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The short answer
Whether you can take a second job depends on your visa's conditions, not on your employer's permission. The UK Skilled Worker visa allows up to 20 hours a week of extra work if the job meets set conditions; more needs a new sponsorship. A Canadian employer-specific work permit allows work only for the employer named on it, while an open permit allows most employers. Check the conditions on your own visa or permit before you accept any second role.
Why the visa decides, not the employer
A sponsored or employer-specific visa is granted for a particular job. Extra work is allowed only within the limits the immigration authority sets, and breaking them can affect your current permission and future applications for settlement or citizenship. Your main employer cannot waive these rules, and a new employer's assurance that "it is fine" is not a defence. The safest habit is to find the written condition that applies to you, then check the second job against it.
United Kingdom: Skilled Worker
GOV.UK's Skilled Worker page on second jobs says you can do up to 20 hours a week of extra work while you continue the job you are sponsored for. The second job must be one of the following:
- in an occupation at a higher skill level on the government's list of eligible occupations,
- on the immigration salary list, or
- in the same occupation and at the same professional level as your sponsored job.
If you want to work more than 20 hours a week in the second job, you must update your visa with a new certificate of sponsorship from the second employer. Overtime in your sponsored job is not limited. The same page says you can work as a sole trader within the 20 hours, and that the admin of running the business counts towards them. That last point catches people who think only time spent with clients counts.
Worked example
Example: Bisi is sponsored as a staff nurse for 37.5 hours a week. A care agency offers her 12 hours of weekend nursing shifts, which is the same occupation and level, so it fits. A separate offer of 10 hours a week as a delivery rider does not fit: it is not in a higher skill level or the same occupation, and 12 plus 10 also takes her over 20 hours. She can accept the nursing shifts and decline the rides.
Canada: employer-specific or open permit
IRCC's help centre (modified 28 September 2026) says most work permits are tied to a specific employer and "will only allow you to work for the employer on the permit". An open work permit allows you to work for any employer in Canada, except those on IRCC's non-compliant list or businesses that regularly offer striptease, erotic dance, escort services or erotic massage. Permit conditions can also restrict the type of work, location and duration, so read the conditions printed on your permit rather than relying on its name. If yours is employer-specific, a second employer generally means a separate authorisation; ask IRCC or a licensed representative before starting.
Other countries and statuses
Rules in the US, Ireland, the UAE, Australia and elsewhere are different again, and many statuses tie work closely to the sponsoring employer. We could not confirm each country's second-job rules for this article, so check the official immigration page for your own visa type, or ask a regulated adviser. Students are a separate case with term-time hour limits.
What to check first
- Find your visa or permit conditions in writing: the vignette, permit, grant letter or online status account.
- Check whether a second job is allowed at all, and if so, the weekly hour limit and the kind of work.
- Count everything: shifts, travel between jobs if paid, and for self-employment, admin time.
- Check your main contract for exclusivity or conflict-of-interest clauses; these are separate from immigration.
- Keep payslips and contracts for both jobs; you may be asked for them at renewal or settlement.
- Gig and app work usually counts as self-employment; see delivery app gig work.
Changing jobs rather than adding one
Sometimes the better answer is to move the sponsorship rather than add a second job. If a second employer wants you for more hours than your conditions allow, the usual route is for that employer to sponsor you or apply for a new permit, and for you to start only once the new permission is granted. Ask the new employer early whether it holds a sponsor licence or can support a permit, because the process takes time and you should not stop your current job until you know where you stand.
Tax on two jobs
Extra earnings are taxed like any other income, but a second employer may not know about the first and may deduct tax at a different rate. Check each payslip and your annual statement, and contact the tax authority if the deductions look wrong, rather than waiting for a bill. Keeping records of both jobs also helps when you later need proof of income for a tenancy or loan.
Where Pryme fits
Pryme cannot advise on immigration. If a second income lets you send more home, Send shows the rate and the fee before you approve, and a multicurrency account keeps both pay cheques in the currency they arrive in.
Questions people ask
How many hours can I work in a second job on a Skilled Worker visa?
Up to 20 hours a week, in an eligible occupation, while you keep your sponsored job. More than that needs a new certificate of sponsorship.
Can I work for two employers on a Canadian work permit?
On an employer-specific permit, only for the employer named. An open permit allows most employers.
Does freelance work count as a second job on a UK work visa?
Yes. GOV.UK says you can be a sole trader within the 20 hours, and the admin counts.
Is overtime limited on a Skilled Worker visa?
No. Overtime in the sponsored job is not limited; the 20-hour rule applies to the second job.
Sources
- GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa, taking a second job · accessed Oct 2026
- IRCC Help Centre: Can I work for any employer? (q165, modified 28 Sep 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
- IRCC: Open and employer-specific work permits, CIMM note (modified 3 Apr 2024) · accessed Oct 2026
- IRCC Help Centre: Work permit conditions (q169, modified 1 Sep 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.