UK Skilled Worker Visa from Kenya (2026)

Can Kenyan nationals get UK visa sponsorship?

Yes. The Skilled Worker route is open to all nationalities, including Kenya. There is no nationality quota. What you need is a job offer from one of the ~126,000 UK companies on the Home Office licensed-sponsor register, at a role that meets the skill and salary rules below.

The £41,700 salary threshold

From 2026 you must be paid the higher of £41,700 per year or the going rate for your SOC 2020 occupation code, plus a £17.13/hour floor. If you’re under 26 or switching from a Student/Graduate visa, the new entrant rate of £33,400 may apply. Check your occupation in the SOC code list.

English requirement for Kenyan applicants

English is an official or widely-used language in Kenya — but Kenya is not on the Home Office list of majority English-speaking countries. That means you must still prove CEFR B2 English, even if you speak English fluently. You can satisfy this with an approved SELT test (IELTS for UKVI, PTE Academic UKVI, LanguageCert, or Trinity ISE II) or with a degree taught and assessed in English and verified by UK ECCTIS. See our B2 English test comparison.

TB test (required for Kenya)

Because Kenyais on the UK’s tuberculosis-test list, any visa application longer than 6 months requires a TB test at a Home Office-approved clinic. The certificate is valid for 6 months and must be included with your application. Test costs vary locally (typically £40–£150).

What it costs (and why GBP is what matters)

The visa cost does not change by nationality. For a 3-year visa applied for from outside the UK, budget roughly:

• Application fee: about £810
• Immigration Health Surcharge: £3,105 (£1,035 × 3 years)
• Biometric enrolment: about £20
• TB test: £40–£150
• English test (if needed): £140–£200

All UK visa fees are set and assessed in pounds sterling. The salary threshold of £41,700 is also a GBP figure — your offered salary is assessed in GBP, not converted from local currency. Use a live currency converter for budgeting, but treat only the GBP figures as binding. Our full cost breakdown has worked examples including one for an applicant from South Asia.

Applying from Kenya: process & logistics

1. Secure a job offer from a licensed UK sponsor meeting the salary and skill rules.
2. Your sponsor assigns you a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) via the Sponsor Management System.
3. Take your TB test and (if required) your English SELT test.
4. Apply online, pay the fee and Immigration Health Surcharge, and book a biometric appointment at your local UK visa application centre.
5. Attend the appointment with your documents. Standard processing is around 3 weeks; priority services are available.

Always confirm current processing times and approved clinics on gov.uk.

Once you have gathered your TB certificate, CoS, and supporting evidence, you can findmyvisa's document bundler and build your UKVI document checklist — free tools from our sister site findmyvisa.

Finding a sponsor that hires from Kenya

Start with the sectors where UK sponsorship concentrates — healthcare, technology, engineering, and finance — then check individual employers in the A–Z sponsor directory or by city.