Skilled Worker Visa Salary Threshold 2026: £41,700, £33,400 and £25,000
The general salary threshold for a UK Skilled Worker visa is £41,700 a year in October 2026, or the going rate for your occupation if that is higher. New entrants — including most international students switching after graduation — need £33,400 or 70% of the going rate, whichever is higher. Doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists and other health and care roles paid on a national pay scale have a much lower floor: £25,000 or the pay-scale rate, whichever is higher. The job must also be at degree level (RQF 6) unless it sits on one of the time-limited shortage lists.
Those figures have held since 22 July 2025, when the threshold rose from £38,700. None of the three statements of changes published in 2026 — in March, July and September — moved any Skilled Worker salary figure, although they did tighten how pay is checked and raised the English requirement. This guide sets out every threshold that applies now, who qualifies for the lower ones, how the health and care rules differ, what the visa costs on top, and the changes that are due before the end of 2026.
The short answer
- General threshold: £41,700, or 100% of the occupation's going rate if higher.
- New entrants (under 26, switching from a Student or Graduate visa, or working towards professional registration): £33,400, or 70% of the going rate if higher, for a maximum of four years.
- Health and care jobs on national pay scales: £25,000, or the national pay-scale rate if higher. Overseas care worker recruitment closed in July 2025.
- PhD holders: £37,500 for a relevant PhD, £33,400 for a STEM PhD.
- Immigration Salary List: £33,400 floor, but no going-rate discount — and most entries come off the list on 31 December 2026.
- Skill level: new sponsorship needs an RQF 6 (degree-level) occupation, unless the job is on a shortage list.
- English: B2 in all four skills since January 2026.
How the salary rule works
Your sponsor must pay you at least the higher of two numbers: the general threshold that applies to you, and the going rate for your occupation code. Going rates are listed in Appendix Skilled Occupations of the Immigration Rules, by four-digit SOC code, and they are often higher than £41,700 for professional roles. Meeting the headline threshold is not enough on its own. The gov.uk example makes the point: a job offering £42,000 clears the £41,700 threshold, but fails if the going rate for that occupation is £45,000.
Only guaranteed basic pay counts. Allowances, overtime, bonuses and expenses are excluded, and hours above 48 a week are ignored when the Home Office checks whether you are paid the going rate for the hours you work. Since spring 2026 there is also a pay-period rule: you must be paid at least monthly, and your earnings over any three-month window (12 weeks for weekly pay) must meet the pro-rata threshold. A salary that looks right on the Certificate of Sponsorship but arrives irregularly can now put the sponsorship at risk.
Every Skilled Worker salary threshold in 2026
The rules label the thresholds Options A to K. Most applicants will only ever meet Option A, E or K, but the full table shows where each figure comes from:
| Option | Who it covers | Minimum salary | Share of going rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Standard applicants | £41,700 | 100% |
| B | PhD relevant to the job | £37,500 | 90% |
| C | STEM PhD relevant to the job | £33,400 | 80% |
| D | Job on the Immigration Salary List | £33,400 | 100% |
| E | New entrant | £33,400 | 70% |
| F–J | First sponsored before 4 April 2024, continuous permission since | £25,000–£31,300 | Varies |
| K | Health and education jobs on national pay scales | £25,000 | Pay-scale rate |
Options F to J are transitional protection for people who were already Skilled Workers before the April 2024 increase. They apply only to applications made before 4 April 2030, so if you arrived after that date they will never be available to you.
The new entrant rate: the threshold most graduates use
For international students, the new entrant rate is the single most important figure in this guide. It drops the floor from £41,700 to £33,400 and lets you be paid 70% of the going rate. You qualify if at least one of these applies on the date you apply:
- You are under 26.
- You are switching from a Student visa that expired less than two years ago, with a UK bachelor's or master's degree, PGCE or PGDE completed (or about to be), or at least 12 months of PhD study in the UK.
- Your most recent permission was a Graduate visa that expired less than two years ago.
- You are working towards a recognised professional qualification, full registration with a UK regulator, or chartered status in the job.
- You are taking up a postdoctoral research post in an eligible occupation.
The catch is time. Your total time as a new entrant — counting Skilled Worker, Graduate visa and old Tier 2 permission together — is capped at four years. After that, your next application must meet the full rate. A graduate who spends two years on the Graduate visa has only two years left at the new entrant rate, so plan the salary progression with your employer before you sign.
