A British professional moving to Vietnam for work and a Vietnamese engineer moving to Britain pass through two permit systems designed in opposite directions. Vietnam controls at the demand-justification stage, with a work permit tied to one position at one employer for a maximum of two years. Britain controls at the sponsor: the employer must first hold a sponsor licence, and only then can the individual apply for a Skilled Worker visa subject to a minimum salary threshold under the Immigration Rules. Confusing the sequence of the two systems is a common reason expert assignments slip by months. This article compares each direction of travel, timelines, cost frames and dependants’ rights.
1. Applicable legal framework
Inbound to Vietnam, foreign employees work under Decree 219/2025/ND-CP replacing Decree 152/2020/ND-CP: the employer justifies and obtains approval of its demand for foreign labour by position, then applies for a work permit of up to two years, subject to statutory cases outside the permit requirement. Outbound to the UK, the Skilled Worker route requires a certificate of sponsorship from an employer holding a valid sponsor licence and a job meeting the minimum salary threshold in the Immigration Rules, at the time of writing 38,700 pounds per year for most cases under the threshold applying from 4 April 2024, alongside English-language and financial requirements in force.
2. British experts into Vietnam: demand approval and permits under Decree 219/2025
The Vietnamese sequence starts with the employer, not the individual: the employer explains its need for foreign labour for each position and receives approval before filing the work permit application for the expert. The expert must fall within a statutory title group such as manager, executive, expert or technical worker, with qualifications and experience evidenced by documents legalised and translated as required. The approval step cannot be skipped or backdated once work has started.
A work permit runs for a maximum of two years and is tied to the approved position and employer; changing employer or position can require a fresh permit process. Some cases sit outside the permit requirement, such as certain intra-company movements, short statutory assignments or treaty-based cases, but may still need a written confirmation of permit exemption. Employers should start the file well ahead of the planned start date, because legalising foreign documents is the slowest step and sits outside the employer’s control.
3. Vietnamese professionals to the UK: Skilled Worker, licence and salary floor
On the UK side, the precondition sits with the employer: the British company must hold a sponsor licence to assign a certificate of sponsorship for the vacancy, and hiring from outside the resident labour market follows the points-based immigration system. The Vietnamese worker then applies for a Skilled Worker visa with the certificate, evidence of meeting the salary threshold for their occupation code, and the English-language and maintenance requirements of the Immigration Rules at the date of application.
The general salary threshold at the time of writing is 38,700 pounds per year for most cases under the level applying from 4 April 2024, with exceptions and lower rates for statutory cases such as new entrants and certain health and education roles. The figure changes with immigration policy, so employers and workers must check the Immigration Rules in force when applying rather than reusing earlier years’ numbers. The visa is commonly granted for up to five years at a time under this route and can lead to settlement after the qualifying period of continuous lawful residence.
4. Timelines, cost frames and dependants’ rights
Inbound to Vietnam, overall timing is usually decided by document preparation abroad and the domestic demand approval, totalling weeks to a few months depending on file readiness. The UK direction has two time layers: the employer obtaining a sponsor licence if it lacks one, then the individual’s visa after the certificate of sponsorship is assigned. Visa fees, the immigration health surcharge charged per year and sponsorship fees form a significant cost package that the employment terms should allocate expressly, especially amounts that are not refunded when an application is refused.
Dependants are treated differently: in the UK, a Skilled Worker holder’s partner and children may apply as dependants, adult dependants are generally permitted to work subject to specific limited exceptions, and their residence connects to the main applicant’s settlement route under the statutory conditions. In Vietnam, a foreign worker’s family members enter under visit arrangements and gain no automatic right to work; if they wish to work in Vietnam, they must independently hold a work permit or fall within a permit-exempt case.
5. Common questions from investors
What work permit does a British expert need for Vietnam?
A British expert working in Vietnam falls under the work permit regime of Decree 219/2025/ND-CP, after the employer obtains approval of its demand justification for that position. The permit lasts up to two years, is tied to the specific position and employer, and the file needs legalised evidence of qualifications and experience.
Which visa route takes a Vietnamese professional to work in the UK?
The main route is Skilled Worker: the worker needs a certificate of sponsorship from a UK employer holding a sponsor licence, a job meeting the Immigration Rules salary threshold, at the time of writing 38,700 pounds per year for most cases under the level from 4 April 2024, plus English-language and financial requirements. Some statutory cases carry lower thresholds. Thresholds change with policy.
How long and how costly is each direction?
Into Vietnam, total timing usually runs from weeks to a few months, governed by legalising documents abroad and the domestic demand approval. Into the UK, timing stacks the employer’s sponsor licence stage, where one is needed, on top of the individual’s visa processing after sponsorship is assigned. UK-side costs combine the visa fee, the per-year health surcharge and sponsorship charges.
What rights do accompanying dependants have?
In the UK, a Skilled Worker holder’s partner and children may join as dependants, adult dependants are generally allowed to work subject to narrow specific limits, and their residence ties into the main applicant’s settlement route under the statutory conditions. In Vietnam, a foreign worker’s family members enter for visit purposes with no automatic right to work.
This article has been quality-reviewed by the FLAW AI Legal Council