TRW & Co · UK immigration
Skilled Worker Visa: Requirements and Salary Thresholds in 2026
A skilled worker visa lets an approved UK employer sponsor someone for an eligible job. Since July 2025 most roles must be graduate level, the usual salary floor is £41,700 or the going rate if higher, and new applicants need B2 English. This guide explains eligibility, costs, switching and the settlement reforms still pending.
Key pointThe occupation code decides almost everything: skill level, going rate, whether dependants can come and whether the role qualifies at all. Choosing a code to fit a salary, rather than the duties, is the fastest way to lose both the visa and the licence.
At a glance
Graduate-level roles
Since 22 July 2025, most new sponsored jobs must be higher skilled (RQF 6); medium-skilled roles need a shortage-list entry or transitional protection.
Salary threshold
GOV.UK sets the usual minimum at the higher of £41,700 a year or the occupation's going rate, with a £33,400 floor for defined discounted cases.
English at B2
New applicants must prove English at CEFR B2; those who held the visa before 8 January 2026 and are extending need only B1.
Immigration skills charge
Medium or large sponsors pay £1,320 for the first year and £660 per further six months; small or charitable sponsors pay £480 and £240.
Switching in-country
Most visa holders can switch inside the UK, but visitors, short-term students and seasonal workers must leave and apply from abroad.
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The short answer: who qualifies for a Skilled Worker visa
A skilled worker visa lets a person come to or stay in the UK to do an eligible job for an employer that holds a Home Office sponsor licence. To qualify, the worker needs a certificate of sponsorship for a role whose occupation code is eligible, a salary that meets the applicable threshold, and English at the required level. Permission can last up to five years at a time and can be extended.
As of October 2026, GOV.UK states that the usual minimum salary is the higher of £41,700 a year and the "going rate" for the occupation code. Since 22 July 2025, most new applicants must be sponsored in a job classed as "higher skilled", broadly graduate level. "Medium skilled" jobs qualify only if they appear on the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List, or under limited transitional rules.
The route has become narrower and more expensive in a short space of time. Employers who planned overseas hiring on the 2024 rules should re-test every role before making offers.
The legal framework for the skilled worker visa
The Immigration Act 1971 gives the Home Secretary power to make the Immigration Rules. The detailed requirements for this route sit in Appendix Skilled Worker, while the list of eligible jobs and their skill level is in Appendix Skilled Occupations. Both are amended through Statements of Changes laid before Parliament, often several times a year.
UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), part of the Home Office, decides visa applications and licenses sponsors. Employers are bound by the Home Office's guidance for sponsors, which sets out their duties in detail. Immigration is a reserved matter, so the same rules apply in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, although some shortage-list entries apply only in one nation.
Recent changes that shape the route
Three changes matter most. First, the Statement of Changes HC 997 restored the skills threshold to RQF level 6 from 22 July 2025, closed the route to new overseas care workers, and introduced an interim Temporary Shortage List. Second, new applicants must now prove English at level B2; GOV.UK states that people who held the visa before 8 January 2026 and are extending need B1. Third, a Statement of Changes laid on 5 March 2026 (HC 1691) requires the salary to be paid in each pay period, so underpayment can be picked up before a full year has passed.
Eligible occupations and the higher skill threshold
Every sponsored job must be matched to a four-digit occupation code. The code determines whether the role is eligible at all, whether it is "higher skilled" or "medium skilled", and which going rate applies. GOV.UK points employers to the CASCOT coding tool and warns that similar jobs can carry different codes: bricklayers and carpenters are eligible, for example, but construction labourers are not.
If the code is higher skilled, the role can be sponsored for a skilled worker visa in the normal way. If it is medium skilled, the role qualifies only where it is on the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List, where the worker is extending and received their first certificate before 22 July 2025, or in the special case of prison officers.
The shortage lists are temporary
The explanatory memorandum to HC 997 states that entries on both lists were given removal dates at the end of 2026, apart from adult social care, and that the government may bring those dates forward. The future of the Temporary Shortage List depends on advice from the Migration Advisory Committee. Employers relying on a list entry should check the current list on the day the certificate is assigned.