A worked example: if your occupation's going rate is £45,000, 70% is £31,500. That is below the £33,400 floor, so your sponsor must pay at least £33,400. If the going rate were £52,000, 70% would be £36,400, and that higher figure would apply. Our guide to switching from a Student visa to a Skilled Worker visa covers timing — you can usually switch only after your course ends — and the Graduate visa guide explains how that route counts towards the four years.
Health and care workers: the £25,000 rule
Jobs in eligible health and education occupations, paid on a national pay scale such as NHS Agenda for Change or the doctors' contracts, use Option K: £25,000 or the pay-scale rate, whichever is higher. For healthcare roles this usually comes with the Health and Care Worker visa, which has lower fees and no Immigration Health Surcharge. Eligible occupations include doctors, nurses and midwives, paramedics, pharmacists, physiotherapists and other therapists, social workers, pharmacy technicians and nursing auxiliaries. Our Health and Care Worker visa guide covers the route in full.
In practice, NHS pay clears these floors comfortably. The going rates printed in Appendix Skilled Occupations still reflect older pay scales, so the real 2026/27 salary is the higher figure:
| Role (England) | Going rate in the rules | Actual 2026/27 entry pay |
|---|---|---|
| Band 5 (newly registered nurse, midwife, paramedic) | £29,970 | £32,073 |
| Band 6 (e.g. newly qualified pharmacist) | £37,338 | £39,959 |
| FY1 doctor | £36,616 | £41,226 |
| FY2 doctor | £42,008 | £47,610 |
| Core/specialty trainee (CT/ST1–2) | £49,909 | £55,355 |
| Specialty doctor (entry) | £59,175 | £63,696 |
Two health-specific rules matter for overseas nurses. First, if you arrive before your NMC registration is complete, your sponsor can pay you below £25,000 for up to eight months while you sit the OSCE, provided you receive at least the Band 3 rate. Second, the job must be one the NHS or a regulated care provider would genuinely pay on the national scale — a private employer that does not use a national pay scale is assessed against the standard going rate instead. For full pay detail, see our guides to Band 5 nurse salary, doctor salary after PLAB and pharmacist salary in the UK.
Care workers
Overseas recruitment of care workers and senior care workers (SOC 6135 and 6136) closed on 22 July 2025. You can no longer apply for a care worker visa from Pakistan, India, Nigeria or the Philippines. Carers already in the UK can still switch into a care worker role until 22 July 2028, provided they have worked legally for that sponsor in the role for at least three months first, and those already sponsored as care workers can extend. The going rate is £25,000, or £12.82 an hour.
Degree-level jobs only: the RQF 6 rule
Since 22 July 2025, new Skilled Worker sponsorship needs an occupation at RQF level 6 or above — roughly graduate level. Hundreds of medium-skilled roles, from many technician jobs to supervisory posts, dropped out of eligibility that day. There are three exceptions:
- The Immigration Salary List — 25 occupations including nursing auxiliaries, pharmacy technicians, laboratory technicians, care managers and several trades. Most entries are due to be removed on 31 December 2026; care workers stay listed until July 2028.
- The Temporary Shortage List — medium-skilled occupations that can still be sponsored, but only where the Certificate of Sponsorship is issued before 31 December 2026.
- Transitional protection — anyone sponsored under the rules in force before 22 July 2025, with continuous Skilled Worker permission since, can extend, change job or change employer in the old medium-skilled occupations.
What replaces the shortage lists in 2027 is not yet settled. The Migration Advisory Committee delivered its recommendations in July 2026, but the government has not published its response or new rules. If your offer is in a medium-skilled role, the practical advice is simple: get the Certificate of Sponsorship assigned before 31 December 2026.
