Points Calculator UK
UK Skilled Worker Points Calculator
The UK's Skilled Worker route does not use a general points-based system the way Canada or Australia do — it uses a fixed 70-point pass mark built from three mandatory requirements plus tradeable points for salary and occupation. There is no self-sponsored version: a Home Office-approved sponsor must offer the job and issue a Certificate of Sponsorship before any of the points below apply.
| Characteristics | Mandatory/Tradeable | Points |
| Offer of job by approved sponsor | Mandatory | 20 |
| Job at appropriate skill level | Mandatory | 20 |
| Speaks English at required level | Mandatory | 10 |
| Salary meets the general threshold of £41,700 and the full "going rate" for the occupation code, whichever is higher | Tradeable | 20 |
| Job is on the Immigration Salary List (reduced general threshold of £33,400, but the full going rate for the occupation still applies) | Tradeable | 20 |
| Relevant PhD qualification for the job (salary at least 90% of the going rate; reduced general threshold £37,500) | Tradeable | 10 |
| Relevant PhD in a STEM subject for the job (salary at least 80% of the going rate; reduced general threshold £33,400) | Tradeable | 20 |
Figures reflect the Skilled Worker salary rules in force since 22 July 2025. Occupation-specific going rates and further discount options (new entrant, health and care) are set out in the official gov.uk Skilled Worker salary guidance — treat this table as a starting point, not a final assessment.
Two rule changes that catch UAE applicants out
- Skill level (since 22 July 2025) — the job must sit at RQF level 6 or above unless it appears on the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List. This removed roughly 180 occupations from the route; anyone whose first Certificate of Sponsorship was issued before that date can keep extending in a medium-skilled role, but a new applicant cannot.
- English requirement (since 8 January 2026) — new Skilled Worker applicants must prove English at CEFR B2, up from B1. Approved test centres operate in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Al Ain. Anyone who held the visa before 8 January 2026 and is extending still uses the B1 standard.
Both lists carry removal dates at the end of 2026, so an occupation's eligibility through either list should be checked against the current list rather than assumed to continue. Source: gov.uk Skilled Worker visa guidance.
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