Switching from Tier 2 (ICT) to Skilled Worker Visa: Eligibility, Rules & Latest Updates.
1. Global Business Mobility (GBM) as a substitute for the intra-company transfer route
Since April 11, 2022, the Intra-Company Transfer (ICT) method has been closed to new applicants. The Global Business Mobility – Senior or Specialist Worker route took its place, and the Global Business Mobility – Graduate Trainee route took the place of the Intra-Company Graduate Trainee visa.
Therefore, new candidates should apply for a Global Business Mobility – Senior or Specialist Worker visa instead if they want to follow the Tier 2 Intra-Company Transfer route. The GBM-Senior or Specialist Worker visa route is similar to the Intra-Company Transfer visa route in that it is intended for senior managers or specialist employees who have been asked to accept a temporary work assignment at a UK company that is affiliated with their overseas employer.
The Global Business Mobility – Senior or Specialist Worker regulations allow you to extend your authorisation (and apply for any changes of employment) if you are already in the UK with a Tier 2 Intra-Company Transfer visa.
As an alternative, holders of GBM-Senior or Specialist Worker visas and Tier 2 Intra-Company Transfer visas may transition to the Skilled Worker pathway from within the United Kingdom.
2. Limitations on GBM and ICT Visas and Benefits for Skilled Workers
The maximum amount of time that intra-company transfer migrants (as well as senior or specialist workers) can stay in the UK is limited.
You may remain in the UK for a maximum of nine years within any ten-year term if you are a “high earner” (paid £73,900 or more annually). The maximum amount of time you can stay in the UK in any six-year period is five years if you are not a high earner (paid less than £73,900 annually). Therefore, the Skilled Worker path might be a good choice for you if you want to stay in the UK for longer than any of these maximum durations.
It’s also important to note that as a Tier 2 Intra-Company Transfer migrant, you are not eligible to seek for settlement (or “indefinite leave to remain”). The same holds true for specialised or senior workers. Therefore, you will not be extending your authorisation into a route that is suitable for settlement if you decide to extend your visa as a Global Business Mobility Senior or Specialist Worker. On the other hand, if you meet the necessary standards, you and your dependents can settle in the UK using the Skilled Worker route.
Therefore, there aren’t many drawbacks to using the skilled worker path, except from the application fees.
3. Changing to the Skilled Worker Route from ICT or GBM
From within the United Kingdom, a Tier 2 Intra-Company Transfer and Senior or Specialist Worker migrant may “switch” to the Skilled Worker route.
According to Appendix Skilled Worker, in order to be granted permission to remain in the UK as a skilled worker, an applicant must not have previously been granted status as a:
viewers
- temporary pupil;
- parent of a student’s child;
- Seasonal Employee;
- domestic worker in a private household; or
- outside of the immigration regulations.
Therefore, you can apply to switch to a skilled worker visa from within the UK if you already have authorisation to remain in the country as a senior or specialist worker or as a Tier 2 Intra-Company Transfer Migrant.
In the past, Tier 2 Intra-Company Transfer migrants from within the UK were not allowed to transition into the Skilled Worker category. However, this is no longer the case, and both Senior or Specialist Workers (Global Business Mobility) and Tier 2 Intra-Company Transfer migrants are allowed to move from the UK to the Skilled Worker category.
4. Conditions for Converting from an ICT Tier 2 Visa to a Skilled Worker Visa
A migrant must also meet the following requirements set forth by UK Visas and Immigration in order to be eligible for a skilled worker visa:
- You are at least 18 years old.