What the visa costs on top of the salary
The salary is what the employer pays you; the fees are the cost of getting there. Sponsors pay the Certificate of Sponsorship fee and the Immigration Skills Charge, and are not allowed to pass the skills charge on to you. The visa fee and surcharge are usually yours unless the employer offers to cover them.
| Cost | Skilled Worker | Health and Care Worker | Who pays |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visa fee, from outside the UK (up to 3 years) | £819 | £324 | Applicant |
| Visa fee, from outside the UK (over 3 years) | £1,618 | £628 | Applicant |
| Immigration Health Surcharge | £1,035 a year | Exempt | Applicant |
| Certificate of Sponsorship | £525 | £525 | Employer |
| Immigration Skills Charge (medium or large sponsor) | £1,320 first year, then £660 per 6 months | Same | Employer |
| Maintenance funds | £1,270 held for 28 days, unless certified | Same | Applicant |
The Immigration Skills Charge rose 32% for certificates assigned from 16 December 2025, which has made some smaller employers more cautious about sponsoring. For a three-year Skilled Worker visa, a single applicant applying from Pakistan would pay £819 plus £3,105 in surcharge — about £3,924 before any dependants. The Certificate of Sponsorship guide for nurses explains the sponsor side in more detail.
English: B2 since January 2026
The English requirement for a new Skilled Worker or Health and Care Worker application rose from B1 to CEFR B2 in reading, writing, speaking and listening in January 2026. People whose last permission was granted at B1 can keep using B1 for extensions. Healthcare professionals usually meet the requirement through their regulator's English evidence, such as OET or IELTS for the NMC or GMC. Our guide to the new B2 English requirement lists the accepted tests and scores.
Salary rules at settlement
Under the current rules you can apply for indefinite leave to remain after five years as a Skilled Worker, and you must still meet a salary threshold at that point: £41,700 and the going rate by default, £33,400 for Immigration Salary List jobs, and £25,000 and the pay-scale rate for health and education jobs. The new entrant discount does not carry through to settlement, so a graduate on £33,400 needs a pay rise before the five-year point.
Two changes are coming. From 26 March 2027, settlement applicants will need B2 speaking and listening. The bigger one, the proposed "earned settlement" model with a ten-year baseline, is still only a proposal: the consultation closed in February 2026 and no rules have been laid. We track it in our guide to the 10-year ILR rule for healthcare workers.
What is changing next
- 31 December 2026: most Immigration Salary List entries are removed, and the Temporary Shortage List stops covering new certificates.
- Early 2027: the government's decision on a successor shortage list, following the Migration Advisory Committee's July 2026 report.
- 26 March 2027: B2 speaking and listening for settlement.
- Pending: the government response on earned settlement. Until rules are laid, the five-year route remains the law.
The general £41,700 threshold is reviewed periodically and typically moves in a statement of changes with a few weeks' notice. If you are negotiating an offer, build in headroom rather than accepting a salary pitched exactly at the line.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum salary for a UK Skilled Worker visa in 2026?
£41,700 a year, or the going rate for your occupation if higher. New entrants need £33,400 or 70% of the going rate, and health and education jobs on national pay scales need £25,000 or the pay-scale rate. No statement of changes in 2026 has altered these figures.
Do nurses need to earn £41,700 for a UK visa?
No. Nurses and midwives on NHS Agenda for Change are assessed against £25,000 or the pay-scale rate, whichever is higher. A newly registered Band 5 nurse earns £32,073 in England in 2026/27, which clears it. Before NMC registration, pay can be at the Band 3 rate for up to eight months.
Can I switch from a Graduate visa to a Skilled Worker visa on £33,400?
Yes, if your Graduate visa is your most recent permission and expired less than two years before you apply, you qualify for the new entrant rate: £33,400 or 70% of the going rate. Time on the Graduate visa counts towards the four-year new entrant limit.
Can I still get a care worker visa from Pakistan?
No. Overseas recruitment for care workers and senior care workers closed on 22 July 2025. Only people already in the UK on another visa can switch into a care role, until 22 July 2028, after three months working for that sponsor.
Do overtime and allowances count towards the salary threshold?
No. Only guaranteed basic pay counts. Overtime, bonuses, allowances and expenses are excluded, and hours above 48 a week are ignored. Since spring 2026 you must also be paid at least monthly, with pay over any three-month period meeting the pro-rata threshold.
Is the 10-year ILR rule in force?
No. As of October 2026, the earned settlement proposals, including a ten-year baseline, are still a consultation outcome awaiting a government response. The current rules allow settlement after five years as a Skilled Worker, with a salary check at that stage.
Most refused or stalled Skilled Worker applications we see are not about the headline threshold. They come down to the wrong occupation code, a going rate nobody checked, a new entrant clock that ran out, or a medium-skilled role that stopped being eligible. If you have an offer and want the code, salary and timing checked before your employer assigns the certificate, book a free consultation. Healthcare professionals can also start with our overview of the Health and Care Worker visa.