Changing employer

Why a new employer means a new application

A Skilled Worker or Health and Care Worker visa lets a person work in the job they are sponsored for. Sponsored means an employer with a Home Office licence has offered the job and backs the visa.

Moving to a different employer usually needs a new visa application. The Home Office calls this a "change of employment" application. This applies even if the current visa has years left.

The new employer gives the worker a new certificate of sponsorship (CoS). This is an electronic record that confirms the details of the job. The CoS on its own does not give permission to do the new job. The worker uses it to make the new application, and the Home Office then decides.

There are some exceptions. One is when a business changes owner and staff move across under transfer rules known as TUPE, staying in the same type of job.

What the new employer needs

The rules say the new employer must:

• hold a sponsor licence for the Skilled Worker route
• be A-rated on the Home Office register of sponsors
• assign a new CoS for the job

The new job must meet the current rules for the route, including the list of eligible jobs and the salary rules. Some people first sponsored before 22 July 2025 can stay in jobs that are no longer open to new applicants. This applies if they have held Skilled Worker permission continuously since then.

The start date on the CoS must be no more than 3 months after the date of application. GOV.UK says an application can be made up to 3 months before the new job starts.

When the new job can start

The new job cannot start before the application is approved. The new employer must also carry out right to work checks first. GOV.UK says not to start the new job until the new permission is confirmed.

While waiting, a worker can keep doing their current job for their current sponsor. This applies as long as they applied before their current permission ran out.

GOV.UK says a decision usually comes within 8 weeks for a Skilled Worker visa. For a Health and Care Worker visa it is usually within 3 weeks.

GOV.UK says travelling outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man before a decision will cause the application to be withdrawn.

When a worker resigns, the old sponsor reports to the Home Office that it has stopped sponsoring them. It has 10 working days to do this.

Notice periods

The visa rules allow a worker to work out a notice period for their current employer while their new application is being decided. This applies to a job they were lawfully doing on the date they applied.

Some contracts ask a worker to pay back some costs if they leave early. The guide "Your sponsor's duties and what they can't charge you" covers these repayment clauses.

Supplementary work

Supplementary work means a second job alongside the sponsored job. It does not need a new application if it meets all of these rules:

• no more than 20 hours a week
• outside the hours of the sponsored job, which continues
• in a job listed as "higher skilled" or on the Immigration Salary List, or at the same level in the same profession

Jobs listed as "medium skilled" are only allowed for people first sponsored before 22 July 2025 who have held Skilled Worker permission ever since. The second employer does not need a sponsor licence.

A second job over 20 hours a week needs a new CoS from the second employer and a new application.

Care worker and senior care worker roles

Since 22 July 2025, employers cannot sponsor new care workers or senior care workers from abroad. People already in the UK can still change employer in these roles in some cases.

• People who already hold Skilled Worker or Health and Care Worker permission in these roles can apply to do them for a new sponsor.
• People switching from a different visa need at least 3 months of legal work for the sponsor in the role. This is open to applications made before 22 July 2028.
• For jobs in England, the new employer must be registered with the Care Quality Commission and actively providing regulated care.

Fees

At the time of writing (October 2026), the application fee for each person applying from inside the UK is:

• Health and Care Worker visa: £324 for up to 3 years, or £628 for more than 3 years. There is no immigration health surcharge.
• Skilled Worker visa: £943 for up to 3 years, or £1,865 for more than 3 years. If the job is on the Immigration Salary List, it is £628 or £1,235.

Skilled Worker applicants also pay the immigration health surcharge. At the time of writing (October 2026) this is £1,035 a year for adults.

A partner's or child's visa does not change automatically. They can apply at the same time or later, before their own visa ends. Each person pays a fee.

The new employer pays the CoS fee and usually the Immigration Skills Charge. Sponsors are not allowed to pass these costs on to workers.

A special case

From 8 October 2026, some Skilled Workers recognised as victims of modern slavery can have their work conditions lifted. They need a positive "conclusive grounds" decision through the National Referral Mechanism during their current permission. They can then work for any employer until that permission ends, except as a professional sportsperson or sports coach.

Changing employer can affect other plans, such as settlement. A regulated immigration adviser can look at an individual situation.