Document checklist
Somalia → United Kingdom: Skilled Worker visa
What you need before you submit, checked against official requirements, not guesswork.
Checked by our automated verification on 20 Oct 2026: every source on this page resolves and the data is structurally complete. This does not confirm a person re-read the source text for accuracy.
Required documents
8 itemsIdentity
Valid passport or travel document
RequiredYour current passport, or other valid travel documentation, to apply with.
Source: UK Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: documents you'll need to apply
Financial
Proof of funds for your dependants
Required£285 for a partner, £315 for your first child, and £200 for each further child, held the same way as your own funds (at least 28 consecutive days, ending within 31 days of applying).
Source: UK Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: your partner and children
Proof you have enough personal savings
RequiredYou must show £1,270 available in your bank account, held for at least 28 days in a row, ending no more than 31 days before you apply. You don't need to prove this if you've already been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months, or if your employer certifies on your Certificate of Sponsorship that they'll cover your costs for your first month, up to £1,270.
Source: UK Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: how much it costs
Purpose of travel
Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) reference number
RequiredYour UK employer must hold a Home Office sponsor licence and give you a Certificate of Sponsorship reference number, confirming your job, occupation code, and salary. Your job must be on the eligible occupations list and pay at or above the required rate, how much depends on the type of work and the date you got your CoS.
Other
Criminal record certificate
If you're applying from outside the UK for a job in education, healthcare, therapy, or social services (for example a teacher, nurse, doctor, psychologist, or social worker), you need a criminal record certificate for every country you've lived in for 12 months or more (continuously or in total) in the last 10 years, while you were 18 or older. If a country doesn't issue certificates, you must show evidence you tried to get one.
Source: UK Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: criminal record certificate
Proof of relationship for a partner or child joining you
RequiredA marriage or civil partnership certificate for a partner, or a birth certificate for a child, plus identity documents for each dependant.
Source: UK Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: your partner and children
Proof of your English language ability
RequiredYou must show you can speak, read, write and understand English at CEFR level B1, using a UK school qualification, a degree taught in English (a UK degree, or a foreign degree checked by Ecctis), or a Secure English Language Test (SELT) pass. You don't need to prove it if you're a national of an exempt country, or you've already proved your English in a previous UK visa application.
Source: UK Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: knowledge of English
Tuberculosis (TB) test certificate
Your country is on the Home Office TB test list. You need a TB test certificate if you're coming to the UK for 6 months or more and you've lived in a listed country for 6 months or more, and were living there (or in another listed country) within the last 6 months. It depends on where you've lived, not only your passport. The test must be done at a clinic the Home Office accepts, and the certificate is valid for 6 months from the date of your X-ray.
Source: UK Home Office, Countries where you need a TB test for your UK visa application
Why applications on this route get refused
Invalid or withdrawn Certificate of Sponsorship
A Certificate of Sponsorship that's invalid, expired, or has been withdrawn by the sponsor means the application doesn't meet the sponsorship requirement.
How to avoid it: Check your CoS details with your employer before you apply, and apply promptly after it's assigned, a CoS has a limited validity window.
Insufficient or unclear financial evidence
Not showing the required £1,270 personal savings, held for the full 28-day period ending within 31 days of applying, is a common reason for refusal when your employer hasn't certified maintenance.
How to avoid it: Check whether your employer will certify maintenance on your CoS; if not, make sure your bank statements clearly cover the full 28-day period.
Job or salary doesn't meet the requirements
The role must be on the eligible occupations list and pay at or above the going rate for that occupation, a job or salary that doesn't meet this doesn't qualify.
How to avoid it: Confirm your occupation code and salary with your sponsor against the current gov.uk eligible occupations list before your CoS is assigned.
Missing criminal record certificate
If your job is in education, healthcare, therapy, or social services and you're applying from outside the UK, not providing the required criminal record certificates can lead to refusal.
How to avoid it: Check if your occupation needs a certificate and apply for one, from every qualifying country you've lived in, well before you submit your visa application.
Sources
- UK Home Office, Skilled Worker visa (overview) · checked 21 Sept 2026
- UK Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: documents you'll need to apply · checked 21 Sept 2026
- UK Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: how much it costs · checked 21 Sept 2026
- UK Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: knowledge of English · checked 21 Sept 2026
- UK Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: criminal record certificate · checked 21 Sept 2026
- UK Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: your partner and children · checked 21 Sept 2026
- UK Home Office, Tuberculosis (TB) tests for visa applicants · checked 21 Sept 2026
- UK Home Office, Countries where you need a TB test for your UK visa application · checked 21 Sept 2026
- UK Home Office, Common Travel Area guidance · checked 21 Sept 2026
Check your documents against this list before you pay the United Kingdom application fee.
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