000.
Lower floors that can apply
- New entrant: 70% of the going rate, with at least £33,400, if you are under 26 on the date you apply, on a Student visa at bachelor level or above, on a Graduate visa (or were, in the last 2 years), or training towards a regulated profession or chartered status. Your total stay on this basis is capped at 4 years, Graduate visa time included.
- Relevant PhD: 80% of the going rate for a STEM doctorate (at least £33,400) or 90% for another subject (at least £37,500). A doctorate from outside the UK needs an Ecctis check.
- Immigration Salary List job: at least £33,400 and still the standard going rate, with a lower visa fee.
- Listed healthcare and education jobs: national pay scales, with a £25,000 minimum.
English at B2
You must prove English at CEFR level B2 through a UK school qualification, a UK degree, a degree taught in English that Ecctis confirms, or a Secure English Language Test. Nationals of the countries GOV.UK lists, such as the USA, Canada and Australia, are exempt. Someone who held the visa before 8 January 2026 and is extending needs B1.
Care work follows different rules
Care worker (6135) and senior care worker (6136) jobs can no longer be sponsored for someone applying from abroad; the care assistant CV page sets out who can still apply.
Requirement by requirement: what to check and what the CV shows
Most of the sponsorship test is the employer’s job, and most of it never appears on a CV. The table separates what you should check yourself from the few things the CV itself carries.
| GOV.UK requirement | What to check before you apply | What goes on the CV |
|---|---|---|
| Approved employer | The employer’s name with Route = Skilled Worker in the register of licensed sponsors | Nothing about the employer. The right-to-work line tells them you need sponsorship. |
| Confirmed job offer and CoS | Offer first; the employer assigns the CoS; you apply within 3 months of it | Nothing. A CoS cannot exist before an offer, so never write that you have one. |
| Eligible occupation code | The code from the employer, or the job title in CASCOT and the eligible occupations table | Job titles and duties that truthfully match the advertised role. |
| Salary of £41,700 or the going rate | The going rate for the code against the advertised salary | No salary figure. The offer sets the pay, not the CV. |
| New entrant discount | Your age on the application date, or a Student or Graduate visa in the last 2 years | Graduation month and year, and the UK course if you studied there. |
| English at B2 | UK degree, Ecctis confirmation of an English-taught degree, or a SELT result | A language line with level and proof, e.g. "English: B2 (Secure English Language Test, March 2026)". |
| PhD discount | Ecctis reference for a non-UK doctorate; the employer confirms relevance | Doctorate, subject, institution and year; the thesis title if it shows relevance. |
| Criminal record certificate | Needed from outside the UK for education, healthcare, therapy and social services jobs | Nothing. It belongs in the visa file. |
| Right to work before day one | Share code or eligible immigration document once the visa is granted | The right-to-work line below. |
The right-to-work line, by situation
| Your situation | Line under your contact details |
|---|---|
| Outside the UK, no UK visa | Right to work: will require Skilled Worker sponsorship. |
| Student visa, course ends before the job starts | Right to work: Student visa, course ends June 2027; will require Skilled Worker sponsorship from July 2027. |
| Graduate visa | Right to work: Graduate visa valid until September 2028; no sponsorship needed until then. |
| Skilled Worker visa, changing employer | Right to work: Skilled Worker visa; a new sponsor would need to update my visa. |
| British or Irish citizen | Right to work: full right to work in the UK. |
Use one line, put it in the header, and make it match what you tick in the application form’s sponsorship question. The dates in the examples are placeholders; write your own.
What the CV should leave out
- Passport, BRP or visa reference numbers. The employer sees your status through its own check.
- A share code. You generate it when the employer asks to check you, and GOV.UK lets you choose a share code or eligible immigration documents.
- Your nationality presented as if it settled the question. The right-to-work line answers it.
- Photo and date of birth, which the UK CV format page covers.
How to find employers that sponsor
The register tells you who may sponsor, not who is hiring. Turn it into a shortlist before you start sending CVs.
- Filter Route to Skilled Worker and Town/City to the places you can live.
- Find the occupation code for your target role and its going rate; drop employers whose advertised salaries fall below it.
- Read each shortlisted employer’s adverts for a sponsorship statement; if an advert says nothing, ask the recruiter before you apply.
- Re-download the register before each round of applications, since licences are added and removed.
Already in the UK on a Student visa
GOV.UK lets a Student visa holder switch inside the UK if the course is complete, if the job starts after the course ends, or if they have studied full time for a PhD for at least 24 months. Graduate visa holders have a separate page on this site.
Offers that cost you money
An offer that asks you to pay for sponsorship or a certificate deserves suspicion; the overseas job scams page lists the warning signs.
