The Skilled Worker visa salary threshold determines whether an overseas national qualifies for UK employment-based immigration sponsorship. This threshold operates as a dual test: applicants must meet both a general minimum salary level and an occupation-specific "going rate," whichever is higher.
Beyond the headline figure, the salary framework includes multiple reduced-rate pathways for new entrants, researchers, and jobs on the Immigration Salary List. A new absolute minimum floor of £25,000 now underpins all Skilled Worker applications, including those eligible for discounts. This floor increased from £23,200 to £25,000 on 9 April 2025, ensuring that workers, even with a discount, cannot be paid under this salary floor.
General Minimum Salary Threshold
The primary salary threshold for most Skilled Worker visa applicants is £41,700 per year. This figure has been in effect since 22 July 2025 and replaced the previous £38,700 threshold that had applied from 4 April 2024 until July 2025.
Applicants must meet whichever is higher: the £41,700 general threshold or 100% of the published going rate for their occupation code. Each occupation code has its own annual going rate, which employers and applicants can verify in the official going rates table published by the Home Office.
The going rate is calculated on a 37.5-hour working week. For part-time roles, the salary is pro-rated based on the contracted hours. For example, if a job has a going rate of £45,000 per year for 37.5 hours per week, and an applicant works 30 hours per week, the adjusted going rate is (30 ÷ 37.5) × £45,000 = £36,000. The applicant's actual salary must meet or exceed this pro-rated figure, and it must still meet the applicable general threshold (or discounted threshold, if eligible). All pro-rata calculations follow the guidance on going rates.
Occupation-Specific Going Rates
Going rates are tied to Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes and reflect median earnings data for each role. The Home Office publishes going rates for eligible occupation codes in a detailed table that employers must consult when preparing Certificates of Sponsorship.
Jobs must meet the RQF 6 skill level (graduate-level) or higher to qualify for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route, a requirement that took effect on 22 July 2025. Transitional provisions for lower-skilled occupations remain in place through the Immigration Salary List and Temporary Shortage List, both of which expire on 31 December 2026.
Reduced Salary Pathways
The Skilled Worker visa framework includes several routes that permit salaries below the standard £41,700 threshold, provided applicants meet specific criteria and their salary remains above the relevant discounted minimum.
The new entrant concession is available to applicants who are:
Under 26 years of age on the date of application
Working towards a recognised professional qualification
Sponsored in a role that is part of a recognised postgraduate training programme
Recent graduates who completed a UK qualification at undergraduate level or above within the past two years
New entrants must still earn at least £33,400 per year and at least 70% of the going rate for their occupation code. The exact percentage depends on the occupation and whether additional discounts (such as PhD-level discounts) apply.
The Immigration Salary List (ISL) applies a 20% discount to the general threshold, reducing the minimum from £41,700 to £33,400. However, applicants must still meet 100% of the occupation-specific going rate. The ISL includes roles deemed to be in shortage or of particular importance to the UK economy.
PhD-level researchers benefit from additional salary discounts that depend on whether their qualification is in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, or mathematics) field.
These concessions recognise the specialised nature of postdoctoral work and the importance of retaining research talent in the UK. The STEM discount is more generous to encourage recruitment in priority fields. Both pathways require that the applicant's salary remains at or above the stated minimum threshold.
Healthcare and Education Roles
Certain roles in healthcare and education are subject to different salary rules because their going rates are based on national pay scales rather than market-rate surveys.
Healthcare workers on the Health and Care Worker visa (a subset of the Skilled Worker route) are also subject to the £25,000 absolute minimum salary floor introduced on 9 April 2025.
Absolute Minimum Salary Floor
Regardless of discounts or concessions, no Skilled Worker visa applicant may be sponsored on a salary below £25,000 per year. This floor was raised from £23,200 to £25,000 on 9 April 2025, applying to all Skilled Workers, including those on the Health and Care Worker visa.
The absolute floor ensures that even applicants eligible for the maximum discounts—such as new entrants in shortage occupations—receive a baseline level of earnings. It also prevents the cumulative effect of multiple concessions from reducing salaries below a threshold deemed appropriate for economic self-sufficiency.
Temporary Shortage List and Transitional Provisions
The Temporary Shortage List (TSL) was introduced alongside the increase in the skill threshold to RQF 6. It provides time-limited access to the immigration system for RQF 3–5 "mid-skilled" occupations where long-term shortages have been identified and which have been deemed crucial to the delivery of the UK's Industrial Strategy or building critical infrastructure.
The TSL does not offer reduced salary thresholds; roles on the list must meet the standard £41,700 minimum or the occupation's going rate, whichever is higher. The purpose of the list is to enable continued sponsorship of critical roles at RQF 3–5 during a transitional period, not to reduce salary requirements.
Both the expanded Immigration Salary List and the Temporary Shortage List will be reviewed before their December 2026 expiry. The Home Office has indicated that future shortage-occupation mechanisms will focus on RQF 6+ roles, aligning with the broader policy shift toward graduate-level sponsorship.
