UK to Raise Eligibility Requirements and Salaries for Sponsored Workers

On 1 July 2025, the UK government published the first set of changes to the Immigration Rules announcing intended reforms in its immigration White Paper. While not all of the proposed changes, such as the plan to double the residence period for settlement, are included in this update, the majority of the government’s reforms to the Skilled Worker route are covered.

The below changes are set to take effect from 22 July 2025:

• The skills threshold for jobs eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route has been raised to RQF level 6 (degree level), with transitional arrangements allowing those who enter the route before 22 July to continue in below-degree-level roles.
• A new Temporary Shortage List has been introduced, enabling employers to recruit for below-degree-level roles in occupations deemed critical for the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy.
• Salary thresholds have been increased across the Skilled Worker, Global Business Mobility, and Scale-up routes.
• The social care worker route has been closed to overseas recruitment.

For more information on the immigration White Paper, see our recent LawFlash.

INCREASED SKILLS THRESHOLDS

The Skilled Worker route requires individuals to be sponsored for a role in an eligible occupation. Currently, this includes roles at RQF Level 3 (A-Level equivalent). However, from 22 July, the eligibility threshold will rise to RQF Level, meaning only degree-level roles will qualify for sponsorship.

After this change, employers will only be able to sponsor workers for graduate-level roles unless one of the following exceptions applies:

• They are sponsoring individuals who were first granted permission as a Skilled Worker before 22 July and have continuously held that permission. These individuals may renew their visas, change employers in the UK, or take on supplementary employment, even in below-degree-level roles.
• They are sponsoring individuals for a role listed on the Temporary Shortage List or Immigration Salary List, provided that the application is submitted before 31 December 2026.

TEMPORARY SHORTAGE AND IMMIGRATION SALARY LISTS

Raising the skills threshold will remove more than 100 occupations from eligibility under the Skilled Worker route. To ease this transition—especially in sectors already facing labour shortages—time-limited access to the route will be available for below-degree-level roles that meet one of the following criteria:

• The role is listed on the Immigration Salary List, having been identified by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) as experiencing a labour shortage; or
• The role is on the Temporary Shortage List, having been recognised by the Department for Business and Trade and HM Treasury as critical to the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy.

These roles will typically remain eligible until the end of 2026, after which they are expected to be removed from the lists. Individuals sponsored for roles on either list will generally not be permitted to bring dependant family members to the UK unless they were first granted Skilled Worker permission before 22 July and have continuously held that status since.

Employers should also note:

• The government may remove occupations from the lists earlier than planned.
• The Immigration Salary List is intended to be phased out entirely.
• Continued inclusion on the Temporary Shortage List will require MAC support, a clear workforce strategy, and demonstrable employer commitment to increasing domestic recruitment.

INCREASED SALARY THRESHOLDS

From 22 July, salary thresholds across several work routes will rise to reflect the latest ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) data and the current UK pay levels:

• Skilled Worker route:
  • Standard general salary threshold: increasing from £38,700 to £41,700
  • Lower salary threshold: increasing from £29,000 to £31,300
• Global Business Mobility: Senior or Specialist Worker route:
  • General salary threshold: increasing from £48,500 to £52,500
• Scale-up route:
  • General salary threshold: increasing from £36,300 to £39,100

Additionally, the going rates for individual occupation codes will also increase in line with the updated data.

SOCIAL CARE WORKERS

Due to ongoing concerns about the exploitation of care workers sponsored under the Skilled Worker route, the government will close this route to new overseas applications for care worker roles; however:

• Individuals already in the UK will be able to switch into the Skilled Worker route for care worker roles until 22 July 2028, after which the route will fully close.
• Sponsors will no longer be required to first consider displaced workers before sponsoring a care worker.
• To be eligible for sponsorship, the individual must have been employed by the sponsor for at least three months prior to applying.

ACTIONS FOR EMPLOYERS

Employers should urgently review their current and future workforce to identify sponsored workers (or potential candidates) who may be affected by the new skills or salary thresholds and advance visa applications, where possible, while affected individuals still qualify under the current Skilled Worker rules.