Proof: the pages we read and when
All rules above come from GOV.UK pages read on 13 October 2026. Links are under Sources.
| Claim | Source |
|---|---|
| Approved employer, CoS, 3-month window, £41,700 or going rate, licence fees | GOV.UK, Skilled Worker visa: your job |
| New entrant, PhD and Immigration Salary List rates, 4-year cap | GOV.UK, Skilled Worker visa: when you can be paid less |
| RQF 6 and RQF 3 to 5 tables; £54,700 and £46,800 going rates | Immigration Rules, Appendix Skilled Occupations |
| CoS before 31 December 2026 for the shortage lists | Appendix Skilled Worker SW 6.1A; Appendix Immigration Salary List |
| B2, Ecctis, exemptions, B1 for pre-8 January 2026 holders | GOV.UK, Skilled Worker visa: knowledge of English |
| Criminal record certificate by sector | GOV.UK, Skilled Worker visa: documents you’ll need |
| Student visa switching conditions | GOV.UK, Skilled Worker visa: switch to this visa |
| 143,218 rows, 123,195 Skilled Worker | Our count of the register CSV dated 13 October 2026 |
| Share code or documents, employer’s choice not allowed | GOV.UK, Prove your right to work to an employer |
Thresholds and lists change, sometimes within weeks. Open the linked GOV.UK pages again before you apply.
What this page does not cover
- The visa file: the Skilled Worker document list does not ask for a CV, and the visa application page lists which UK routes do.
- Nurses and doctors, whose route runs through NMC or GMC registration and the Health and Care Worker visa; each has its own page.
- Care workers, whose sponsorship rules changed in July 2025.
- Your eligibility. The employer and the Home Office decide it; this page explains what they check.
- Regional lists: the Immigration Salary List can differ between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Next steps
- Shortlist licensed sponsors from the register for your city and field.
- Check the occupation code and going rate for each target role.
- Add the right-to-work line that fits your situation to your CV header.
- Write the rest of the CV in UK format, and check how your degree reads to a UK employer.
CitedCV can write the CV in English with UK conventions (no photo, no date of birth) from the jobs, dates and results you enter, and you can add the right-to-work line as one of those facts. It does not check the sponsor register or your visa eligibility.
Questions people ask
Should I put visa sponsorship on my CV?
Yes, in one line under your contact details, such as "Right to work: will require Skilled Worker sponsorship". It answers the recruiter’s first question and matches the application form.
How do I know if a UK company sponsors visas?
Search the register of licensed sponsors on GOV.UK and check that the company’s row says Skilled Worker in the Route column. A licence means it may sponsor, not that every job is sponsored.
What is the minimum salary for a Skilled Worker visa?
It is £41,700 a year or the going rate for the occupation code, whichever is higher, according to GOV.UK on 13 October 2026. New entrants can be paid 70% of the going rate, with at least £33,400.
Does the Skilled Worker visa require a degree?
No personal degree requirement appears on GOV.UK. The job’s occupation code must be eligible, and new applicants mostly need a code skilled to RQF level 6 or above.
What English level do I need for a Skilled Worker visa?
You need CEFR level B2, shown by a UK qualification, an English-taught degree confirmed by Ecctis, or a Secure English Language Test, unless your nationality is exempt.
Can international students switch to a Skilled Worker visa?
Yes, from inside the UK, if the course is complete, the job starts after the course ends, or you have done at least 24 months of a full-time PhD.
Can I still get a Skilled Worker visa as a care worker from abroad?
No. Since 22 July 2025, care worker and senior care worker roles can be sponsored only for people already in the UK who meet set conditions.
Do I give my share code on the CV?
No. You create a share code when an employer asks to check your right to work, and you can show eligible immigration documents instead if you prefer.
Sources
- GOV.UK, Skilled Worker visa: your jobwww.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/your-job
- GOV.UK, Skilled Worker visa: when you can be paid lesswww.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/when-you-can-be-paid-less
- GOV.UK, Skilled Worker visa: knowledge of Englishwww.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/knowledge-of-english
- GOV.UK, Skilled Worker visa: documents you’ll need to applywww.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/documents-you-must-provide
- GOV.UK, Skilled Worker visa: switch to this visawww.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/switch-to-this-visa
- GOV.UK, Register of licensed sponsors: workerswww.gov.uk/government/publications/register-of-licensed-sponsors-workers
- GOV.UK, Skilled Worker visa: eligible occupations and codeswww.gov.uk/government/publications/skilled-worker-visa-eligible-occupations
- Immigration Rules, Appendix Skilled Occupationswww.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-skilled-occupations
- Immigration Rules, Appendix Skilled Workerwww.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-skilled-worker
- Immigration Rules, Appendix Immigration Salary Listwww.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-immigration-salary-list
- GOV.UK, Prove your right to work to an employerwww.gov.uk/prove-right-to-work