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Skilled Worker visa from India: costs and TB test

Applying from India, the Skilled Worker fee is £819 for up to 3 years or £1,618 for longer, plus the healthcare surcharge, usually £1,035 a year. India is on the GOV.UK TB test country list, so a chest x-ray certificate from an approved clinic is needed for stays of 6 months or more.

Indian nationals are among the people who search for how to apply for a Skilled Worker visa from India. The rules are the same as for any applicant outside the UK, but several of them bite harder for someone applying from India: India is on the tuberculosis testing list, India is not on the list of countries whose nationals are exempt from the English requirement, and many applicants need a police certificate from each country they have lived in. This guide sets out the amounts and documents on GOV.UK as at 10 October 2026, and works through example totals.

It describes how the rules operate. It does not say whether any particular applicant qualifies, and it is not a substitute for advice from a regulated adviser on a specific case.

What you need before you apply

A Skilled Worker visa depends on a job and an employer. GOV.UK says the applicant must work for an employer approved by the Home Office, hold a certificate of sponsorship, do a job on the list of eligible occupations and be paid at least the minimum salary. The applicant needs a confirmed job offer before applying.

The minimum salary is the highest of £41,700 a year or the going rate for the job, with lower figures in listed cases, for example £33,400 where the salary can be reduced for certain applicants, or the national pay scales for some healthcare and education jobs (minimum £25,000). Our guide to the Skilled Worker salary threshold explains the options. "Medium skilled" jobs qualify only if on the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List, and the guide on medium-skilled jobs covers those lists.

The applicant can apply up to three months before the start date on the certificate, and must apply within three months of being given it. From outside the UK, GOV.UK says that once the online application is made, identity is proved and documents are provided, a decision usually comes within three weeks, though verification, an interview or personal circumstances can extend it. Healthcare workers should also check our guide to the Health and Care Worker visa, which has lower fees.

Fees and the healthcare surcharge

The application fee from outside the UK depends on the length of stay on the certificate:

  • up to 3 years: £819 per person;
  • more than 3 years: £1,618 per person;
  • jobs on the Immigration Salary List: £628 for up to 3 years or £1,235 for more, inside or outside the UK;
  • Health and Care Worker visa: £324 or £628.

The 8 October 2026 fee table lists these same amounts with no change. Partners and children pay the same fee for the same length of stay as the main applicant, even if they apply later.

The Immigration Health Surcharge is paid up front for each year of the visa. GOV.UK gives it as usually £1,035 per year on the Skilled Worker page, and its healthcare surcharge page sets out the full rules, including a lower rate for some groups and the half-year rule for short periods. Health and Care Worker visa holders do not pay it.

GOV.UK's own example for a two-year visa is £819 plus £1,035 for each year, a total of £2,889. Using the same figures:

  • a three-year grant for one person: £819 + 3 × £1,035 = £3,924;
  • a five-year grant for one person: £1,618 + 5 × £1,035 = £6,793;
  • a three-year grant on the Immigration Salary List: £628 + 3 × £1,035 = £3,733;
  • a three-year grant for a main applicant, a partner and one child: three fees of £819 plus three surcharges of £3,105 = £11,772.

These totals exclude the TB test, medical fees, police certificates, English test fees, translations and travel.

Money you must show

The applicant must show at least £1,270 in a bank account to support themselves, held for at least 28 days in a row, with day 28 falling within 31 days before applying. This is separate from the fees and is not spent. Two exemptions apply: the applicant has been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months, or the employer certifies on the certificate (in the "sponsor certifies maintenance" section) that it will cover the costs, up to £1,270, in the first month.

Dependants need to show their own funds: £285 for a partner, £315 for one child and £200 for each additional child. A partner and one child therefore need £600 on top of the main applicant's £1,270. GOV.UK says the money can be held by the applicant or by the partner or child. If a family member applies at a different time they only need to show funds if they have been in the UK less than a year.

English language

GOV.UK says applicants usually must prove English at level B2 on the Common European Framework in speaking, reading, writing and understanding. Accepted ways are a UK school qualification started under 18, a UK degree, a degree from outside the UK that was taught in English and assessed by Ecctis, or a Secure English Language Test from an approved provider.

