Top in-demand jobs in the UK in 2023

Why work in UK?

It’s one thing to explore the top in-demand jobs in the UK. But first, let’s share with you the best reasons to work in UK:

• Anybody who has observed the recent developments, demography, and immigration in the UK can be reassured that the country has a predominantly mixed ethnicity. People who arrive in the UK come from all around the world to study, live, and work, adding to the multi-cultural society the country has.
• With a vast and rich cultural heritage that extends into many fields including art, literature, science, and more. A predominantly service-based economy, the country needs professionals in a range of occupational areas.
• The UK makes the NHS (National Health Service) available to anyone legally residing in the country, for free.
• You could apply for UK citizenship after five years of living and working in the country. Citizenship is called ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain).
• The UK has a job market that educated and experienced professionals can look up to.
• The UK stands at an impressive position on the OECD Better Life Index (6.7).
• The average annual salary in the UK is equal to US$33,049.
• In the UK, you will get a minimum wage. You are even entitled to social security in case you become unemployed.

Migrate to UK via a work visa

There are some interesting facts about migrating to UK with a work visa. Here they are.

The UK maintains an immigration system that’s points-based. This system is designed to draw in a certain number of skilled workers with a certain level of quality.

Under the points-based system, you can file an application for a visa. For this, you have to score a minimum number of points scored on the basis of:

• Skill level required for the job
• Salary
• Job offer from a sponsor in the UK who’s approved
• Educational qualifications
• Existence of a shortage of workers for this job
• Your language skills in English

After you apply for a UK work visa, it’s the UK Home Office that’s responsible for approving the application.

Types of UK work visas

The UK offers three types of UK work visas in general. Each of these visas has sub-categories. Here are the main types of work visas in the UK:

Long-term UK work visas

These visas typically have a validity of two to three years with the option to renew them. Being on a long-term residence visa gives them a better opportunity to apply for permanent residence or citizenship in the UK.

Here are a few UK long-term UK work visas:

• Skilled worker visa
• Senior or Specialist Worker visa
• Health and Care Worker visa
• Representative of an Overseas Business visa
• International Sportsperson visa
• Minister of Religion visa

Short-term UK work visas

These are work visas used mostly for temporary work placements in the UK. These visas are generally issued with a validity period of six months to a year. In certain circumstances, you may even extend these types of visas.

Short-term UK visas are issued for specific job types. In the usual procedure, they aren’t included under the points-based UK visa system.

Here are a few UK short-term UK work visas:

• Charity Worker temporary visa
• Government Authorized Exchange temporary visa
• Creative Worker temporary visa
• Religious Worker visa
• International Agreement temporary visa
• Graduate visa
• Youth Mobility Scheme visa
• Seasonal Worker visa

Entrepreneur, business start-up, and talent visas

Though a general visa isn’t currently there for you if you are trying to work in the UK as a self-employed person or a freelancer or start your own business, there are a few visa options you can go for. It will be necessary that you meet certain conditions to apply for them. These are:

• Global Talent visa
• Innovator visa/Start-up visa

Requirements for UK work visa

You can apply for a Skilled Worker visa to migrate to UK to work in your field of profession. If you have the offer to work in an eligible job with an approved employer in the UK, you can apply for a Skilled Worker Visa.

If you are not a national of an EU member nation, Norway, Switzerland, or Liechtenstein, you will need to meet the following requirements to be eligible to apply for this visa:

• You have to be employed with an employer in the UK that has received approval from the UK Home Office.
• You must have a Certificate of Sponsorship issued by your UK employer. It must have information about the job role you have been offered in the UK.
• You must be employed in a job present on the UK’s list of occupations deemed eligible.
• You have to be paid a minimum salary depending on the type of job you enter in the UK.

It’s essential that you have a job offer that’s confirmed even before you file an application for your Skilled Worker visa.

