Britain's work visa sets the pay bar above the typical British salary
You need a licensed employer, a degree-level job and at least about $55,200 a year (the Home Office sets it at £41,700). Five years on this visa costs one person about $9,000 in government fees.
This is the route for Americans a British company already wants to hire. The employer starts the process, pays its own sponsorship fees, and has to answer to the Home Office for you. You can't apply first and job-hunt later, and the visa is tied to that one employer until you change it.
Before you apply
Three checks your offer has to pass
Your employer needs a sponsor license from the Home Office. You can look them up on the government's published register of licensed sponsors before you give notice anywhere.
The job has to be degree level. Since July 2025, medium-skilled roles only qualify through the immigration salary list or the temporary shortage list.
The pay has to beat the general floor or the going rate for your occupation code, whichever is higher. The UK's median full-time salary was about $51,700 (£39,039) in April 2025, so plenty of ordinary British jobs don't clear it.
- Under 26, a recent graduate or in professional training? You can be paid 70% of the going rate, with a floor of about $44,200 (£33,400), but for 4 years in total at most.
- PhD holders can be paid 80% of the going rate in STEM or 90% in other fields, with floors of about $44,200 (£33,400) and $49,700 (£37,500).
- Once your employer assigns your certificate of sponsorship, you have 3 months to apply.
What you pay, and what your employer pays (2026)
$1,080
Visa fee for up to 3 years, applying from the U.S. (£819)
More than 3 years: about $2,140 (£1,618)
$1,370
Immigration health surcharge per person (£1,035)
Charged for every year of the visa
$1,680
Savings you show before you go (£1,270)
Waived if your employer certifies your first month
$9,000
One person, 5-year visa plus surcharge (£6,793)
A couple pays about $18,000
$1,750
Immigration Skills Charge a large employer pays for your first year (£1,320)
It can't be passed on to you
$660
Priority decision from outside the UK (£500)
Super priority: about $1,320 (£1,000)
Skilled Worker Visa
For US citizens with a job offer in the UK from a licensed sponsor. Leads to settlement after 5 years.
- Government cost
- $719
- Processing time
- ~3 days
- Timeline
- Up to 5 years, extendable, leads to settlement
- Difficulty
- Hard
Key requirements
- Job offer from a UK employer with a sponsor license
- Job meets skill and salary thresholds
- English language proficiency
- Maintenance funds
About that data card
Read the $719 application cost as out of date. Since April 2026, applying from the U.S. costs about $1,080 (£819) for up to three years or about $2,140 (£1,618) for longer, before the health surcharge. Where it says 3 days to process, the Home Office says a decision from outside the UK usually takes 3 weeks. And the English requirement is already met for Americans: U.S. nationals don't have to prove it. Dollar figures on this page use about $1.32 per pound, the rate in late September 2026.
Living on the visa
What the visa lets you do, and where it bites
No English test for Americans
The good news is that U.S. nationals don't have to prove English. Most other applicants have needed B2 level since January 2026.
Your family can come
A partner and children under 18 can apply as your dependents. Each files a separate application and pays the visa fee, and you show savings of about $380 for a partner (£285), $420 for the first child (£315) and $265 for each child after that (£200). Your partner can work in any job except as a sportsperson or coach.
The visa belongs to the job
A new employer or a new role means a new certificate of sponsorship and a new application, usually decided within 8 weeks from inside the UK, and you can't leave the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man while you wait. If the job ends, the Home Office normally shortens your visa to 60 days. You can't claim most benefits or the State Pension on this visa.
Two tax returns every year
In the 2026 to 2027 tax year, Britain charges 20% on pay above about $16,600 (£12,570), 40% above about $66,600 (£50,270) and 45% above about $165,700 (£125,140), plus 8% employee National Insurance on the middle band of pay and 2% above it. The IRS still taxes Americans on worldwide income, so you file a U.S. return, too. The foreign earned income exclusion covers up to $132,900 of 2026 pay.
From offer letter to British passport
Certificate of sponsorship
Your employer assigns it and pays about $695 (£525) for it. You then have 3 months to file.
Apply up to 3 months early
Confirm your identity with the UK Immigration: ID Check app or at a visa application center.
About 3 weeks
The usual wait for a decision from outside the UK. Priority service can shorten it.
Up to 5 years
Your first grant can run up to 5 years before you extend from inside the UK.
Settlement
Indefinite leave to remain costs about $4,270 (£3,226) per person, plus a $66 (£50) Life in the UK test.
Citizenship
Usually 12 months after settlement, for about $2,260 (£1,709). The UK allows dual citizenship.
