EU citizens can still work in the UK after Brexit, but most now need a visa. Free movement ended on 31 December 2020, so unless you are an Irish citizen or you already held status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you apply through the same points-based immigration system as any other foreign national. Which route fits depends on your job, your qualifications, and whether a UK employer is willing to sponsor you.
Irish Citizens Do Not Need a Visa
If you hold Irish citizenship, none of the post-Brexit visa rules apply. The Common Travel Area between the UK and Ireland predates EU membership and works independently of it. Irish citizens do not need a visa, residence permit, or employment permit to live and work in the UK, and cannot apply under the points-based system because there is nothing to apply for.1GOV.UK. Common Travel Area Guidance The right covers employment and self-employment. If you are an EU national who also holds Irish citizenship, this is the simplest path by far.
EU Citizens Who Were Already in the UK Before 2021
EU citizens who were living in the UK by 31 December 2020 could protect their rights through the EU Settlement Scheme. The deadline was 30 June 2021, but the Home Office still accepts late applications where the applicant can show reasonable grounds for not applying sooner.2GOV.UK. Apply to the EU Settlement Scheme (Settled and Pre-Settled Status) – Eligibility
The scheme grants one of two statuses. Settled status goes to anyone with five years of continuous UK residence and gives a permanent right to live, work, use public services, and later apply for British citizenship.3GOV.UK. Apply to the EU Settlement Scheme – What You’ll Get Pre-settled status went to those with less than five years and carries the same work and residency rights, but it is temporary. Once you reach five years, you apply to convert it to settled status.
Pre-settled status can be lost. If you spend more than five consecutive years outside the UK, it is automatically cancelled. Anyone in that position needs a visa like any other new arrival, even if a biometric residence card has not yet expired.3GOV.UK. Apply to the EU Settlement Scheme – What You’ll Get
Both statuses are digital. When starting a new job, you generate a share code online and give it to your employer with your date of birth, and the employer checks your status through the Home Office service.4GOV.UK. Check a Job Applicant’s Right to Work – Use Their Share Code
The Points-Based System for New Arrivals
EU citizens who were not in the UK before 2021 are treated the same as applicants from any other country. The points-based system assesses foreign workers on their skills and what the UK economy needs, not on nationality. You must have a visa before you travel for work, and the right visa depends on the job, your qualifications, and your circumstances. Most work visas run through the Skilled Worker route; a handful of specialist routes sit alongside it.
The Skilled Worker Visa
The Skilled Worker visa is the main route for EU citizens coming to the UK for employment. You need a job offer from a UK employer that holds a Home Office sponsor licence, and that employer must issue you a certificate of sponsorship before you apply.5GOV.UK. Skilled Worker Visa – Your Job
Skill and Salary Requirements
Since July 2025, the job must require a qualification at bachelor’s degree level or above. Before that date, roles at A-level equivalent qualified. Some medium-skilled roles below degree level can still qualify if they appear on the Temporary Shortage Occupation List.
The standard minimum salary is £41,700 per year, or the going rate for your specific occupation, whichever is higher.5GOV.UK. Skilled Worker Visa – Your Job A lower minimum of £33,400 may apply if you qualify as a new entrant or hold a relevant PhD.6GOV.UK. Skilled Worker Visa – When You Can Be Paid Less
You count as a new entrant if any one of the following applies:
- You are under 26 when you apply.
- You are on, or were recently on within the last two years, a UK Student or Graduate visa.
- You are working toward a recognised qualification in a UK regulated profession, or toward full registration or chartered status.
New entrants can be paid as little as 70% of the going rate, provided the salary is at least £33,400. The total stay under new entrant terms is capped at four years, including any earlier time on a Graduate visa.6GOV.UK. Skilled Worker Visa – When You Can Be Paid Less
English Language
You must show English proficiency in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Most applicants meet this by holding a degree that was taught in English, coming from a majority English-speaking country, or passing an approved secure English language test.
What It Costs
The application fee depends on the length of the visa:
- Up to 3 years: £769 per person, or £590 if the job is on the immigration salary list.
- More than 3 years: £1,519 per person, or £1,160 if on the immigration salary list.
On top of the fee, you pay the Immigration Health Surcharge for access to the NHS. That is £1,035 per year for most workers, so a three-year visa adds £3,105 before you arrive.8GOV.UK. Pay for UK Healthcare as Part of Your Immigration Application You also need to show at least £1,270 in available savings to prove you can support yourself during your first month, unless your employer certifies they will cover initial costs.7GOV.UK. Skilled Worker Visa – How Much It Costs
Employers face their own bill. Companies pay an Immigration Skills Charge of £1,320 per year for medium and large businesses, or £480 per year for small businesses and charities. Workers do not pay this, but it does affect how willing some companies are to sponsor.