Nationals of the following countries and territories do not need to prove English: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, the British overseas territories, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Malta, New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and the USA. India is not on that list, so an Indian national needs to meet one of the proofs above unless they have already proved English in a previous successful visa application, which GOV.UK says may mean it need not be proved again.

Doctors, dentists, nurses, midwives and vets have a further option based on an assessment accepted by their professional regulator. Our guide to B2 English for Skilled Worker visas explains the 2026 changes.

The tuberculosis test

GOV.UK says a TB test is needed if all three are true: the applicant is coming to the UK for six months or more, has lived in a listed country for six months or more, and was living in that or another listed country within the last six months. India is on the list of countries where a test is needed.

The test is a chest x-ray. If the result is unclear, a sputum sample may also be requested. GOV.UK states: "You must be tested at a clinic that has been approved by the Home Office." The clear certificate is "valid for 6 months from the date of your x-ray", and is submitted with the visa application, so the test should be timed against the application date.

The Home Office publishes a page of approved clinics in India, which was last updated on 21 September 2026. It lists clinics by city and the fee each charges, and has changed often: recent updates concern operating hours, removed or relocated clinics and increased fees. Because the fee is set by each clinic and listed on that page, this guide does not give a single figure; check the page for the clinic you plan to use, and check it again before booking.

Other rules on the main TB page: children are seen by a clinician who decides whether a chest x-ray is needed, and children under 11 will not normally have one. Pregnant women can choose a shielded x-ray in the second or third trimester, a sputum test (which may cost extra and take up to eight weeks for results) or wait until after delivery. No other tests are needed for the TB certificate.

Police certificates and other documents

GOV.UK lists a criminal record certificate for applicants from outside the UK in education, healthcare, therapy and social services jobs, including teachers, nurses, doctors, pharmacists, psychologists and social workers. The sponsor guidance (section SK10) lists the occupation codes. Where one is needed, an applicant under 28 needs a certificate from every country they have stayed in for 12 months or more in total since turning 18. An applicant aged 28 or over needs one from every country they have stayed in over the last 10 years. Check the government guidance on criminal records checks for the way to apply in each country.

The standard document list is the certificate of sponsorship reference number, proof of English, a valid passport or other identity document, job title and salary, occupation code, and the employer's name and sponsor licence number. Other documents may be requested: bank statements showing maintenance funds, relationship evidence for a partner or children, the TB certificate, a criminal record certificate, an ATAS certificate for sensitive research jobs, and a PhD certificate or Ecctis reference. Anything not in English or Welsh needs a certified translation.

Identity is proved by one of two methods: scanning the identity document with the UK Immigration: ID Check app and signing into a UKVI account, or giving fingerprints and a photo at a visa application centre. The applicant is told which applies at the time of applying. Where an appointment is needed, the centre may be in another city or country, and GOV.UK recommends allowing extra time.

Timeline and what can delay it

A rough order of events, based only on the dates and times above, is:

  1. The employer assigns the certificate. The worker has three months to use it and can apply up to three months before the start date.
  2. The worker collects the documents: English proof, TB certificate, police certificates, bank statements held for 28 days.
  3. The worker applies online, pays the fee and surcharge, and proves identity.
  4. A decision usually follows within three weeks outside the UK, or later if documents need verification or an interview is requested.

Because the TB certificate lasts six months from the x-ray, and bank statements must show day 28 within 31 days of applying, these two items usually set the timing. An applicant who tests early, or one who relies on a low balance that has not been held for 28 days, may need to repeat the step.

GOV.UK says a faster decision can sometimes be bought, and that applicants will be told if one is available when they apply. A refusal brings its own deadlines and routes, covered in our guide to Skilled Worker refusals.

Finding a regulated adviser

Employers, and sometimes applicants, ask a regulated adviser to check a certificate, a salary against a going rate or a document list. GOV.UK explains how to find an immigration adviser. Only IAA-registered advisers, solicitors and other qualified persons can give immigration advice in the UK. Agents operating only in India who are not UK-regulated are outside that system.

