Skilled Worker Visa Overhaul: New Skill & Salary Thresholds

Skilled Worker Visa Overhaul: New Skill and Salary Thresholds You Need to Know

On 1 July 2025, the Home Office published Statement of Changes HC 997, kick-starting the first tranche of post-White Paper reforms to the Skilled Worker route. The key aim is to refocus the visa on graduate-level roles and higher pay, while retaining targeted access to certain in-demand occupations. Here’s what’s changing—and how to prepare.

1. Graduate-Level Skill Threshold Returns

New Skilled Worker applications from 22 July 2025 must be for roles at Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) Level 6 or above—reinstating the pre-2020 standard. That means occupations previously eligible at RQF 3–5 will no longer qualify unless they appear on one of two interim lists (see Section 4). Overall, more than 100 job codes will drop off the general eligibility tables.

2. Significant Salary Uplifts Across the Board

All new Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) assigned on or after 22 July 2025 must meet higher minimum salaries. Under Paragraph SW4.4 of the Immigration Rules, these are:

Option A (General threshold): from £38,700 to £41,700 per annum
Option B (PhD-relevant roles): £37,500 (90 % of going rate)
Option C (STEM PhD roles): £33,400 (80 % of going rate)
Option D (Immigration Salary List roles): £33,400 (full going rate)
Option E (New-entrant discount): £33,400 (70 % of going rate)
Option F (Transitional RQF 3–5 roles): £31,300 (full going rate)
Option G (Transitional PhD discount): £28,200 (90 % of going rate)

In addition, a £17.13 per-hour floor applies across all bands, calculated over a maximum 48-hour week. If that produces a higher salary than the percentage discounts, the hourly floor prevails.

3. Interim Measures: Two Shortage Lists

To maintain access to strategic lower-skilled roles, the reforms introduce:

Expanded Immigration Salary List (ISL): carries forward RQF 3–5 occupations flagged by the Migration Advisory Committee as in shortage.
Temporary Shortage List (TSL): a new, time-limited list of critical RQF 3–5 roles supporting the UK’s industrial strategy.

Only jobs on one of these lists remain eligible below RQF 6—and then on stricter terms (no dependents; set expiry at end 2026) pending MAC review.

4. Transitional Protections for Existing Skilled Workers

Workers already in the Skilled Worker route—or whose CoS is issued before 22 July—can renew, switch employers or extend leave in RQF 3–5 roles, despite the raised skill threshold. However, they must still meet the new salary floors from 22 July for extensions or in-country switches. These transitional arrangements are temporary and will be reassessed in due course.

5. Employer Action Checklist

1. Audit all sponsored roles to confirm they meet RQF 6 criteria or appear on ISL/TSL.
2. Update job descriptions and adverts to reflect new salary thresholds and dependents’ restrictions.
3. Raise pay offers where necessary—existing salary bands may now fall short.
4. Train your HR and recruitment teams on the revised Appendix Skilled Occupations tables and hourly floor rules.
5. Plan for the end of 2026 expiry of the TSL; consider long-term workforce development to fill skill gaps domestically.

By aligning your talent strategy with these reforms, you’ll avoid CoS refusals, licence sanctions and recruitment delays—cementing your ability to bring in global expertise under the reinvented Skilled Worker route.

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