UK Skilled Worker Visa Points Calculator

The UK Skilled Worker visa uses a points-based system and you need 70 points to qualify. Fifty of those are mandatory and arrive as a set: 20 points for a job offer from a licensed sponsor, 20 for a job at the appropriate skill level, and 10 for English language ability, at B2 level for applications made from 8 January 2026 (B1 before that). The route replaced Tier 2 in December 2020, and the underlying structure has been tightened several times since.

The skill-level test is where most of that tightening landed. Since 22 July 2025 the job must sit at RQF Level 6, meaning degree level, for most new applicants, where RQF 3 was enough before. That single change lifts a great many roles out of the route, so the occupation code attached to your job offer now carries more weight than it used to.

The remaining 20 tradeable points come from salary. You collect them if your pay reaches the general threshold of £41,700, which rose from £38,700 on 22 July 2025. A reduced threshold of £33,400 applies if your occupation appears on the Immigration Salary List, if you qualify as a new entrant, broadly meaning under 26, a recent graduate or someone switching from a study visa, or if you hold a PhD relevant to the job. Whichever applies, salary is assessed as the higher of your actual pay, the going rate for the occupation and the threshold itself.

This calculator checks each requirement and tallies your points. It cross-references your occupation against the SOC code list and going rates, and tells you the minimum salary you need to qualify in your specific role, which is often above the headline threshold. Education is scored on the same RQF scale, where Level 8 is a doctorate, so a relevant PhD can both lower the salary you need and supply the tradeable points.

English at B2 on the CEFR scale, upper intermediate and roughly A-level standard, has been required for new Skilled Worker applications since 8 January 2026, up from B1, and workers who proved B1 in an earlier grant on the route do not have to retest to extend. It can be proved in three ways. You can pass an approved Secure English Language Test at B2 in reading, writing, speaking and listening, such as IELTS for UKVI, Pearson PTE Academic UKVI or LanguageCert, at a centre on the gov.uk approved list for around £200; B1-only tests such as IELTS Life Skills B1 no longer qualify. You can present a degree taught in English, verified by UK ENIC, the body once known as NARIC. Or you can be a citizen of a majority English-speaking country, a list that includes the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and the English-speaking Commonwealth. Test results are valid for 2 years, which trips people up at extension time.

Maintenance funds are the requirement most often fumbled. You need £1,270 held in a personal bank account for 28 consecutive days rather than simply showing as today's balance, and the statement has to fall within 31 days of the application. Dependants add £285 for a partner and £315 for a child, with further amounts for each additional dependant. Some employers hold A-rated sponsor status and can certify maintenance on your behalf. Original bank statements or properly stamped copies are what caseworkers expect to see.

Skilled Worker visas are typically issued for 3 or 5 years, matching the length of the employment contract, and can be extended while you continue to meet the rules. Indefinite Leave to Remain becomes available after 5 continuous years on the route, subject to passing the Life in the UK test, holding English at B1 or above, remaining in continuous employment and spending no more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12 months. Settlement costs £3,226 plus £200 of health surcharge for any remaining time, and a British citizenship application can follow 12 months after ILR.