The Migratio directory lists IAA-registered advisers (with their level) and SRA-regulated solicitors, each with their regulator and registration number. Migratio is not regulated by the IAA or the SRA and does not give immigration advice. This page explains how the rules work; it does not tell you what to do in your case.

Questions people ask

How much does a Skilled Worker visa cost from India?

£819 per person for up to three years or £1,618 for more than three years, plus the Immigration Health Surcharge, usually £1,035 per year. A three-year grant for one person is therefore £3,924. Immigration Salary List jobs have lower fees.

Do I need a TB test to move to the UK from India?

Yes, if you are coming for six months or more and have lived in a listed country for six months or more. India is on the GOV.UK list. The x-ray must be done at a Home Office approved clinic and the certificate is valid for six months.

Where do I get the UK TB test in India?

At a clinic on the Home Office list of approved clinics in India, last updated 21 September 2026. Each clinic sets its own fee, shown on that page. Tests at other clinics are not accepted.

Do Indian nationals need an English test for a Skilled Worker visa?

India is not on the GOV.UK list of exempt nationalities, so B2 English must usually be shown through a UK qualification, a degree taught in English assessed by Ecctis, or an approved test, unless already proved in an earlier successful visa application.

How much money must I show for a Skilled Worker visa?

£1,270 held for 28 days in a row, with day 28 within 31 days of applying, unless your employer certifies maintenance or you have been in the UK on a valid visa for 12 months. A partner needs £285, one child £315 and each further child £200.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-10.

Related guides

  • Skilled Worker visa cost: worker and employer totals — A worker applying from outside the UK for up to 3 years pays £819 plus £1,035 a year in healthcare surcharge, and usually needs £1,270 held in savings. The employer separately pays a £525 certificate fee and the immigration skills charge, and its licence fee if it is new.
  • Skilled Worker salary: £41,700 and going rates — Under Appendix Skilled Worker the general salary test is at least £41,700 a year and the occupation's going rate, whichever is higher. Lower thresholds of £33,400, £37,500 or £25,000 apply to specific groups, and only guaranteed basic pay counts.
  • Medium-skilled jobs after July 2025: the ISL and TSL — Since 22 July 2025 the Skilled Worker route is open to degree-level jobs, plus mid-level jobs only if they are on the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List, or if the worker already held permission before that date. Both lists have a cut-off date for new certificates.
  • Bringing family on a Skilled Worker visa: costs and rules — Each partner and child pays the same application fee as the Skilled Worker for the same length of stay (£819 or £1,618 from outside the UK), plus the Immigration Health Surcharge, and must show £285 for a partner, £315 for the first child and £200 for each further child. Restrictions apply to dependants of care workers and some medium-skilled jobs.
  • B2 English for Skilled Worker visas from 2026 — New Skilled Worker and Health and Care Worker applicants must show English at level B2 in reading, writing, speaking and listening. People who held the visa before 8 January 2026 and are extending or updating need B1. Settlement applications from 26 March 2027 need B2 in speaking and listening.
  • Skilled Worker visa refused: options and deadlines — A refused Skilled Worker application can be challenged by administrative review (£80; 14 days if you applied in the UK, 28 days if you applied from abroad) because Appendix Skilled Worker is on the eligible list. A certificate of sponsorship that has been used in a refused application cannot be used again (SW 5.1(d)), so a fresh application needs a new certificate and a new visa fee.
  • Nurses moving to the UK: visa, NMC and costs — An overseas nurse needs a sponsored job, a visa (£324 for up to 3 years, no healthcare surcharge) and registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. NMC fees for the route total £1,226 if the Test of Competence is needed, and a sponsor may employ a nurse before registration for up to 8 months.
  • Doctors moving to the UK: visa and GMC steps — Doctors in codes 2211 and 2212 can use the Health and Care Worker visa, which costs £324 for up to 3 years and has no healthcare surcharge. A sponsored doctor must hold the registration the job needs (GMC registration for a doctor), and the sponsor must report if it is withdrawn.