Dependants in medium-skilled roles
Workers in medium-skilled jobs first sponsored after 22 July 2025 generally cannot bring a partner or children. GOV.UK lists narrow exceptions, such as a child born in the UK. Workers in higher-skilled roles can usually bring a partner and children under 18, who must each meet the relationship and maintenance requirements.
Salary rules and when a lower rate applies
The GOV.UK guidance on your job sets the standard rule: the worker must be paid the higher of £41,700 a year or the going rate for the occupation code. Going rates are published in the going rates table and are based on a 37.5-hour week, so they must be pro-rated for other hours. The salary must also comply with the national minimum wage and working time rules.
A lower floor of £33,400 a year can apply, with a discount on the going rate, in defined cases:
- New entrants, including applicants under 26, recent UK students or Graduate visa holders and people working towards a regulated professional qualification, can be paid 70% of the going rate. Their total stay on these terms is capped at four years, including Graduate visa time.
- PhD holders in a relevant subject can be paid 80% of the going rate for a STEM doctorate, or 90% for a non-STEM doctorate, with a £37,500 floor in the non-STEM case.
- Postdoctoral roles in listed science and higher education codes can be paid 70% of the going rate.
- Jobs on the Immigration Salary List must still meet the £33,400 floor and the going rate, but attract lower visa fees.
Separate rules apply to some health and education roles paid on national pay scales, and to workers who received their first certificate of sponsorship before 4 April 2024 and have stayed on the route, who may qualify for lower transitional rates.
Appendix Skilled Worker counts only guaranteed basic gross pay. Shift, overtime and bonus pay, allowances, in-kind benefits and one-off payments are excluded, and pay for hours above 48 a week is generally ignored. Build the offer around basic salary that clears both the general threshold and the going rate for the exact hours on the certificate, and pay it in every pay period.
What a skilled worker visa costs employer and worker
Costs fall on both sides, and the sponsor rules prevent the employer passing its own costs to the worker. The figures below are those shown on GOV.UK in October 2026; fees change, usually each April.
| Cost | Who pays | Amount or basis |
|---|---|---|
| Sponsor licence fee | Employer | £611 for small or charitable sponsors; £1,682 for medium or large sponsors |
| Certificate of sponsorship | Employer | £525 per Worker certificate |
| Immigration skills charge | Employer | £480 (small or charitable) or £1,320 (medium or large) for the first 12 months, then £240 or £660 per further six months |
| Visa application fee | Worker (employer may choose to fund) | From £819 to £1,865 per person, depending on length and whether applying inside the UK; lower fees for Immigration Salary List jobs |
| Immigration health surcharge | Worker (employer may choose to fund) | Usually £1,035 per year per person |
| Maintenance funds | Worker, unless the sponsor certifies maintenance | £1,270 held for 28 days, plus amounts for each dependant |
The immigration skills charge must be paid in one go for the full period on the certificate, so a five-year certificate for a medium or large sponsor costs £6,600 in that charge alone. Certain research and higher education codes are exempt, and the charge is not paid for dependants. Asking a worker to reimburse the licence fee, the certificate fee or the charge can lead to revocation of the licence.
The process, step by step
For a first overseas hire, the sequence usually runs as follows. Our guide on how to get a sponsor licence covers the first stage in more detail.
- Test the role. Write an accurate job description, select the occupation code, confirm whether it is higher or medium skilled, and check the going rate and salary floor for the actual hours.
- Secure the licence. Apply for a Worker licence with the documents listed in the sponsor guidance. GOV.UK says most applications are decided in under eight weeks, with a paid faster service subject to daily limits.
- Obtain the certificate. For overseas hires, request a "defined" certificate through the sponsorship management system; GOV.UK says these are usually approved within one working day. In-country applicants use "undefined" certificates from the sponsor's allocation.
- Assign and pay. Assign the certificate with accurate job, salary and hours details and pay the certificate fee and immigration skills charge at that point.
- Visa application. The worker applies online within three months of the certificate being assigned, and no more than three months before the start date. Applicants from listed countries, including Bangladesh, need a tuberculosis test certificate.
- Decision. GOV.UK says decisions usually take three weeks from outside the UK and eight weeks from inside, after identity has been verified.
- Onboard and monitor. Complete a right to work check before employment starts, record it, and keep reporting changes as the sponsor guidance requires.
