The Skilled Worker visa has changed more in the past eighteen months than at any point since it replaced Tier 2 (General) in 2020. The salary threshold has risen, the skill level has been raised to graduate level, and a new pay-period compliance test now applies to sponsors. Further reform to settlement has been proposed but is not yet law.

If you are an employer sponsoring workers, or you hold a Skilled Worker visa yourself, the figures you were working to a year ago may no longer be the right ones.

At Kenton Solicitors, our immigration team advises individuals and businesses on Skilled Worker applications, extensions, sponsor licences and settlement from our office in Harrow.

Call us on 020 8907 2444 or request a free consultation.

The Headline Figure: £41,700

For most new Skilled Worker applications made on or after 22 July 2025, the general salary threshold is £41,700 per year, replacing the previous £38,700 figure.

There is also an hourly floor of £17.13 per hour, based on a 37.5-hour week. Hours above 48 per week are not counted when the calculation is carried out, so a role cannot meet the threshold simply by adding hours.

But the headline figure is only half of the test, and this is where most refusals originate.

The Going Rate: The Part People Miss

Every sponsored job sits under a Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code, and every SOC code has its own published “going rate”. You must meet whichever is higher — the general threshold or the going rate for the role.

If the going rate for an occupation is £49,400, offering £41,700 will not work. The application will be refused, even though the headline threshold has been met.

The going rates are published in Appendix Skilled Occupations on GOV.UK and were updated using 2024 earnings data when the July 2025 changes took effect. Working from an older version of the table is one of the most common and most expensive mistakes we see.

Lower Salary Options in 2026

Not every applicant has to meet £41,700. Reduced thresholds apply in defined circumstances, but each has conditions attached and the going rate percentage still has to be met.

• £33,400 — new entrants to the labour market, holders of a relevant STEM PhD, and roles on the Immigration Salary List
• £37,500 — holders of a relevant non-STEM PhD, at 90% of the going rate
• £25,000 — certain health and care roles, and roles on the Temporary Shortage List

Two points are worth noting. First, the percentage discounts that used to apply to shortage occupations have been withdrawn — a reduced general threshold does not mean a reduced going rate. Second, the Immigration Salary List is due to expire on 31 December 2026. Any employer currently relying on an ISL role should plan their recruitment timeline with that date in mind.

Transitional Rates for Existing Visa Holders

If you are already in the UK on a Skilled Worker visa, you may not be held to the current figures when you extend.

Where your first Certificate of Sponsorship was assigned before 4 April 2024, lower transitional thresholds may apply on extension — commonly £31,300, £28,200 or £25,000 depending on which option is relevant. In some scenarios these can be relied on until at least 1 December 2026.

This matters a great deal in practice. A worker sponsored several years ago at a salary that would not support a new application today may still be able to extend. Anyone in this position should check their dates before assuming they are priced out.

RQF Level 6: The Skill Requirement

Alongside the salary change, the minimum skill level for sponsored roles was raised to RQF Level 6 — broadly graduate level — from 22 July 2025. This removed well over a hundred occupations that had previously been eligible for sponsorship at lower skill levels.

Roles at RQF Levels 3 to 5 can still be sponsored where the occupation appears on the Temporary Shortage List, with the lower salary floor applying. Outside that, a role below graduate level will not generally support a Skilled Worker application, regardless of what it pays.

The New Pay Period Rules From 8 April 2026

This is the change most likely to catch compliant employers out, because it is not about the headline figure at all.

From 8 April 2026, a new provision in the Immigration Rules means the Home Office can assess whether the required salary was actually paid across defined pay periods, rather than looking only at the annual figure on the Certificate of Sponsorship.

In broad terms, where a worker is paid monthly or less frequently, the salary paid over any three-month period must be at least a quarter of the annual minimum for their role. Fluctuation is permitted, but the threshold must be met across the defined period.

For sponsors, the practical consequences are:

• Payroll cycles should match what is stated on the Certificate of Sponsorship and in the contract of employment
• Unpaid leave, reduced hours, or a period of lower pay can create a compliance issue even where the annual figure looks correct
• Only basic gross salary counts — allowances, overtime and bonuses generally do not

If you hold a sponsor licence, this is worth reviewing now rather than after a compliance visit. Our sponsor licence team can advise on record keeping and reporting duties.

Enforcement Is Tightening

The salary and skill changes have arrived alongside a sharp increase in enforcement action against sponsors. The Home Office has revoked more than 7,500 sponsor licences to date, including around 1,800 in the care sector. In the twelve months to June 2026, 4,403 licences were revoked — an increase of roughly 140% on the previous year.

A revocation does not only affect the employer. Workers sponsored under that licence can lose their permission to remain, often through no fault of their own.

A separate change taking effect on 8 October 2026 gives some protection to Skilled Workers who have been formally recognised as victims of modern slavery, allowing them to work for any employer rather than being tied to an exploitative sponsor. We have covered that change in detail in our guide to the new protections for modern slavery victims on Skilled Worker visas.

Settlement: What Is Confirmed and What Is Not

There has been a great deal of commentary about settlement, and a good deal of misinformation alongside it. The position as things stand is straightforward.

The five-year route to Indefinite Leave to Remain remains in force. The Government has proposed replacing it with an “earned settlement” model based on a ten-year baseline, adjusted up or down according to earnings, conduct and integration. That consultation ran from 20 November 2025 to 12 February 2026 and attracted around 130,000 responses.

As at the end of September 2026, the Government has not published its response, and none of the Statements of Changes laid during 2026 introduces the ten-year baseline. It is a proposal, not law.

One related change is confirmed: the English language requirement for settlement on many routes rises from B1 to B2 from 26 March 2027.

If you are approaching your five-year qualifying date, the sensible course is to keep your evidence in order and monitor announcements rather than delay. Our guides on when to apply for ILR and how long ILR takes set out the practical timings, and if you hold pre-settled status it is worth reading ILR compared with settled status.

Our ILR and settlement team can advise on your qualifying date and what you need in place.

What This Means in Practice

If you are an employer: budget from the going rate for the specific SOC code, not from the headline threshold. Check the current version of the tables before assigning a Certificate of Sponsorship. Review your payroll cycles against the new pay-period rules. If you are relying on an Immigration Salary List role, plan around the December 2026 expiry.

If you are applying for the first time: confirm the going rate for the exact occupation code before accepting an offer. A job that pays well in general terms can still fail the salary requirement. Check that the role meets the skill level.

If you are extending: check whether transitional rates apply to you. The figure you need may be considerably lower than £41,700.

If you are approaching settlement: the five-year route still applies. Keep your absences, payslips and documents in order, and take advice if your circumstances have changed. It is also worth knowing whether ILR can expire once granted.

If your application has been refused: take advice quickly, as time limits are short. Our immigration appeals team can advise on whether a refusal can be challenged.

Frequently Asked Questions

This article sets out general information about the Skilled Worker route as at September 2026. Immigration rules and salary tables change frequently, and the figures quoted should be checked against the current Immigration Rules and Appendix Skilled Occupations on GOV.UK before they are relied on. For advice specific to your circumstances, please contact us directly.