The five-year promise
Settlement takes five years today, and that may change
Settlement, which Britain calls "indefinite leave to remain", is what ends the visa renewals and health surcharge. A Skilled Worker can apply after 5 years today, aso long as absences stay under 180 days in any rolling 12 months.
In late 2025 the Home Office proposed earned settlement: a 10-year baseline for most people, with 5 years off for taxable income of about $66,600 (£50,270) and 7 off at about $165,700 (£125,140). The consultation closed in February 2026. As of September 2026 there's no government response and no rule change, and the proposal would apply to people already on the route. Plan on five years, and keep an eye on the news.
Help with the parts your employer won't handle
Clearview Relocation
UK Relocation
UK relocation services: immigration support, removals and the settling-in work around a job move. Useful when your new employer sponsors rarely and leaves the logistics to you.
Aury Lambert
Attorney Relocation Guide
A relocation guide for attorneys moving to the UK. If your offer depends on a professional license, this is the conversation to have alongside the visa.
MyExpatTaxes
U.S. Expat Tax Service
U.S. expat tax filing. A British salary still means a U.S. return every April, and choosing between the exclusion and tax credits is worth getting right in year one.
Moneycorp
Currency Exchange
Currency exchange and international transfers, for moving savings into pounds or paying U.S. bills from a British paycheck.
Simon Conn
International Mortgage Lending
International mortgage lending in the UK, for buyers whose income and credit history started somewhere else.
Marshmallow
Auto Insurance in the UK
Car insurance in the UK, including for drivers who arrive with a foreign license and no British claims history.
Skilled Worker questions from Americans
Can I visit the UK and switch to a Skilled Worker visa there?
No. If you're in the UK as a visitor, you have to leave and apply for the Skilled Worker visa from abroad. You can apply up to 3 months before your job starts.
Can my spouse work in the UK if I have a Skilled Worker visa?
Yes. A partner who comes as your dependent can work in any job except as a sportsperson or coach. They file their own application and pay their own visa fee.
How much does the UK Skilled Worker visa cost in 2026?
Applying from the U.S., the visa fee is £819 (about $1,080) for up to three years or £1,618 (about $2,140) for longer, and each person also pays a health surcharge of £1,035 (about $1,370) for every year of the visa. For a five-year visa that adds up to about $9,000 per person, as of April 2026 fees.
What happens if I lose my job on a UK Skilled Worker visa?
Your employer has to tell the Home Office within 10 working days, and your visa is normally cut short to 60 days, or less if it was due to end sooner. In that time you need a new sponsor and a new application, or a plan to leave.
Do Americans need an English test for the UK Skilled Worker visa?
No. U.S. nationals are on the Home Office list of nationalities that don't have to prove English for a Skilled Worker visa. Most other applicants have had to show B2 level since January 2026.
Do I still pay U.S. taxes if I work in the UK?
You still file. The IRS taxes U.S. citizens on worldwide income wherever they live. The foreign earned income exclusion can shelter up to $132,900 of pay earned abroad in 2026, and you pay British income tax and National Insurance on your salary as well.
Can I get a UK Skilled Worker visa without a job offer?
No. You need an offer from a UK employer that holds a Home Office sponsor license, and that employer has to assign you a certificate of sponsorship before you apply. Americans without an offer usually look at the Global Talent or High Potential Individual visas instead.
How long does it take to get British citizenship on a Skilled Worker visa?
Today you can apply for settlement after 5 years, and for citizenship usually 12 months after that. The UK allows dual citizenship, so you keep your U.S. passport. A proposal to raise the settlement wait to 10 years for most people was still undecided in September 2026.
If a sponsored job isn't your route
Global Talent Visa
- Endorsement as a leader or potential leader in academia, research, arts, or tech
- No job offer required
- English language proficiency (if applying for settlement)
Health and Care Worker Visa
- Job offer in eligible health or care role
- UK employer with sponsor license
- English language proficiency
High Potential Individual Visa
- Degree from a top global university (as per UK list)
- English language proficiency
- Maintenance funds
Innovator Founder Visa
- Endorsement for an innovative, viable, and scalable business idea
- English language proficiency
- Maintenance funds
Scale-up Visa
- Job offer from a UK scale-up company
- Salary meets threshold
- English language proficiency
Student Visa
- Offer from a licensed UK educational institution
- English language proficiency
- Maintenance funds
Is a British job the right move for you?
The Expatsi Test scores countries against your work, your budget and your family before you start interviewing.
Why not you?