From 22 July 2025, the standard minimum salary required for a UK Skilled Worker visa rises to £41,700 per year or the going rate for the role, whichever is higher. However, it is important to note that the actual minimum salary you must meet depends on factors such as your job, qualifications, and whether you are extending an existing Skilled Worker visa. For example, you may qualify with a lower salary threshold if you have a relevant PhD, are a new entrant, or if your job is on the Immigration Salary List.
If you have questions about the new Skilled Worker visa salary requirements as an applicant, or want to know the minimum salary you must pay to sponsor a Skilled Worker as an employer, contact our immigration lawyers for a free consultation by calling 020 3744 2797 or filling in our enquiry form.
How to find the minimum salary for your Skilled Worker visa
To find the minimum salary requirement under the new Skilled Worker visa rules, you will need to:
- Check that your job is eligible for sponsorship
- Identify your minimum salary threshold
- Check your job’s going rate and compare it to the threshold
Step1: Check that your job is eligible for sponsorship
Under the new rules that came into force on 22 July 2025, your job must normally be at least at RQF level 6 (degree-level) to qualify for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship. Therefore, it is important to check if your job is eligible for sponsorship, especially for new Skilled Worker visa applicants. You can find the list of eligible jobs on Home Office website: Skilled Worker visa: eligible occupations and codes.
There are some exceptions: if your role is on the Temporary Shortage Occupation List or the Immigration Salary List, even if it is below RQF level 6, you can still apply for a Skilled Worker visa. Please note that this allowance of roles below RQF level 6 is a temporary transitional measure, so it is recommended to check if your job is eligible for the Skilled Worker visa before applying, in case the rules have recently changed.
Step 2: Identify your minimum salary threshold
After confirming your job is eligible, the next step is to find your minimum salary threshold. The minimum salary threshold that you need to meet will depend on whether you are applying as a standard skilled worker or you are eligible for a reduced salary threshold, and whether you are applying for a new visa or an extension.
For new Skilled Worker visa applicants whose CoS is assigned on or after 22 July 2025, you will need to determine your salary threshold by looking at Options A to E.
- General threshold (Option A): at least £41,700 or 100% your job’s going rate, whichever is higher
- Relevant PhD (Option B): at least £37,500 or 90% of your job’s going rate, whichever is higher
- PhD in a STEM subject (Option C): at least £33,400 or 80% of your job’s going rate, whichever is higher
- Role on Immigration Salary List (Option D):
- at least £33,400 for degree-level (RQF 6+) occupations or 100% your job’s going rate, whichever is higher
- at least £23,200 for sub-degree (RQF 3–5) occupations or 100% your job’s going rate, whichever is higher
- New entrants (Option E): at least £33,400 or 70% of your job’s going rate, whichever is higher
For Skilled Worker visa extensions, the salary threshold depends on when your first Skilled Worker CoS was assigned:
- If your first Skilled Worker CoS was assigned on or after 4 April 2024, you will need to determine your salary threshold under Options A to E as listed above.
- If your first Skilled Worker CoS was assigned before 4 April 2024, when extending your visa, you may qualify for the transitional salary rate Option F: £31,300 per year or 100% going rate of your job, whichever is higher
Step 3: Check your job’s going rate and compare it to your threshold
The final step is to find your job’s ‘going rate’ and compare it with the relevant threshold. The higher figure is the minimum salary requirement you must meet. To check the ‘going rate’ for your role, refer to the Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Occupations on the Home Office website, which lists all eligible jobs and their going rates. It is important to check the correct table, as follows:
- For new Skilled Worker visa applicants and extensions, if your CoS was assigned after 22nd July 2025, refer to Table 1.
- For a Skilled Worker visa extension, if your CoS was assigned after 4th April 2024 but before 22nd July 2025, refer to Table 1a.
- For a Skilled Worker visa extension, if your CoS was assigned before 4th April 2024, refer to Table 2, 2a or 2aa.
Please note:
- The standard going rates published by the Home Office are based on a 37.5-hour working week. If your working week is not 37.5 hours, you will need to multiply the hourly rate by your contracted weekly hours.
- Where the going rate (or percentage of going rate under Options B, C or E) works out at less than £17.13 per hour, £17.13 per hour will be the applicable going rate.
- The maximum number of hours that can be used when calculating your salary is 48 hours. If you work more hours, these cannot be used to increase your salary for the purposes of meeting the minimum salary threshold.
Skilled Worker visa minimum salary examples
Example 1: New Skilled Worker visa applicant, CoS assigned after 22 July 2025:
- An applicant is offered a job as a production manager in construction (SOC 1122), working 40 hours per week.
- As a new applicant whose CoS is assigned after 22 July 2025 and who is not eligible for a discounted rate, the salary threshold is Option A: at least £41,700 or 100% of the job’s going rate, whichever is higher.
- The going rate for this occupation is £27.38 per hour, which can be found in Table 1, Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Occupations. For a 40-hour week, the annual going rate is £27.38 × 40 × 52 = £56,950.40.
- Because the going rate (£56,950.40) is higher than the £41,700 threshold, the applicant must earn at least £56,950.40 to qualify for a Skilled Worker visa.
Example 2: Skilled Worker visa extension, CoS issued before 4th April 2024:
- An applicant with a job working 40 hours a week as production manager in construction (SOC 1122) is going to extend the Skilled Worker visa.
- The applicant’s first CoS was assigned before 4 April 2024. When extending the Skilled Worker visa for the same job, the applicant qualifies for the transitional salary rate Option F: £31,300 per year or 100 % of the job’s going rate, whichever is higher.
- The going rate for this occupation is £20.51 per hour, which can be found in Table 2, Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Occupations. For a 40-hour week, the annual going rate is £20.51 x 40 x 52 = £42,660.80
- Because the going rate (£42,660.80) is higher than the £31,300 threshold, the applicant must earn at least £42,660.80 to qualify for a Skilled Worker visa extension.
