Posted on June 13 2024

What skill level is required for the UK Skilled Worker Visa?

By
Anshul Singhal
, Editor

Updated June 13 2024

What skill level is required for the UK Skilled Worker Visa?

The skill level of the job role required for a UK Skilled Worker Visa application is RQF level 3 or equivalent to UK A-level. You are not eligible for the visa if you have a job role lower than the required skilled level. It is not mandatory to have formal educational qualifications to satisfy the needed skill level. The skill level of your job role determines if you meet the eligibility criteria for the visa.

You must have an eligible job based on your skill set with an appropriate code as listed in the Appendix to be considered for the visa. In addition to having a correct occupation code, the UK Home Office also assesses the UK Skilled Worker Visa application on the following factors:

Appropriate skillset
Educational and Professional Qualifications
Work Experience

What is RQF?

The RQF is known as the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF). The RQF plans to aid individuals to understand regulated qualifications and the relation between each other.

What are qualification frameworks?

The qualification frameworks are structured in a way to take decisions regarding the educational/ professional qualifications the applicant has achieved currently and think about the qualifications required for the future.

What are the levels in the RQF (Regulated Qualifications Framework)?

The Regulated Qualifications Framework has 9 levels from Entry to Level 8. The qualification levels indicate the difficulty level of learning. The qualifications listed at the same level share similarities as per the demand but are very different based on content, duration, and method of assessment.

The following table lists the qualification levels from Entry Level to Level 8.

Level	Qualifications
Entry Level	entry level award entry level certificate (ELC) entry level diploma entry level English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) entry level essential skills entry level functional skills Skills for Life
Level 1	first certificate GCSE - grades 3, 2, 1 or grades D, E, F, G level 1 award level 1 certificate level 1 diploma level 1 ESOL level 1 essential skills level 1 functional skills level 1 national vocational qualification (NVQ) music grades 1, 2 and 3
Level 2	CSE - grade 1 GCSE - grades 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4 or grades A*, A, B, C intermediate apprenticeship level 2 award level 2 certificate level 2 diploma level 2 ESOL level 2 essential skills level 2 functional skills level 2 national certificate level 2 national diploma level 2 NVQ music grades 4 and 5 O level - grade A, B or C
Level 3	A level access to higher education diploma advanced apprenticeship applied general AS level international Baccalaureate diploma level 3 award level 3 certificate level 3 diploma level 3 ESOL level 3 national certificate level 3 national diploma level 3 NVQ music grades 6, 7 and 8 T Level tech level
Level 4	certificate of higher education (CertHE) higher apprenticeship higher national certificate (HNC) level 4 award level 4 certificate level 4 diploma level 4 NVQ
Level 5	diploma of higher education (DipHE) foundation degree higher national diploma (HND) level 5 award level 5 certificate level 5 diploma level 5 NVQ
Level 6	degree apprenticeship degree with honours - for example bachelor of the arts (BA) hons, bachelor of science (BSc) hons graduate certificate graduate diploma level 6 award level 6 certificate level 6 diploma level 6 NVQ ordinary degree without honours
Level 7	integrated master’s degree, for example master of engineering (MEng) level 7 award level 7 certificate level 7 diploma level 7 NVQ master’s degree, for example master of arts (MA), master of science (MSc) postgraduate certificate postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) postgraduate diploma
Level 8	doctorate, for example doctor of philosophy (PhD or DPhil) level 8 award level 8 certificate level 8 diploma