The Health and Care Worker Visa
Qualified doctors, nurses, and adult social care professionals have their own route with real cost advantages. The Health and Care Worker visa requires a job offer from the NHS, an NHS supplier, or a Home Office-approved social care provider. In England, adult social care employers must be registered with the Care Quality Commission.9GOV.UK. Health and Care Worker Visa – Your Job
Application fees are lower than the standard Skilled Worker visa, and both the worker and their family are exempt from the Immigration Health Surcharge, which saves thousands over the life of a visa.10GOV.UK. Health and Care Visa Guidance The minimum salary is typically £25,000 or the going rate, whichever is higher.9GOV.UK. Health and Care Worker Visa – Your Job
One restriction catches out care workers in particular. If you are sponsored as a care worker or senior care worker and your sponsorship began after 11 March 2024, you generally cannot bring your partner or children to the UK. Limited exceptions apply for children born in the UK during your stay, sole surviving parents, and cases where both parents are sponsored as care workers.11GOV.UK. Health and Care Worker Visa – Your Partner and Children
Routes That Do Not Need a Job Offer
Several routes let EU citizens work in the UK without a sponsoring employer.
The Global Talent visa is for people recognised as leaders or emerging leaders in academia, science, engineering, arts, or digital technology. Most applicants need an endorsement from an approved body such as the Royal Society, Arts Council England, the British Academy, the Royal Academy of Engineering, or UK Research and Innovation.12GOV.UK. Global Talent Endorsing Bodies Winners of certain prestigious pre-approved awards can skip the endorsement stage. There is no salary requirement, and you can work for any employer or be self-employed.
The Graduate visa is open to EU citizens who complete a degree at a UK university and lets you take any job without a sponsor. For applications made on or before 31 December 2026, it lasts two years, dropping to 18 months for applications from 1 January 2027 onward. Doctoral graduates get three years either way.13GOV.UK. Graduate Visa – Overview It does not lead directly to settlement, but it gives you time to find sponsored work and switch to a Skilled Worker visa.
The High Potential Individual visa is for people who graduated from a top-ranked overseas university within the past five years. Eligible universities appear on a government-maintained list drawn from global rankings, updated annually. UK universities are not on the list because their graduates use the Graduate visa instead.14GOV.UK. High Potential Individual (HPI) Visa – Eligibility
The Innovator Founder visa is for EU citizens who want to start a business in the UK rather than work for someone else. The business must be new, innovative, viable, and scalable, and you need an endorsement from an approved body before applying. The endorsement costs £1,000, and if the visa is approved you pay £500 for each contact-point meeting, with at least two meetings required during your stay.15GOV.UK. Innovator Founder Visa – Overview You cannot use this route to join a business that is already trading.
Family members of someone settled in the UK or holding a valid work visa can also work through their dependant status. Dependants on most work visas can take any job apart from professional sportsperson or coach, and they can study and travel freely, but they cannot claim most public benefits or the State Pension.16GOV.UK. Skilled Worker Visa – Your Partner and Children
Bringing Family With You
Most work visas let you bring a spouse, civil partner, unmarried partner, and children under 18 as dependants. For an unmarried partner, you must show at least two years of living together, or, if you have not been able to live together for work or cultural reasons, an ongoing committed relationship over the same period.16GOV.UK. Skilled Worker Visa – Your Partner and Children
Each dependant pays their own application fee and Immigration Health Surcharge. Adults pay the same £1,035 per year as the main applicant; children under 18 pay a reduced £776 per year.8GOV.UK. Pay for UK Healthcare as Part of Your Immigration Application Modest savings requirements also apply for each dependant, waived if you have already been in the UK on a valid visa for at least 12 months or if your employer covers your first month.16GOV.UK. Skilled Worker Visa – Your Partner and Children
Visiting for Business Is Not the Same as Working
EU citizens can still visit the UK for up to six months without a visa, but what you can do on that visit is tightly limited. Permitted business activities include attending meetings, conferences, and seminars, negotiating and signing contracts, conducting site visits and inspections, and gathering information for your overseas job. You can also handle emails and calls tied to your overseas employment, provided remote work is not the main reason for your trip.17GOV.UK. Immigration Rules Appendix Visitor – Permitted Activities
What you cannot do is take up any form of employment for a UK company, paid or unpaid. Freelancing, providing services to UK customers, and any work that would normally require a visa are off limits.
One narrow exception is the permitted paid engagement. If you are an established expert invited by a UK organisation, you can be paid for specific short-term activities such as lecturing, speaking at conferences, performing as an artist or musician, or examining students. You need a written invitation, the engagement must take place within your first month in the UK, and it must relate to your professional expertise.18GOV.UK. Visit for a Paid Engagement or Event
Working outside these limits is a breach of immigration law. Consequences range from being turned away at the border to refusal of future visa applications and, in serious cases, deportation.