As for language skills, you must be able to understand, speak, write, and read English. Except when you aren’t the national of one of these countries, you will have to prove your language skills in English:

• Antigua and Barbuda
• Barbados
• Dominica
• Jamaica
• St Kitts and Nevis
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Australia
• Belize
• Grenada
• Malta
• St Lucia
• USA
• the Bahamas
• Canada
• Guyana
• New Zealand
• St Vincent and the Grenadines

To prove your English ability, you can resort to one of these:

• Pass a SELT (Secure English Language Test) from an approved provider
• Have one of these as gained by studying at a school in the UK through studies you started before 18 years of age
  • GCSE
  • Scottish National Qualification level 4 or 5
  • A level
  • Scottish Higher or Advanced Higher in English
• Have an academic qualification of degree level that was taught in English (apply through Ecctis if you studied abroad)

Top in-demand occupations in the UK

Occupation	Average annual salary (in UK Pounds)
IT and Software
Data Scientist	30,000
Software Developer	55,000
Cyber Security Specialists	55,000
Graphic Designer	37,500
Software Engineer	45,000
Sales & Marketing
Digital Marketing Specialist	32,500
Healthcare
Health Services and Residential Care	30,000
Engineering
Architects	55,000
Accounting & Finance
Business Analyst	45,000

Steps to apply for UK Work Permit

Nationals from countries including EU/EFTA countries, Canada, Australia, the US, and Japan don’t need a visa to enter the UK and stay there for not more than six months. However, they and nationals of other countries will require a UK work visa to enter into employment with a UK employer.

If you are applying for a Skilled Worker visa, the following are the steps involved.

Step 1: Check the necessity of a UK work visa

• You must ensure that you require a visa to enter the UK and work there, and which type of visa is required.
• It’s necessary to receive a job offer from an employer in the UK before applying for a Skilled Worker visa.
• The employer in the UK sponsoring you must be approved or must get approved to offer sponsorship before you can move any further in the process.
• If you are an Irish citizen, you will need no visa.

Step 2: Check your eligibility for a Skilled Worker visa

• Get a ‘certificate of sponsorship’ from your UK employer to be able to apply for a Skilled Worker visa.
• Ascertain your job’s eligibility, obtain the 4-digit occupation code and check online with the respective UK government website.
• Submit proof that you are able to write, read, understand, and speak English to a certain level.
• Ensure that you are paid a minimum annual salary of £25,600 (£10.10 per hour) or the ‘going rate’ paid for your job in the UK, whichever is highest.

Step 3: File an application

• Apply for your Skilled Work visa online in under 3 months from the date of receiving your certificate of sponsorship.
• Prove your identity. Submit documents that show how you are eligible.
• Visit a VAC (Visa Application Center) with an appointment or use the smartphone app named ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’.
• After applying online with all your identity and other information via respective documents, wait for a decision. if you are residing outside the UK the process will take 3 weeks and 8 weeks if you are residing inside the UK.

Step 4: Pay the costs involved

• When applying for a Skilled Worker visa, you must have sufficient money to:
  • Make a payment of the application fee. It ranges from £610 to £1,408 as decided by your circumstances. In case your job is listed among the occupations with a shortage you will need to pay a lower application fee.
  • Make a payment of the healthcare surcharge. It's usually £624 annually.
  • Have at least £1,270 with you to support yourself after you are in the UK. This is unless you are granted an exemption.
• Make a payment of the extra costs involved with the addition of your partner and children to the application.
• Instructions as to the payable amount will be given during the application.

Work Permit to UK Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)

In case you have lived in the UK continuously for a period of 5 years with sponsored status, you become eligible to apply for an ILR. It's equivalent to getting permanent residence in the UK.

Here are the requirements you will need to meet to switch from a Skilled Work visa to an ILR:

• You must have paid any fee that’s relevant and mandatory.
• You as the applicant must have submitted biometrics information.
• You as the applicant have to provide a passport or other travel document that’s valid. This establishes your identity as well as nationality.
• You must also be present in the UK on the date of application.

If you are willing to migrate to UK, talk to Y-Axis, the leading immigration and career consultant in the UAE.

If you find this blog engaging, you may also like:

Here’s how to live and work in the UK with a UK Scale-up visa