The Youth Mobility Scheme visa is designed to permit young people between the ages of 18 and 30 to live, work, study, and travel in the United Kingdom for up to two years. However, the main constraint of the Youth Mobility Scheme visa is that it cannot be extended and visa holders are not able to bring family members to the UK.

Therefore, people intending to remain in the UK and bring family members or achieve settlement in the UK would need to switch to another visa.

Since 1 December 2020, Youth Mobility Scheme Migrants are allowed to move to the Skilled Worker route and they are able to acquire employment in the UK. They also do not need to return to their home countries to apply for a Skilled worker visa. 

Requirements to Switch from Youth Mobility Scheme to the Skilled Worker visa

To move from Tier 5 (Youth Mobility Scheme) to the Skilled Worker Route, applicants must satisfy the following conditions:

• They are aged 18 or over;
• They have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship for the job they are planning to do;
• The job offer is for a genuine vacancy;
• The Sponsor has paid any required Immigration Skills Charge;
• The job is at the appropriate skill level; and
• The Applicant will be paid a salary that equals or exceeds both a general salary threshold and the ‘going rate’ for the occupation.

Applicants must meet the English language and maintenance requirements in addition to avoiding the grounds for refusal.

They can also bring dependent partners and children of Skilled Workers.

Appropriate job roles for skilled worker visa

One of the objectives of the Skilled Worker visa is to encourage highly skilled workers to enter the labour market. Therefore, in order to qualify for a Skilled Worker visa, the occupation must be on the list of acceptable occupations. All job roles on this list require skills equivalent to RQF level 3.

Genuine Vacancy

Under the new Immigration Rules, the Resident Labor Market Test will no longer apply. However, the Sponsor will still be needed to demonstrate to the Home Office that the job post is a genuine vacancy and that the applicant is truly capable of performing the duties associated with the Certificate of Sponsorship.

If there are reasonable grounds to suspect that the position for which the applicant is being sponsored does not exist, is a sham, or was created for the applicant may apply for a Skilled Worker visa, then this is not a genuine vacancy and the application will be refused.

Salary Threshold

If the job role and job offer are eligible, according to the immigration rules, then the applicant will need to ensure the position meets the general salary threshold for a Skilled worker visa. Currently, applicants for the skilled worker route will need to secure a role with a salary of £25,600 per year or at least the ‘going rate’. There are different rates for job roles, especially those jobs within the education and healthcare sectors. However, employees must still receive at least £20,480 per year or at least £10.10 per hour and for some roles, the salary requirement is reduced to between 70 percent and 90 percent of the going rate for the job role.

Job roles are not required by UK immigration law to meet the salary criteria if the positions or skilled workers meet the following requirements:

• The job is in a shortage occupation and listed on the shortage occupation list
• Under 26, studying or a recent graduate, or in a professional training scheme
• Have a STEM PhD level qualification that’s relevant to the job (if you have a relevant PhD level qualification in any other subject, your salary must be at least £23,040)
• A postdoctoral position in science or higher education

English Language Requirements for a Skilled Worker Visa

The application for a Skilled Worker visa requires applicants to demonstrate English language proficiency. Suitable language skills may be demonstrated by:

• Taking and passing a Secure English Language Test from a recognized education provider. Under the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) scale, the test must be at least at level B1.
• Hold a valid academic certificate in English such as a GCSE or A-level and the qualification is equivalent to a UK bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or PhD.

Condition of stay after switching to skilled worker visa

Applicants transferring from Youth Mobility Scheme to the Skilled Worker Route will be granted permission to remain until 14 days after the date of their certificate of sponsorship.

Like all other routes, if the visa is granted, they can stay until the date your employer sponsors their visa. Once they’re in the Skilled Worker route, Skilled Workers can bring their dependant family members.

Under the skilled worker route, they can continue to extend the Skilled Worker visa because there is no maximum length of stay on this route.

Eligibility to Settle after switching from the Youth Mobility Scheme to the Skilled Worker Route

They are able to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) after they have spent five years in the UK on a Skilled Worker visa and their circumstances have not changed. They cannot combine their time in the UK on the YMS route to settle more quickly.

They will need to meet the other requirements for settlement, including knowledge of life in the UK, and the sponsorship, salary, validity, and suitability requirements.

Once granted ILR they are able to stay in the UK without being subjected to immigration conditions and eventually they can apply for British citizenship.

If you need professional advice and help regarding your application for a Skilled Worker, please contact us.