Can You Work Multiple Jobs on a Skilled Worker Visa?

“Can You Work Multiple Jobs on a Skilled Worker Visa?” isn’t just a question—it’s the quiet thought in the back of many professionals’ minds as they sip their morning coffee and wonder if their skills could stretch a little further. The UK’s fast-paced economy, side hustle culture, and rising cost of living have made the idea of juggling multiple roles feel both practical and ambitious. But beneath that motivation lies the need to understand the rules, respect the visa’s conditions, and strike the right balance between opportunity and compliance. This is less about red tape and more about navigating career growth smartly, without letting ambition trip over immigration law.

The Basics of the Skilled Worker Visa

The Skilled Worker visa lets you come to or stay in the UK to do an eligible job for a Home Office-approved employer.
Key requirements include:

• You must work for a UK employer approved as a sponsor.
• You must have a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) confirming the job offer.
• The job must meet the eligible occupation list and minimum salary.
• Under the visa, you may study, volunteer, and take on additional work in certain cases.

Understanding Secondary Employment

When we talk about “secondary employment” under the Skilled Worker route, we’re really referring to supplementary employment (sometimes called “additional work” or a “second job”). The Home Office guidance makes this clear: you may take an additional job under restrictions while still doing your main job that the visa is supporting.

The official guidance says:

• You can do up to 20 hours a week in another job or for your own business, provided you are still doing your main job.
• The additional work must be either:
  • an eligible occupation code that is a higher-skilled job, or
  • on the immigration salary list, or
  • in the same sector and at the same level as the main job.
• If you’ll be doing more than 20 paid hours a week in another job, then you must apply to update the visa so that you are being sponsored to do both jobs.

Thus, “secondary employment UK visa” is possible, but with strict criteria around hours, role type, and eligibility.

What’s New & Key Rules?

Because immigration rules change, it’s vital to be aware of the latest developments. Here are some genuine facts for 2025:

• On 22 July 2025, a major revision to the Skilled Worker route took effect: the general salary threshold was raised to £41,700, and the skills threshold was raised (most roles now need to be at RQF Level 6 or above).
• The supplementary employment rules were updated for visas issued from that date. Specifically:
  • If you were granted your Skilled Worker visa on or after 22 July 2025, you can only undertake supplementary employment in roles that fall under RQF 6 or the same job code as your main role.
  • If you were already on a Skilled Worker visa under the old rules (before 22 July 2025) and have had continuous permission since, you may be allowed supplementary employment in RQF 3-5 roles (under certain SOC codes) until 22 July 2028.
• For any additional job exceeding 20 hours/week, you must update your visa and obtain a new CoS from the second employer.

So, if you hold a Skilled Worker visa issued after 22 July 2025, your ability to work multiple jobs (i.e., take secondary employment) is more limited than before.

How the Rules Work in Practice?

Here’s how you can safely take on a second job under the Skilled Worker visa:

1. Check your visa issue date. If your visa started after 22 July 2025, stricter rules apply.
2. Ensure your main job remains active. The additional job must not interfere with it. If your main job ends or you change jobs, your sponsorship changes.
3. Limit hours to 20/week for the second job (unless you apply for a variation).
4. Check the role’s eligibility for the second job:
   • Must fall under the same SOC/level or eligible occupation code (for visas post-July 2025).
   • Must not reduce your main job hours to accommodate the second job.
5. No need to apply for a visa update if the second job is within the permitted conditions (≤20 hrs, eligible role). But you must apply if you exceed 20 hours or take a job that doesn’t meet the eligibility criteria.
6. Communicate with your sponsor/employer because they must monitor compliance and may need to report if the conditions change. In other words, while you are responsible for compliance, your employer has duties too.
7. Keep evidence of your hours, role eligibility, main job continuing, etc. The Home Office’s Sponsor guidance emphasises compliance records.

Key Things to Watch Out For

• If the second role is not in an eligible occupation code for your visa category, you risk being in breach.
• Don’t reduce hours in your main sponsored job or treat your main job as “less important” while favouring the second job. The main job must still be the job your visa was granted.
• If your visa is based on an occupation code that is no longer eligible for new sponsorship, and you switch into roles that fall outside eligibility, you may lose the right to bring dependants or to settle.
• Make sure your second job does not contain a change of employer that would require reporting or a new sponsorship—your employer is not your sponsor for that second job unless they are a licensed sponsor and issue a CoS.
• If you are approaching the 20-hour limit, check whether your visa will need updating ahead of time so you’re not caught off-guard.

Conclusion!

Balancing ambition with compliance is part of every migrant professional’s journey, and understanding how far your Skilled Worker visa can stretch is key to doing it right. Whether you’re exploring secondary roles for experience, extra income, or sheer curiosity, the goal is to build a career that thrives within the rules, not against them. The UK job market rewards initiative, but it also expects awareness, and that’s where we come in.

For more insights, updates, and plain-English guidance on everything from visa conditions to workplace rights, follow Skilled Worker Mag — your trusted source for navigating work, opportunity, and life under the UK’s ever-evolving immigration system.