Switching to a skilled worker visa from inside the UK
Many sponsored hires are already in the UK, often on the Student or Graduate visa. Switching avoids leaving the country, but it is not open to everyone. GOV.UK states that people in the UK as visitors, short-term students, parents of child students, seasonal workers, domestic workers in a private household, on immigration bail, or with permission outside the rules cannot switch and must apply from abroad.
Students must usually have completed the course they were sponsored for, or have a job start date after the course ends, unless they have been studying full time for a PhD for at least 24 months. Applicants must apply before their current permission expires and must not travel outside the Common Travel Area until a decision is made, or the application is treated as withdrawn.
There is a cost advantage. The immigration skills charge is not payable where a worker switches from a visa that allows study into the Skilled Worker or Senior or Specialist Worker route, and later extensions on the new visa are also exempt. Graduate hires who qualify as new entrants can also benefit from the 70% going-rate discount, subject to the four-year cap.
Partners and children do not switch automatically. Their existing permission continues to its original end date, and they apply separately, at the same time or before it expires.
An illustrative scenario
This example is illustrative only; the parties are fictional.
A London software company with about 80 staff wants to hire a data engineer who is completing a master's degree in the UK. The candidate is 24. The company holds a Worker licence and is a medium sponsor, because it does not meet two of the three small-sponsor criteria.
The role maps to a higher-skilled code. Because the candidate is under 26 and switching from the Student route, the new-entrant rules allow a salary of 70% of the going rate, provided it is at least £33,400 and still meets minimum wage law. The candidate must finish the course before the job starts. Since the switch is from a visa that allows study, no immigration skills charge is payable, and the company pays only the certificate fee.
The company sponsors for three years so that the stay remains within the four-year new-entrant cap, and diarises a pay review so that the salary meets the full going rate on extension. It also explains to the candidate that settlement rules are under review, rather than promising settlement after five years.
Risks and common mistakes
Choosing an occupation code to fit the salary
The most frequent error is choosing a code because its going rate is lower or because it is classed as higher skilled, even though the duties do not match. UKVI compares the certificate with the job description, organisation chart and later payroll data. A mismatch can lead to refusal of the visa and, for the employer, compliance action against the licence.
Start from what the person will actually do day to day, check the code descriptors carefully and accept a higher going rate if that is where the role sits. Record the reasoning on file, because it will be tested at any compliance visit.
Underpaying against the certificate
Salary must be at least the amount on the certificate, calculated on the stated hours, and since the March 2026 changes it must be paid in each pay period. Unpaid leave, reduced hours, salary sacrifice and deductions can all push pay below the threshold without anyone noticing.
Payroll and HR should flag every sponsored worker, and any change to pay or hours should be checked against the rules before it takes effect. Some changes require a new certificate and visa application, not just a report.
Assuming the current route to settlement is fixed
GOV.UK still describes settlement after five years on this route. However, the government consulted on an earned settlement model under which ten years would be the normal qualifying period, with reductions for higher earners and other contributions, and proposed applying it to people already in the UK. As of October 2026, the consultation outcome had not been published and the change had not been written into the Rules.
Separately, a Statement of Changes laid in March 2026 introduces a B2 English requirement at the settlement stage for Skilled Workers from 26 March 2027. Our guide to indefinite leave to remain explains the timing.
Treating the visa as the end of compliance
The grant is the start of a continuing relationship. Sponsors must keep records, track attendance, report when a worker stops attending or leaves, and report significant business changes, including mergers and takeovers, within the deadlines in the guidance.
Many licence problems arise after the person who arranged the first hire leaves the business. Our article on sponsor licence compliance sets out the duties that most often go wrong.
Cross-border angle: hiring from Bangladesh and elsewhere
For employers recruiting from Bangladesh, three points come up repeatedly. Bangladesh is on the GOV.UK list of countries where applicants need a tuberculosis test certificate from an approved clinic. Overseas degrees can satisfy the English requirement only if Ecctis confirms the qualification is equivalent to a UK bachelor's degree and was taught in English. And certified translations are needed for documents not in English or Welsh.
For groups moving existing staff, the Senior or Specialist Worker or UK Expansion Worker routes may fit better than a skilled worker visa, although neither leads to settlement on its own. Our dedicated guide to the Skilled Worker visa from Bangladesh covers the corridor in more detail, and our analysis of the Immigration White Paper changes tracks reforms still to come.