- You possess a current Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) from a UK company authorised to sponsor skilled worker immigrants;
- Your offer of employment is for a legitimate position that satisfies the requirements for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route;
- The position is at the necessary skill level, usually RQF Level 6 (equal to a degree);
- According to the SOC 2020 occupation codes, you will get a salary that satisfies the minimum salary standards, which comprise both a general pay threshold and the “going rate” for your occupation;
- If the Immigration Skills Charge is necessary for your position, your sponsor has already paid it;
- You typically demonstrate proficiency at CEFR Level B1 in reading, writing, speaking, and listening to prove that you meet the English language requirement. Please be aware that starting on January 8, 2026, new applicants to the Skilled Worker route will need to meet a new English proficiency criteria. The ability to read, write, speak, and comprehend English at least at Level B2 of the CEFR will be required of new applicants;
- Unless your sponsor certifies that they will pay for your maintenance or you have been a resident of the UK for the last 12 months, you have sufficient funds to maintain yourself when you arrive in the country;
- If the position you are seeking for is in an industry that requires one (such education, health, or social care), you have submitted a criminal record certificate;
- If you are applying from a nation where TB screening is mandated, you have submitted a valid certificate of tuberculosis (TB) testing. If you are requesting permission to remain in the UK as a skilled worker, you do not need to fulfil this criteria.
5. ICT and GBM Migrant Skilled Worker Sponsorship Requirements
In order to transition into the Skilled Worker route, Tier 2 (ICT) migrants must still hold a sponsored position that pays the minimum wage and requires the necessary level of competence. This could be with their present employer if their sponsor holds both a Senior or Specialist Worker (Global Business Mobility) and a Skilled Worker licence, or it could be with a new employer if they receive a new job offer from a licensed Skilled Worker Sponsor. For their position as a skilled worker, they will require a new CoS. Consequently, if a Tier 2 (ICT) migrant wants to move into the Skilled Worker category, their employer must approve the change and have a CoS on hand to assign.
6. ICT Migrant Sponsorship Requirements for Skilled Workers
The Home Office increased the RQF Level 3 skill requirement for qualified Skilled Worker positions to RQF Level 6 or higher in July 2025. Meeting the skills criterion in that area shouldn’t be problematic because Intra-Company Transfer migrants must also be sponsored in a position that is RQF Level 6 or higher. Additionally, migrants moving into the Skilled Worker category should be aware that sponsorship is available for a small number of medium-skilled jobs listed on the Temporary Shortage List. Intra-Company Transfer migrants should also be told that the changes to the Skilled Worker route have meant that there has been a reduction in the number of occupation codes accessible to new entrants to the Skilled Worker route.
Some codes that were formerly eligible for sponsorship as Skilled Workers are no longer available through this route due to the raised competence requirement. It is doubtful that Intra-Company Transfer migrants will be impacted by this change if they are sponsored as skilled workers for the same role because they will have been sponsored in a position that is RQF Level 6 or higher for their visa. However, businesses should be aware that some lower-skilled jobs are no longer eligible for Skilled Worker sponsorship if they are to be sponsored in a new or different function.
7. Pay and Skill Requirements for Candidates for Skilled Workers
Those who presently possess an Intra-Company Transfer visa should be informed that the general wage threshold for skilled workers has been raised to £41,700. This is more than the annual £41,500 general wage criterion for intra-company transfer migrants. Therefore, your income might need to be increased to meet the requirements for a skilled worker if you are an Intra-Company Transfer migrant already in the UK and you want to move to a skilled worker visa. Furthermore, you must reach the “going rate” for the occupation code in which you are to be sponsored, and the wage criteria for certain tasks may be greater.
8. Requirements for Maintenance, TB, and Criminal Records
Additionally, migrants cannot be denied entry into the skilled worker route unless they meet maintenance and English language standards, which they will not have to establish earlier. You will automatically meet the financial criteria if you are requesting permission to remain in the UK and have been there for 12 months or longer on the application date.
There are several ways to satisfy the English language requirement. Due to your citizenship, you will be eligible if you are from a nation where the majority language is English. Taking the Secure English Language Test and presenting proof of an English-taught degree are two further methods to meet the English language requirement. See our earlier article A Guide to the UK Visa English Language criteria for more information on fulfilling this criteria.
Lastly, neither a criminal record certificate nor a tuberculosis (TB) certificate are needed if a migrant is moving from within the UK to the Skilled Worker category.