Skill Level Changes (RQF 6 Requirement)
From 22 July 2025, all new Skilled Worker applicants must hold a job offer in a role classified at RQF 6 (graduate-level) or above. This requirement replaced the previous RQF 3+ threshold that had been in place since the introduction of the Skilled Worker route in December 2020.
The shift to RQF 6 means that roles previously eligible at A-level or vocational qualification equivalent (RQF 3–5) are no longer sponsorable unless they appear on the transitional Immigration Salary List or Temporary Shortage List. Employers must ensure that the SOC code for the role reflects graduate-level duties and responsibilities, as the Home Office will scrutinise job descriptions for consistency with the stated skill level.
Payroll Compliance and Payment Cycles
Salary compliance is assessed across individual pay periods, not only as an annualised average. From 8 April 2026, the Home Office has implemented more rigorous monitoring of whether salary meets the required threshold in each defined monthly or agreed pay cycle.
This change means that seasonal fluctuations, variable bonuses, or irregular payment schedules may cause compliance issues if monthly earnings fall below the pro-rated threshold for that period. Employers are advised to structure salaries as fixed annual amounts paid in regular instalments to avoid inadvertent breaches.
Only guaranteed base salary counts toward the threshold; performance bonuses, allowances (other than specified guaranteed allowances), and benefits in kind are excluded. Employers must document pay arrangements clearly in the Certificate of Sponsorship and ensure that payroll records align with the stated salary.
How Going Rates Are Calculated
Going rates are derived from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) published by the Office for National Statistics. The Home Office uses median earnings for each SOC code, adjusted to reflect a 37.5-hour working week.
The going rates table lists annual figures for full-time roles. For part-time or non-standard hours, employers must calculate the pro-rated going rate by multiplying the published rate by the ratio of contracted hours to 37.5.
For example, if the going rate for SOC code 2135 (IT business analysts, architects and systems designers) is £45,000 per year for 37.5 hours, an applicant working 30 hours per week would have a pro-rated going rate of (30 ÷ 37.5) × £45,000 = £36,000. The applicant's actual salary must meet or exceed £36,000 and also satisfy the applicable general or discounted threshold, as detailed in the official guidance.
Going rates are periodically updated to reflect changes in median earnings. Employers should always consult the most recent version of the going rates table when preparing a Certificate of Sponsorship.
Combining Discounts
Applicants who qualify for more than one discount may combine them, provided the resulting salary remains above the absolute minimum floor of £25,000.
For instance, a new entrant under 26 years of age who is sponsored for a role on the Immigration Salary List and holds a STEM PhD may benefit from:
The 20% ISL discount (reducing the general threshold to £33,400)
The 20% STEM PhD discount (reducing the going rate to 80%)
The new entrant discount (allowing payment at 70%–90% of the going rate, depending on the occupation)
The Home Office permits stacking of these concessions, but the final salary must meet both the discounted general threshold and the discounted going rate. Detailed calculation guidance is available in the new entrant salary tables.
All thresholds are annual gross salaries before tax. Part-time roles are pro-rated based on contracted hours relative to a 37.5-hour week, as specified in the going rates guidance.
Key Dates and Policy Changes
4 April 2024: General threshold increased from £26,200 to £38,700; going rates raised across most occupation codes.
9 April 2025: Absolute minimum salary floor raised from £23,200 to £25,000, as confirmed in the salary requirements review.
22 July 2025: General threshold increased to £41,700; RQF 6 skill requirement introduced; Immigration Salary List and Temporary Shortage List expanded to include transitional RQF 3–5 roles, per the review of salary requirements.
8 April 2026: Enhanced payroll compliance monitoring introduced; salary must meet threshold in each individual pay period.
31 December 2026: Scheduled expiry of Immigration Salary List and Temporary Shortage List for RQF 3–5 occupations, as stated in the accessible review.
Applicants and sponsors should monitor Home Office announcements for any further changes to thresholds, going rates, or transitional provisions.
Practical Considerations for Applicants and Employers
Employers must ensure that the salary stated on the Certificate of Sponsorship matches the applicant's actual employment contract and payroll records. Any discrepancy may result in refusal of the visa application or curtailment of an existing visa.
Applicants should verify their eligibility for reduced-rate pathways before accepting a job offer. Age, qualification level, and the occupation's presence on the Immigration Salary List or Temporary Shortage List all affect the minimum salary required.
For roles with variable hours or performance-related pay, employers are advised to structure the base salary above the threshold to account for any pay-period fluctuations. The Home Office does not accept averages that dip below the threshold in individual months, even if the annualised total meets the requirement.
Legal and immigration advice may be necessary for complex cases involving multiple discounts, part-time work, or public-sector pay scales. The official Skilled Worker visa guidance provides detailed rules, but sponsors are responsible for ensuring compliance with all aspects of the salary framework.
