Supplementary Employment & Second Jobs on a Skilled Worker Visa
A Skilled Worker visa is granted primarily for the job on your Certificate of Sponsorship — but you can take additional work in certain circumstances. The rules split it into supplementary employment (no new application needed, if the conditions are met) and secondary employment (a second job that needs further permission). A second job is not automatically allowed just because you hold a Skilled Worker visa.
Per week
Your main job continues
Over 20 hrs / not eligible
If secondary approved
On this page
In brief
- A Skilled Worker visa is granted primarily for the job on your Certificate of Sponsorship.
- Supplementary employment may need no new application if the conditions are met.
- Secondary employment (a second job) needs further permission.
- A second job is not automatically allowed — the guide explains the conditions and the transitional provision.
What is supplementary employment?
Supplementary employment is additional work you can undertake alongside your main sponsored job without making another Skilled Worker application, provided all the conditions are met. Your main sponsored employment remains the job recorded on your Certificate of Sponsorship.
When is supplementary employment allowed?
Under the current guidance, additional work qualifies as supplementary employment where it is:
- in an occupation listed in Tables 1, 2 or 3 of Appendix Skilled Occupations (eligible RQF Level 6 occupations)
- no more than 20 hours per week
- outside the working hours covered by your Certificate of Sponsorship
The 20-hour limit applies to the additional job, and it must be outside your sponsored hours — your main job continues separately under the CoS. If the additional job needs more than 20 hours a week, it does not qualify as supplementary employment, and you'd look at the secondary-employment rules instead.
Transitional provision & the 4 April 2024 change
RQF Level 3–5 transitional provision. Certain existing Skilled Workers can do supplementary employment in occupations listed in Tables 1a, 2aa or 3a — where they've had continuous Skilled Worker permission under the rules in place before 22 July 2025. This matters for workers who remain eligible for below-RQF-6 occupations because of their previous Skilled Worker history.
Does the second job have to be in the same profession? No. The condition changed on 4 April 2024. Previously supplementary work had to be in a shortage occupation or the same profession as the CoS job. Under the newer condition it can instead qualify based on falling within the relevant occupation tables — and this newer condition applies to people with existing Skilled Worker permission regardless of when their permission was granted.
Permission, another CoS & your main sponsor
Do you need Home Office permission? If the work satisfies all the supplementary conditions, you don't need to inform the Home Office before taking it — and you don't need another CoS. But that doesn't make every second job automatically permitted. First check the occupation, the relevant Appendix Skilled Occupations table, your immigration history (if relying on the transitional provision), the additional hours, and that those hours fall outside your sponsored working hours.
You must keep working for your main sponsor. Except for the specific GP-trainee provision, a Skilled Worker must remain working for their sponsor to undertake supplementary employment — it can't be used as a replacement for the sponsored job.
GP trainee exception. Where a GP trainee has permission extending to four months after the end date on their CoS, they can do supplementary employment during those four months even if no longer working for their sponsor. This is a specific exception — not a general rule for other Skilled Workers.
Example. You hold Skilled Worker permission for your main job and find another eligible job for 10 hours a week, outside your sponsored hours, in an occupation that meets the conditions. Provided the other requirements are met and you keep working for your main sponsor, that additional work can potentially qualify as supplementary employment — no new CoS or application needed.
Secondary employment
Secondary employment is an additional job that doesn't qualify as supplementary employment — for example, one requiring more than 20 hours a week. You can potentially take it, but a further immigration application is required. You'll need:
- a new Certificate of Sponsorship for the second job
- an application to vary your existing permission so the second sponsored employment is covered
Your existing Skilled Worker conditions don't automatically cover a second sponsored job. If approved, you can have two sponsors during the period when both Certificates of Sponsorship are valid, and your immigration position reflects both the primary and secondary employment.
Timing: you cannot apply for permission for the second job until you have started working for your first sponsor. The primary sponsored employment must have commenced first.
The application must confirm you want to change your existing permission, including your full name, date of birth, the CoS reference from your current permission, and the date your current permission expires — plus the second job's own new CoS. If approved, your initial permission is varied to cover the additional employment, and the approval identifies the primary sponsor, secondary sponsor and each employment end date. Keep the approval letter with your eVisa as evidence of your right to work in the secondary employment.