What to do next: a checklist
- Map every planned overseas hire to an occupation code and confirm whether it is higher or medium skilled.
- Check the going rate and salary floor for the actual hours, using basic pay only.
- If relying on a shortage list, confirm the entry is still current when the certificate is assigned.
- Budget for the certificate fee and immigration skills charge, and do not recover them from the worker.
- Confirm English evidence, tuberculosis testing and maintenance before the certificate is assigned.
- For in-country hires, check that switching is permitted and that the course has been completed.
- Avoid promising settlement timelines in offer letters while reform is pending.
TRW & Co's London office is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Our business immigration team advises employers and individuals on every stage of a skilled worker visa, from licence to settlement. We cannot guarantee any immigration outcome, but we can make sure the application is right first time. To discuss a hire, contact us at info@trw.co or +880 1779 127165.
Frequently asked questions
01What is the minimum salary for a Skilled Worker visa in 2026?
GOV.UK states that the usual minimum is the higher of £41,700 a year and the going rate for the occupation code, based on a 37.5-hour week. A lower floor of £33,400 can apply, with a discounted going rate, for new entrants, relevant PhD holders, certain postdoctoral roles and jobs on the Immigration Salary List. Some health and education roles follow national pay scales, and workers first sponsored before 4 April 2024 may qualify for lower transitional rates. Only guaranteed basic pay normally counts towards the threshold.
02Can a medium-skilled job still be sponsored?
Only in limited cases. Since 22 July 2025, a medium-skilled occupation qualifies if it appears on the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List, if the worker is extending and got their first certificate of sponsorship before 22 July 2025, or for prison officers under special arrangements. When the lists were introduced, their entries were given removal dates at the end of 2026, apart from adult social care. Workers newly sponsored in medium-skilled roles generally cannot bring dependants.
03How long does a Skilled Worker visa application take?
GOV.UK says that, once identity has been verified and documents provided, decisions usually take three weeks for applications from outside the UK and eight weeks for applications from inside the UK. Faster paid services may be offered. The employer's preparation often takes longer: securing a sponsor licence, which GOV.UK says usually takes under eight weeks, and obtaining a defined certificate of sponsorship for overseas hires, usually approved within one working day.
04Who pays the immigration skills charge?
The sponsor. GOV.UK states that the employer must pay the immigration skills charge itself when it assigns the certificate of sponsorship, for the full period of sponsorship, and that a licence may be revoked if the sponsor asks the worker to pay it or other costs linked to the application. The charge is not payable for dependants, for listed research and higher education occupation codes, or where a worker switches from a visa that allows study.
05Can I switch to a Skilled Worker visa from a Student or Graduate visa?
Usually, yes. Graduate visa holders can switch if the job meets the requirements. Student visa holders must normally have completed their sponsored course, or have a job start date after it finishes, unless they have studied full time for a PhD for at least 24 months. You must apply before your current visa expires and should not travel outside the Common Travel Area until you get a decision. Recent graduates may qualify for new-entrant salary rates.
06Does a Skilled Worker visa lead to indefinite leave to remain?
Under current rules, GOV.UK says Skilled Workers may apply to settle after five years if they meet the other requirements. The government has consulted on an earned settlement model with a ten-year baseline and proposed that it apply to people already in the UK, but as of October 2026 it had not been written into the Immigration Rules. A B2 English requirement at the settlement stage applies to Skilled Workers from 26 March 2027.
Sources and official materials
- GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa – your job — Eligible occupations and salary requirements
- Immigration Rules: Appendix Skilled Worker — The rules for the Skilled Worker route
- Immigration Rules: Appendix Skilled Occupations — Eligible occupation codes and skill levels
- Skilled Worker visa: going rates for eligible occupations — Going rates by occupation code
- GOV.UK: Immigration skills charge — Rates, exemptions and refunds
- Immigration Rules: statements of changes — HC 997 (July 2025) and HC 1691 (March 2026)
- Home Office: Earned settlement consultation — Proposed ten-year baseline for settlement
General information only, current as at 21 October 2026. It is not legal advice and does not create a solicitor–client relationship. It reflects the law of England and Wales unless stated otherwise; Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate legal systems, and the law changes frequently. Check current official sources and take advice on the facts of your matter.