How to get work in the UK: Everything you need to know

Relocating to the UK for employment

Relocating to the UK can be a stressful, expensive and lengthy process. Not only must you consider the logistics of emigrating overseas but also the legal prerequisites, such as immigration control and ensuring you have a ‘right to rent’ and ‘right to work’ while in the country.

However, one of the biggest complications is how to get work in the UK in the first place. As a migrant who originates from overseas, it is not as straightforward as applying and accepting a job offer. Indeed, before you start packing, you first need to satisfy UKVI and the immigration authorities.

To get work in the UK, you will need an appropriate visa. The UK’s points-based system offers a wide variety of different work schemes and immigration permits, some of which will grant you the opportunity to work in the UK on a temporary seasonal basis (such as in the summer) while others will give you permission to remain in the country for up to five years.

There are a number of visas you can pick from to work in the UK, including (but not limited to) the following:

• Skilled Worker Visa  
• Global Talent Visa
• Graduate Visa
• Intra-Company Transfer Visa
• Innovator Visa
• Health and Care Visa

How to get work with the Skilled Worker Visa 

The Skilled Worker Visa is generic in style and applies to the vast majority of industries and sectors in the UK. You can seek most forms of employment in the country and then apply for the Skilled Worker Visa.

However, you will still need to score 70 points in order to successfully receive your Skilled Worker Visa and begin working in the UK.

50 of these points are non-negotiable or ‘non-tradable’, meaning they are mandatory requirements which you cannot swap or exchange to score points elsewhere.

These non-tradable 50 points are comprised of:

• Job offer (20 points) – must be from an employer who has a Sponsor Licence 
• Skill level (20 points) – the job and candidate must be at the required skill level
• Language ability (10 points) – you must be able to speak and understand English

The last 20 points for the Skilled Worker Visa 

The remaining 20 points you need to score are ‘tradable’ and largely depend on your prospective salary, your education and whether or not you intend on filling a job on the UK Shortage Occupation List (SOL). The SOL invites highly talented people to work in the UK to fill a domestic shortage of skills in the labour market. It comes with some advantages for applicants too. For example, some healthcare professionals can benefit from a visa discount since they are fulfilling a role that is in dire shortage in the UK.

As such, if you can fill a role shortage as outlined via the SOL, you can score the 20 remaining points required.

However, the minimum salary you can be offered is £41,700  . UKVI will not accept overseas applicants with a prospective salary below this threshold. In terms of points, you will score 0 here if you are offered this salary.

The salary rules 

The salary stipulation is vital in order to score the last remaining 20 points. Since £41,700 is the minimum and scores zero points, you will need a job offer with a salary above this threshold.

If you still fall short of the total 70 points required, you can score the remainder based on your education level. If you have a PhD in a subject relevant to your job, you will earn 10 points. However, if you have a PhD in a STEM subject that is relevant to your job, you will earn 20 points. This latter route was created by the Government to encourage highly skilled researchers and scientists to come to the UK.

What this means is that you can score the remaining 20 points required based on your salary, skills and educational level. You can swap where you score points here, providing you are offered a salary of no less than the lower threshold for your category.

How to get work in the UK: other considerations

It is pertinent to note that getting work in the UK does not only hinge on these visa rules. You will need to weigh up the practicality of relocating, where you will live, your expenses, your savings and your lifestyle. This is because in your initial years of living in the UK, you will be subject to immigration control and therefore prohibited from all welfare support systems. At every turn, you will have to prove you have a right to live, work and rent in the country. You will need to pay the hefty Immigration Health Surcharge fee before you arrive in the UK in order to have access to healthcare via the NHS, too.

You will also need a place to live that is not in a state of housing disrepair.

Fortunately, if you need advice on how to get work in the UK, our expert immigration lawyers can help you. Our Manchester Immigration Lawyers can advise you over the phone, face-to-face or online if you prefer. If you need assistance on obtaining a Work Permit to the UK, speak to our friendly customer care team today on  0161 826 9783.