UK work visas for South Africans
Have a UK job offer, still looking for sponsorship, or wondering whether another route could allow you to work? Tell us where you are now, and let’s clarify your next step.
Choose your starting point
An offer is a useful starting point. The employer’s sponsorship position, the role and your own visa requirements still need to fit.
Tell us: the employer, role, pay and hours, and whether sponsorship has been discussed.
Ask about my job offer →For Skilled Worker, an eligible sponsored offer comes before the visa application. A sponsor’s licence does not mean it has a vacancy for you.
Tell us: your occupation and experience, and whether you are exploring roles or already speaking to employers.
Discuss my starting point →Your nationality, a qualifying family connection or existing UK permission may change the work-rights question. Each route has its own conditions.
Tell us: your current status and the family or personal connection you want to explore.
Explore another route →Put the right questions first
A useful conversation separates what depends on you, what depends on the employer and what needs checking for your family.
Move Up can help clarify which route questions need a closer look and what support to discuss next. Any paid work has its own agreed scope and fees.
Understand sponsorship →Bringing family is not automatic. Restrictions can apply to care roles and medium-skilled occupations; check the current rules before planning around dependants.
A client’s experience
Friendly, prompt guidance supported a family application connected to UK work plans.
Taryn · Paraphrased client feedback
One person’s experience, shared to help you understand the support. Your circumstances and outcome may differ.
Understand the cost picture
Professional support, government application charges and third-party evidence costs are different parts of the budget. The route, period of permission and household circumstances affect what needs checking.
Use the cost guide to understand the categories, then confirm the current charges and any agreed professional scope for your case. A dated example is not a current personal quote.
Ask about my costsA useful first enquiry
You do not need to have every answer before getting in touch. A short summary helps us understand which conversation would be useful.
Use the existing contact form to share a summary. Keep identity documents, financial records and other sensitive documents out of an ordinary enquiry.
Tell us about your situationExplore uk work routes
Choose a topic to see what each guide will help you understand.
Connect the sponsored job with the applicant's circumstances before moving into detailed application preparation.
Read this guide ↗Identify what the offer confirms and which sponsorship or immigration questions remain unresolved.
Read this guide ↗Check the relationship between the job, sponsor, salary, English evidence and personal circumstances.
Read this guide ↗Clarify the proposed work and applicant circumstances before treating a work permit as one interchangeable product.
Read this guide ↗Organise the employer, role and applicant evidence so the application reflects one consistent set of facts.
Read this guide ↗Review current permission and any changes to the role or employer before planning the next application.
Read this guide ↗Understand what help you need with the route, evidence and application before agreeing the professional scope.
Read this guide ↗Organise qualification evidence and understand why the job and route question must be assessed together.
Read this guide ↗Connect the proposed role, employer responsibilities and worker application before building the relocation timetable.
Read this guide ↗Review route history and current options before relying on older business-mobility terminology.
Read this guide ↗Start with the employer's hiring need and connect the role, recruitment plan and immigration responsibilities.
Read this guide ↗Explore the recruitment conversation through the actual role, candidate experience and employer's requirements.
Read this guide ↗Organise the business brief, responsible contacts and information needed to define the support being requested.
Read this guide ↗Connect the business objective, people being moved and immigration questions before choosing an expansion service.
Read this guide ↗Define the role and hiring need, then connect recruitment support with sponsorship and the eventual move.
Read this guide ↗Treat business registration and permission for people to work in the UK as separate questions within one expansion plan.
Read this guide ↗Find more guides connected to this opportunity and the practical decisions around it.
Browse more uk work routes guidance ↗Work-route questions
You need a confirmed job offer and the required sponsorship before applying. If you are still exploring roles, start with your current position rather than treating the visa as a way to find a job.
No. The approved employer, eligible occupation, applicable pay rules and applicant requirements all matter. Review the actual duties, not just the job title.
They may be able to apply, but permission is not automatic. Eligibility depends on the route, occupation and circumstances. Some care and medium-skilled roles have restrictions.
Some routes or existing statuses allow work on a different basis. Qualifying Ancestry, nationality or partner circumstances may be worth exploring. A family connection alone does not establish work rights.
Official guidance checked 25 October 2026: Skilled Worker overview · Job and sponsorship requirements · Partner and child rules.
Your next conversation
Tell us about the work you hope to do and the future you want to build. We can help you understand the route questions and the support needed to move forward.
Talk to Move Up ↗Put your plans into context
Use a focused questionnaire to share the facts with Move Up.
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