9. Skilled Workers’ Eligibility for Settlement
Skilled workers (as well as their dependents) will be on a route settlement once they enter the skilled worker route. After they have chosen to become a skilled worker, you have to remain a skilled worker for five years straight. It should be mentioned that the five-year settlement period will not include the time you have spent in the UK as a Senior or Specialist Worker or as an Intra-Company Transfer migrant. Because you entered the UK as a Tier 2 Intra-Company Transfer migrant, you are therefore ineligible to settle any sooner.
It should be mentioned, nevertheless, that you may be able to apply for indefinite leave to remain under Appendix Long Residence if you have lived lawfully in the UK for ten years.
10. Fulfilling Visa Extensions and Settlement Requirements
You must fulfil the additional settlement conditions in order to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain as a Skilled Worker. This entails meeting the conditions for sponsorship, pay, validity, and suitability in addition to passing the Life in the UK exam.
Since there is no maximum length of stay on this path, you may continue to extend your visa permission in the Skilled Worker category if you are unable to fulfil the conditions to settle by the time your permission is set to expire.
11. Frequently Asked Questions
Can new applicants still apply under the Tier 2 Intra-Company Transfer route?
No. The Tier 2 Intra-Company Transfer route has been closed to new applicants since 11 April 2022. It has been replaced by the Global Business Mobility – Senior or Specialist Worker route, and the previous Intra-Company Graduate Trainee route has similarly been replaced by the Global Business Mobility – Graduate Trainee route.
Can ICT or Global Business Mobility visa-holders switch to the Skilled Worker route?
Yes. Both Tier 2 ICT migrants and Senior or Specialist Workers are able to switch into the Skilled Worker route from within the United Kingdom.
Why might someone choose to switch to the Skilled Worker route?
The ICT and Senior or Specialist Worker routes both have strict maximum stay limits and do not lead to settlement. Switching to the Skilled Worker route enables migrants and their dependants to work towards settlement in the UK, provided they meet the relevant requirements. For many ICT migrants, this makes the Skilled Worker route a more attractive long-term option.
What are the requirements to switch into the Skilled Worker route?
To switch into the Skilled Worker category, an applicant must be at least 18 years old and must have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship issued by a licensed UK employer. The role must be a genuine vacancy at the required skill level, usually RQF Level 6 or above, and the salary must meet the minimum salary requirements. Applicants must also meet the English language requirement (which will increase to CEFR Level B2 for new entrants from 08 January 2026) and must have sufficient funds to support themselves, unless exempt. A criminal record certificate and TB test certificate may be required depending on the role and the applicant’s country of residence, although these are not required for in-country applications.
Do ICT migrants need a new Certificate of Sponsorship when switching?
Yes. A new Certificate of Sponsorship is required for the Skilled Worker role. This can be issued by the migrant’s current employer if they hold the relevant Skilled Worker sponsor licence, or by a new licensed employer if the migrant is changing roles.
Have there been changes to the eligible skills and occupation codes?
Yes. In July 2025, the Home Office increased the skills threshold for Skilled Worker roles to RQF Level 6 or above, and some occupation codes that were previously eligible can no longer be sponsored under this route. ICT migrants are unlikely to be affected by this change if they are being sponsored in the same role, as ICT positions are already required to be skilled at RQF Level 6 or above.
Do ICT migrants need to provide TB or criminal record certificates when switching in-country?
No. These documents are not required when applying from within the United Kingdom.
How long can a Skilled Worker visa be granted for when switching from ICT?
A skilled worker visa can be granted for up to five years before you need to extend it.
Does time spent in the UK as an ICT or Senior or Specialist Worker count towards Skilled Worker settlement?
No. Only time spent as a Skilled Worker counts towards the five-year continuous residence requirement for settlement. Time spent in the UK as an ICT or Senior or Specialist Worker does not shorten this period.
Is there an alternative route to settlement for long-term residents?
Yes. Migrants who have spent ten years of continuous lawful residence in the UK may be eligible to apply for indefinite leave to remain under Appendix Long Residence.
Can Skilled Worker visas be extended if settlement requirements have not been met?
Yes. If an applicant has not yet met the requirements for settlement by the time their permission as a Skilled Worker is due to expire, they may continue to extend their Skilled Worker visa. There is no maximum total period of stay in the Skilled Worker route.