UK Skilled Worker Visa From Pakistan: £41,700 Salary, £819 Fee and CoS Rules

To get a UK Skilled Worker visa from Pakistan, you need a job offer from a Home Office approved sponsor, a certificate of sponsorship (CoS), a salary of usually at least £41,700, and B2 English. The visa fee from Pakistan is £819 for up to 3 years or £1,618 for longer, plus £1,035 a year for the health surcharge.

Then comes Pakistan's side: a TB test at an approved clinic, and registration with the Bureau of Emigration before you fly. The Bureau's own figures show how much the route has shrunk. It registered 16,449 Pakistanis for UK jobs in 2023, then 13,695 in 2024, 4,355 in 2025 and 1,859 from January to August 2026. The table gives no reason.

We read the Home Office's Skilled Worker pages, its guidance for sponsoring employers and its health surcharge page on gov.uk on 30 September 2026. We also read the Bureau of Emigration's fee table, protection steps and country statistics the same day.

The UK Skilled Worker visa starts with an employer

You cannot apply for a Skilled Worker visa on your own. A UK employer approved by the Home Office, called a sponsor, must offer you an eligible job and give you a certificate of sponsorship. Without that reference number, there is no application to make.

The CoS is not a paper letter. Gov.uk calls it an electronic record with a reference number, which you type into your visa form. You must apply within 3 months of getting it, and no more than 3 months before the job's start date.

Check the employer yourself. Gov.uk publishes a list of approved UK employers, the register of licensed sponsors. If the company is not on it, it cannot sponsor you today. An employer that is not yet approved can apply for a licence, which costs £611 for small businesses and charities or £1,682 for medium and large ones, and usually takes about 8 weeks.

Salary and job rules for Pakistani applicants

Your job must be on the eligible occupations list, and you must usually be paid £41,700 a year or the job's going rate, whichever is higher. Some applicants can be paid less, but never below £33,400 a year outside the healthcare and education pay scales.

Every job has a 4-digit occupation code. Ask your employer for yours, then check it in gov.uk's table of eligible jobs. Gov.uk gives a clear example: bricklayers, roofers and carpenters qualify, but construction labourers do not.

• Higher skilled jobs can be sponsored for this visa.
• Medium skilled jobs qualify only if they are on the immigration salary list or the temporary shortage list.
• Lower pay, at least £33,400, is allowed if you are under 26, a recent graduate, in professional training, or hold a relevant PhD.
• Healthcare and education jobs on national pay scales need at least £25,000, or the pay scale rate if higher.

Family rules are tighter for medium skilled jobs. If your job is medium skilled and you were not already in it on this visa before 22 July 2025, your partner and children generally cannot join you. Care workers face a similar rule dating from 11 March 2024. Ask before you sign, not after.

Nurses, doctors and care staff should look at the Health and Care Worker visa first. Gov.uk says it is cheaper and does not charge the yearly health surcharge.

English, TB test and documents from Pakistan

New applicants must prove English at level B2, which is upper intermediate. A degree taught in English outside the UK counts only after an Ecctis assessment. Otherwise you pass a Secure English Language Test from an approved provider. Pakistanis also need a TB test.

The TB rule applies because Pakistan is on the UK's list of countries where applicants coming for 6 months or more must be screened. The test is a chest x-ray at a clinic approved by the Home Office. The approved clinics in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi and Mirpur, and their fees, are listed with the UK student visa from Pakistan steps, because students and workers use the same clinics.

Gather these before you start the online form:

1. Your CoS reference number and your employer's sponsor licence number.
2. Your job title, annual salary and occupation code.
3. Proof of English at B2.
4. A valid passport.
5. Your TB test certificate from an approved clinic.
6. Bank statements showing £1,270 held for 28 days in a row, unless your CoS says your employer will cover your first month.
7. A police certificate if you will work in education, healthcare, therapy or social services.

Then you apply online, prove your identity through the UK Immigration: ID Check app or at a visa application centre, and usually get a decision within 3 weeks from outside the UK. You can apply up to 3 months before your start date.

The full cost for a Pakistani worker

For a 3-year visa from Pakistan, you pay £819 plus £3,105 in health surcharge, which is £3,924 upfront. For a 5-year visa, it is £1,618 plus £5,175, or £6,793. Each family member pays the same again, and the surcharge must be paid when you apply.

The 2-year line matches gov.uk's own worked example of £2,889. The other lines are our sums of the listed fees. On top of that, keep £1,270 in savings unless your employer certifies your maintenance. Add the TB test, the English test and your flight.

Bureau of Emigration protector step before you fly

A UK work visa does not replace Pakistan's emigration step. Every Pakistani going abroad on a work visa must register with a Protectorate of Emigrants office. For a job you found yourself, the Bureau's fee is Rs 9,200. Through a licensed agent, it is Rs 22,200.

For direct employment, the Bureau asks for an online registration request, your visa, passport, CNIC, signed employment contract, State Life insurance certificate and fee receipts. After the documents are checked, you attend a briefing, a protector sticker goes on your passport and the Protector of Emigrants signs it. The walk-through is in how to get emigrant protection.

UK job fraud warnings for Pakistanis

The biggest warning comes from the Home Office itself. A sponsor must pay the £525 CoS fee and the immigration skills charge, and gov.uk says its licence may be revoked if it asks the worker to pay these or any costs of its application. Anyone selling you a CoS is breaking that rule.

• A CoS offered for sale. A CoS cannot be sold to you. The employer assigns it and pays for it.
• A company missing from the sponsor register. Check the name on gov.uk before you pay for any test.
• A job that pays under £41,700 with no reason that fits gov.uk's lower salary rules.
• A "UK agent" with no Bureau licence. Recruiting Pakistanis for jobs abroad needs a licence, which you can check with the steps to check an overseas job agency.
• A visit visa sold as a work route. You cannot switch to a Skilled Worker visa from a visit visa inside the UK.

Europe has its own legal work routes, each with its own rules, such as the Portugal work visa for Pakistanis. None of them is sold by a man with a WhatsApp number and a price list.

Common questions

What is the minimum salary for a UK Skilled Worker visa in 2026?

Usually £41,700 a year or the job's going rate, whichever is higher. Some applicants can be paid less, but at least £33,400.

How much is the UK Skilled Worker visa fee from Pakistan?

£819 for up to 3 years or £1,618 for more than 3 years, plus the health surcharge of £1,035 for each year.

Do Pakistanis need an IELTS for a Skilled Worker visa?

You need B2 English. An approved Secure English Language Test is one way, and a degree taught in English and assessed by Ecctis is another.

Can I pay for a certificate of sponsorship?

No. The employer pays the £525 fee, and gov.uk says a sponsor that asks the worker to pay can lose its licence.

How long does a UK work visa decision take from Pakistan?

Usually 3 weeks after you apply online and prove your identity, according to gov.uk. It can take longer if checks or an interview are needed.

Do I need a protector stamp for a UK job?

Yes. Register with the Protectorate of Emigrants before you fly. The Bureau's fee is Rs 9,200 for direct employment.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked on 30 September 2026. Salary rules, English, documents, fees, decision times and dependants rules are read on gov.uk's Skilled Worker visa guide, updated 14 September 2026. The CoS fee, immigration skills charge and the licence revocation rule are read in gov.uk's guide for sponsoring employers, updated 29 September 2026. The £1,035 surcharge is read on gov.uk's health surcharge page, and the TB rule on its Pakistan TB clinics page. The Pakistani fees, protection steps and UK registration figures are read on the Bureau of Emigration's website and its country-wise statistics for 1971 to August 2026. The 3-year and 5-year totals are our own sums.