Supplementary vs secondary — at a glance
| Supplementary employment | Secondary employment | |
|---|---|---|
| Hours | Max 20 per week | Can exceed 20 per week |
| Timing | Outside your sponsored hours | An additional sponsored job |
| Occupation | Eligible occupation-table job | Its own sponsored role |
| Main sponsor | Must continue (GP-trainee aside) | Two sponsors possible |
| New CoS? | No | Yes |
| New application? | No (if conditions met) | Yes — vary your permission |
| Home Office permission | Not needed | Required |
Voluntary work, study & working your notice
Separate Skilled Worker conditions permit some other activities — don't confuse these with supplementary or secondary employment:
Can I do voluntary work? +
Can I study while working? +
Can I work during my notice period? +
Several small additional jobs? The guidance sets the 20-hour weekly limit but doesn't, in the extracted section, spell out how to calculate it across multiple supplementary jobs — so we don't invent a rule here. If you plan several additional roles, the overall arrangement should be checked against the Skilled Worker conditions.
Before taking a second job
- Is the job in an eligible occupation under the supplementary rules?
- If RQF 3–5, do you satisfy the transitional provision?
- Will you work no more than 20 additional hours per week?
- Will the work be outside your sponsored hours?
- Will you continue working for your main sponsor?
- Does the job genuinely qualify as supplementary employment?
- If not, will the second employer sponsor you?
- Do you need to apply to vary your permission?
Not sure if your second job is permitted?
Working outside the conditions of your Skilled Worker permission can have immigration consequences — worth checking before you start.
Common mistakes
- Assuming any second job is allowed for 20 hours — the 20-hour limit is only one part of the test; the occupation and working-hours conditions must also be met.
- Using the old "same profession" rule — the rules changed on 4 April 2024 to the occupation-table test.
- Working the second job during sponsored hours — supplementary employment must be outside the hours covered by your CoS.
- Stopping the main sponsored job — except for the GP-trainee provision, you must keep working for your sponsor.
- Working more than 20 supplementary hours — that doesn't qualify under the supplementary provision.
- Assuming a second CoS isn't needed for secondary employment — a new CoS and variation application are required.
- Applying for secondary employment before starting the first job — you can't apply until you've started working for your first sponsor.
Frequently asked questions
Can I have a second job on a Skilled Worker visa? +
Yes, potentially. Additional work can qualify as supplementary employment if all the conditions are met. Otherwise, you may need further permission for secondary employment.
How many hours can I work in supplementary employment? +
No more than 20 hours per week.
Does the second job have to be outside my normal working hours? +
Yes. Supplementary employment must be outside the working hours covered by your Certificate of Sponsorship.
Does my second job have to be in the same profession? +
Not under the current rule. The condition changed on 4 April 2024 — the test now considers whether the additional job falls within the relevant eligible occupation tables.
Do I need to tell the Home Office about supplementary employment? +
Not where the additional work satisfies all of the supplementary employment conditions.
Do I need another CoS for supplementary employment? +
No, not where the additional work genuinely qualifies as supplementary employment.
Can I work more than 20 hours in another job? +
Not as supplementary employment. You may potentially apply for secondary employment, which requires another CoS and a variation of your permission.
Can I have two Skilled Worker sponsors? +
Yes. Where secondary employment is approved, the guidance allows two sponsors while both Certificates of Sponsorship are valid.
Can I leave my main job and continue only with my supplementary job? +
Not under the ordinary supplementary employment provision — you normally must remain working for your sponsor. There's a specific exception for certain GP trainees.
Can I do voluntary work? +
Yes, subject to the definition and conditions for voluntary work described in the guidance.
Related services
Disclaimer. The information on this page provides general information about UK immigration law and does not constitute legal advice on any individual immigration application. Immigration requirements depend on your individual circumstances and may change. You should seek professional advice before making an application or relying on the information provided.
Source basis: the UK Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Worker and the related work-route Appendices, together with the Home Office caseworker guidance published on GOV.UK. Immigration Rules and guidance change; confirm the current version on GOV.UK before applying.
Eyyup Yaprak
Click to verify →
Founded to make regulated advice honest and accessible.
Before founding the practice, Eyyup spent 10 years teaching English in Turkey and Liverpool, so every stage of an application is explained clearly, in English or Turkish. A BA and MA in English Language Teaching and an Associate Degree in Computer Programming & Technology sit alongside AAT Level 4 in Accounting, giving a strong grasp of the financial evidence many visa categories require.
Casework spans family, work, settlement and Ankara Agreement (ECAA) applications, plus sponsor licence guidance for employers.
Check whether your second job is permitted
Before taking a second job, check whether the work genuinely qualifies as supplementary employment, or whether you need another Certificate of Sponsorship and a new immigration application. Working outside your Skilled Worker conditions can have consequences.