Documents to Translate for a UK Skilled Worker Visa

Does my UK employer need to provide translated documents too?

Your UK employer gives you the Certificate of Sponsorship in English. Translating your own supporting documents, such as qualifications and personal records, is up to you. Your employer may still ask for translated copies for their HR files or for professional body registration.

Do I need ENIC recognition AND translation for my qualifications?

They do different jobs. ENIC (formerly UK NARIC) judges how your foreign qualification compares to a UK one. It tells people what your degree is worth. A certified translation simply makes the document readable in English. For a Skilled Worker visa you normally need the translation. You may also need ENIC recognition for a regulated profession, or if UKVI asks for it. Some professional bodies require ENIC recognition to register you.

What if my qualifications were awarded in a country where documents are in English?

If your degree certificate and transcript are fully in English, you need no translation. Some documents are bilingual, such as European degrees issued in the local language and English. The parts that are not in English still need translating. If you are not sure, upload the document and our system will tell you whether any text needs translation.

How quickly can I get Skilled Worker documents translated?

Standard turnaround is within 24 hours for most documents. For a large set (degree, transcript, and several references), upload everything together and allow 24–48 hours. If your deadline is tight — a visa appointment, say, or a registration cut-off — rush 8-hour processing is available.

Do I need to translate my entire academic history?

Only translate the qualifications named on your CoS, or the ones UKVI needs to check your skill level. That usually means your most recent and most relevant degree or professional certificate. You do not need to translate every certificate you have ever earned. Your employer and your ENIC assessor can tell you what your role requires.

Can I use the same translations for future visa extensions or ILR?

Yes. Certified translations do not expire. You can use a certified translation of your degree or birth certificate again for a visa extension, an ILR application, or British citizenship. Keep digital and printed copies of all of them in one immigration file.

Healthcare SOC Codes (e.g. 2211 — Medical Practitioners, 2231 — Nurses)

Healthcare roles need more translated paperwork than any other Skilled Worker category. UKVI, the GMC, NMC, GDC, and HCPC each set their own rules. You will usually need translations of your degree certificate and medical school transcripts, your postgraduate certificates, and your professional registration documents from home. You will also need a Certificate of Good Standing, which is often already in English. Some international medical graduates must translate their internship completion certificate as well.

Engineering and IT SOC Codes (e.g. 2135 — IT Business Analysts, 2121 — Civil Engineers)

Engineering and IT roles at RQF level 6 (degree standard) usually need a translated degree certificate and academic transcript. Translate your professional engineering registration too, if your CoS cites it — for example, Ordem dos Engenheiros in Brazil or VDI in Germany. Some roles also need translated proof of specific technical certifications, where the sponsorship names them.

Education SOC Codes (e.g. 2314 — Secondary Education Teachers, 2315 — Primary Teachers)

Teachers on education SOC codes usually need a translated degree certificate. They also need translated proof of a Qualified Teacher Status equivalent from their home country. Teaching registration documents, such as a Carta de Regência or its equivalent, must be translated alongside any academic transcripts. DfE registration may call for translated proof of overseas qualifications as well.

Skilled Trades and Care SOC Codes (e.g. 6145 — Care Workers, 5319 — Construction)

Roles at RQF level 3 (A-level standard) may need fewer translated qualifications. That does not mean the translation load is small. Care workers, for example, routinely need translated criminal record checks, overseas employment references, and health declarations. Construction roles may need translated trade certificates and overseas professional licences.

Finance and Legal SOC Codes (e.g. 2421 — Solicitors, 2422 — Barristers, 3531 — Brokers)

Finance and legal professionals often need translations for professional body registration as well as for UKVI. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), for example, wants translated evidence of overseas legal qualifications before admission to the roll. That means translating law degree certificates, bar association membership documents, and any court admission certificates — often more than UKVI itself asks for.

Right to Work Checks and Overseas Qualifications

Employers must run right to work checks before the job starts. Some roles make a specific overseas qualification a condition of employment, such as a medical role that needs a foreign medical degree. The employer should then keep translated copies. The translation shows that the employer has checked the credential and understands what it says.

Regulated Professions: Joint Translation Requirements

In regulated professions (medicine, nursing, teaching, law, engineering), the employee and the employer may need the same translated document at the same time, for different bodies. A doctor's translated medical degree may go to UKVI for the visa, to the GMC for a licence to practise, and to the NHS trust for its HR file. Order several certified copies to avoid delays.

Record-Keeping During the Sponsorship Period

Sponsors must keep employee records for the whole of the sponsored employment, and for one year after it ends. That includes copies of the qualifications that made the worker eligible for the role. If those qualifications were in another language, keep the translations in the employee's HR file next to the originals.

Salary Threshold Evidence and Overseas Pay Documentation

Sponsors rarely need to translate salary paperwork for the first visa application, because the CoS already states the salary. But if the worker is moving from an overseas role and their salary history is being used as evidence — common for senior or specialist roles — UKVI may want translated overseas employment contracts or payslips.