The Skilled Worker visa: how the route to England works after Brexit
No visa, no move — and the Skilled Worker visa doesn't start with a form but with a job. What the sponsor requirement means, which salary threshold applies (£41,700, or the going rate for your occupation if that is higher), and what the process really costs.
5 min read
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The main route for Dutch people to live and work in England is the Skilled Worker visa: first a job with a sponsor approved by the Home Office (the UK interior ministry), then the visa. That order is the crux.
Since Brexit, England has become a real emigration country for Dutch people. There is no more free movement, and without a visa you cannot live or work there. The essentials:
- The job must pay at least £41,700 a year, or the going rate for your occupation if that is higher.
- The visa costs £819 to £1,618 per person.
- On top comes £1,035 a year Immigration Health Surcharge, the healthcare fee on your visa.
- After five years you can apply for permanent residence.
Who may sponsor you?
Not every British employer may hire you. The company must be a licensed sponsor: approved by the Home Office to sponsor foreign workers.
The full list is public. The register of licensed sponsors is a free downloadable file with tens of thousands of companies, updated regularly. If you apply for jobs in England, check before you invest time whether the employer is on that list. Or simply ask in the first conversation.
Once the sponsor has hired you, they assign you a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS). That is not a paper but an electronic record with a number and the start date of your job. With that number you apply for the visa, up to three months before that start date. GOV.UK says it in so many words: you must have a confirmed job offer before you apply.
How much do you have to earn?
Your job must meet two requirements at once:
- It must be on the list of eligible occupations: the "higher skilled" occupation codes, as a rule work at degree level.
- The salary must be at least the higher of two amounts: £41,700 a year, or the going rate for your occupation code, the usual pay for that job in the UK.
If you earn £42,000 while the going rate is £45,000, you do not qualify.
There are reduced thresholds, for instance £33,400 for those who meet the exceptions, such as new entrants (people early in their career) or occupations on the Immigration Salary List. But don't count on it: a going-rate test still applies then too. The thresholds were raised sharply on 22 July 2025; sites still quoting £26,200 or £38,700 are out of date.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Salary threshold | £41,700 a year, or the going rate if higher |
| Reduced threshold (exceptions) | £33,400 |
| Fee up to 3 years / more than 3 years, from the Netherlands | £819 / £1,618 per person |
| Fee for an occupation on the Immigration Salary List | £628 / £1,235 per person |
| Immigration Health Surcharge | £1,035 a year per person; £776 under 18 |
| Own funds when applying | £1,270, unless the sponsor covers maintenance |
| Decision time from outside the UK | usually 3 weeks |
| Applying before the start date | up to 3 months ahead |
| Maximum length per visa | 5 years, extendable without limit |
| Permanent residence (indefinite leave to remain) | after 5 years |
What does it cost?
The fees are per person: £819 for a visa of up to three years, £1,618 for longer, when applying from the Netherlands (from inside the UK £943 and £1,865).
On top comes the Immigration Health Surcharge, the contribution to the NHS (the British public health service): £1,035 per person per year, £776 for children under 18, payable upfront for the whole visa period. GOV.UK works it out itself: a three-year visa means £819 plus £3,105 in IHS, so £3,924 at application. For a family of four coming for five years, the IHS alone runs into tens of thousands of pounds. It is the largest amount in the whole process, and the least known.
You must also have £1,270 in your account, unless your employer confirms in the CoS that they cover your first month up to that amount. Larger employers usually do. Family members each pay the same fee and IHS, for the same period as you.
How long does it take, and what do you get?
Your partner and children under 18 can come along as dependants (accompanying family members), if your job is listed as higher skilled on the occupation list. With a medium skilled job (since 22 July 2025) and as a care worker or senior care worker (since 11 March 2024), they can usually not come along from abroad. Then it's only possible if you were already continually employed in such a job on this visa in the UK before that date, or for a child born in the UK. The decision time from abroad is usually three weeks (from inside the UK eight). For a fee it can sometimes be faster; you are told when you apply.
Paper residence documents no longer exist: you get an eVisa, a digital status in your UKVI account. Employers and landlords check it with a share code you generate yourself. So keep your login details as you would keep a passport.
The visa lasts up to five years and can be extended as often as you keep meeting the requirements. After five years you can apply for indefinite leave to remain, permanent residence. Note what you cannot do in the meantime: apply for most benefits (public funds) or the State Pension.
Who is this route not for?
Three things to know:
- If you work in healthcare as a doctor, nurse or in adult social care, look at the Health and Care Worker visa: cheaper in fees and without IHS.
- For recognised leaders in science, culture or tech there is the Global Talent visa.
- The working-holiday route you may have read about does not exist for Dutch people. The Youth Mobility Scheme is not open to EU citizens.
The language requirement deserves its own story. You must speak, read, write and understand English, and usually prove it when you apply. More on that in the article on the language requirement.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 1 of 5 of the journey, step 1.1: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to England or go straight to step 1.1 in the open plan.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.
- GOV.UK — Skilled Worker visa — gov.uk
- GOV.UK — Skilled Worker visa, your job (salary thresholds) — gov.uk
- GOV.UK — Skilled Worker visa, costs — gov.uk
- GOV.UK — register of licensed sponsors — gov.uk
- GOV.UK — Immigration Health Surcharge, rates — gov.uk
- GOV.UK — Skilled Worker visa, your partner and children (no dependants with medium skilled jobs and in care) — gov.uk
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