Strictly for Senior Specialists Workers

If your application is successful, you’ll get a full list of what you can and cannot do with a Senior or Specialist Worker visa.

To qualify for a Senior or Specialist Worker visa, you must:

be an existing employee of an organisation that’s been approved by the Home Office as a sponsor
have a ‘certificate of sponsorship’ from your employer with information about the work you will do in the UK
do a job that’s on the list of eligible occupations
be paid at least £42,400 per year

You can stay in the UK for as long as your employer is sponsoring you if you’ve been in the UK since 6 April 2011 on any of the following visas:

There is no maximum stay.

You can stay in the UK with a Senior or Specialist Worker visa for whichever is shorter of:

You can apply to extend your visa or apply for another one as many times as you like up to the maximum total stay.

Once you’ve applied online, proved your identity and provided your documents, you’ll usually get a decision on your visa within:

You can apply for a visa up to 3 months before the day you are due to start work in the UK. This date is listed on your certificate of sponsorship.

As part of your application, you’ll need to prove your identity and provide your documents.

You may need to allow extra time if you need an appointment to do this. You’ll find out if you need one when you start your application.

Any time you spend in the UK on one of the following visas will be included in your maximum total stay: