Sponsorship requirements

You must meet all of the following requirements to be eligible for a Skilled Worker visa:

• your job is eligible for this visa
• you’ll be working for a UK employer that’s been approved by the Home Office
• you’ll be paid at least the minimum salary for the type of work you’ll be doing

If your job can be sponsored by the University of Edinburgh, then HR colleagues will issue you with a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS).

A CoS is an electronic document which confirms your personal details and information about the job role. You will need the information on this document to complete the visa application, including a unique CoS reference number.

You must score 10 points for your English language skills.

Read the detailed English language requirements for a Skilled Worker visa application

If you are applying for a Skilled Worker visa then you must score 10 points for maintenance by showing you have personal savings to support yourself and any dependants in the UK.

It is very important that you can show the relevant funds, and submit the correct financial documents.

Read the maintenance requirements for a Skilled Worker visa application

You only need a criminal record certificate if your SOC Code (this is used to identify your employment on the Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS)) is on this list:

Check the list

The most common SOC Codes used at the University are 2311 or 2119, which do not need a certificate. HR should be able to advise you of your SOC code and/or it will be written on your CoS.

If applying from outside the UK, you may require a TB test.

Find out more

You may need to obtain an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate from the Counter-Proliferation and Arms Control Centre of the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) before you make your application. This is known as the ‘ATAS requirement’.

An individual will need to apply for an ATAS certificate if:

• they are not a national of an exempt country, and
• they are working in a job with a relevant occupation code, and
• their role includes an element of research at PhD level or above in certain sensitive subject areas where knowledge could be used in programmes to develop Advanced Conventional Military Technology (ACMT), weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) or their means of delivery.

Your School or department will advise if you need to obtain an ATAS certificate. They will need to provide you with a subject code (CAH3 code), a research project title, and a research statement.

You will then be responsible for submitting your own ATAS application. This must be obtained before the University can issue you with a CoS.

It can take at least 4 weeks (longer if applying between April and September) for the FCDO to process an application for an ATAS certificate.  Please apply in plenty of time to ensure your subsequent visa application is not delayed.

More information on how to apply can be found on the UKVI website:

Information for academic researchers

Guidance on how to complete the online application form

How to apply for an ATAS certificate