UK Skilled Worker Visa Salary Requirements 2026: Thresholds, Going Rates and Exceptions
By Arzuka Visa Consultants | Last updated: 26 October 2026 | Checked against GOV.UK and Home Office guidance
Quick answer: For most new Skilled Worker applications in 2026, your sponsored job must pay at least £41,700 a year or the going rate for your occupation code, whichever is higher. Lower floors of £33,400 (and in one case £37,500) apply to new entrants, some PhD holders, postdoctoral roles and jobs on the Immigration Salary List, but you must still meet a percentage of, or the full, going rate. Healthcare and education jobs follow national pay scales with a £25,000 floor. Both shortage lists are due to expire on 31 December 2026, so check the latest position before you apply.
Skilled Worker Salary at a Glance (2026)
| Situation | Minimum salary | Going rate you must also meet |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Skilled Worker | £41,700 | 100% |
| New entrant (under 26, recent graduate, professional training) | £33,400 | 70% |
| Relevant STEM PhD | £33,400 | 80% |
| Relevant non-STEM PhD | £37,500 | 90% |
| Postdoctoral role in listed science or higher education codes | £33,400 | 70% |
| Job on the Immigration Salary List | £33,400 | 100% |
| Eligible healthcare or education job (national pay scale) | £25,000 | Rate from the national pay scale |
| Health and Care Worker visa, job not on a national pay scale | £31,300 | Lower going rate for the job |
In every row, the rule is “the higher of” the floor and the going rate (or the stated percentage of it). The headline figure alone is never the whole test.
What Is the Skilled Worker Salary Requirement in 2026?
The general salary threshold for most new applicants is £41,700 per year. It rose from £38,700 under the Immigration Rules changes that took effect on 22 July 2025. At the same time the minimum skill level for new applications went up to RQF level 6, which is degree-level work. The Home Office’s own casework guidance, published in August 2026, still applies the £41,700 general threshold, and the Migration Advisory Committee’s December 2025 review of salary requirements recommended keeping it at that level.
Your salary must satisfy two things at once:
- The general threshold (usually £41,700), and
- The going rate for your occupation (SOC) code.
You need to meet whichever is higher.
A worked example
Suppose your occupation code has a going rate of £44,000, and your employer offers £43,000.
- General threshold: £41,700
- Going rate: £44,000
- Required salary: £44,000 (the higher figure)
- Offer: £43,000, which is not enough
This is why checking your occupation code before accepting an offer matters. Two jobs with the same title can sit under different codes with different going rates.
Working hours
GOV.UK going rates are based on a 37.5-hour working week and are adjusted to the hours on your certificate of sponsorship. The general threshold is different: Home Office casework guidance says it is the same regardless of how many hours you work, and that only the first 48 hours a week count towards it. In practice, a part-time job still needs to pay at least the full £41,700 if it relies on the general threshold.
The Skill Level Rule: RQF 6 and Above
From 22 July 2025, new Skilled Worker applications must generally be for jobs at RQF level 6 or above. This does not mean you personally must hold a degree. It means the job itself must be in an occupation code that the Immigration Rules treat as degree-level skilled. Roles at RQF levels 3 to 5 can only be sponsored if they appear on the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List (both covered below).
People who were already in the Skilled Worker route before the change have transitional protections for extensions and changes of employer, which the government has said will be reviewed. If this applies to you, confirm your position on GOV.UK or with a regulated adviser.
How Can You Be Paid Less Than £41,700?
GOV.UK explains that some applicants can be paid between 70% and 90% of the standard going rate, provided the salary also meets a minimum floor. The main routes are below.
New entrants: 70% of the going rate, minimum £33,400
You can qualify if one of these applies:
- You are under 26 on the date you apply
- You are on a Student visa studying at bachelor’s degree level or above (or were within the last 2 years, with a Student or visit visa as your most recent visa)
- You are on a Graduate visa (or were within the last 2 years, with a Graduate or visit visa as your most recent visa)
- You will be working towards a recognised qualification in a UK regulated profession
- You will be working towards full registration or chartered status in the job you are sponsored for
The salary must be at least £33,400 and at least 70% of the going rate. For example, if the going rate is £38,000, 70% is £26,600, but you would still need £33,400 because of the floor. If the going rate is £60,000, 70% is £42,000, which is above the floor, so £42,000 applies.
Your total stay under a new-entrant (or postdoctoral) discount cannot be more than 4 years, and that includes time already spent on a Graduate visa. Being under 26 is not enough on its own: you must still have an eligible job with an approved sponsor and meet every other requirement.
PhD holders: 80% or 90% of the going rate
- Relevant STEM PhD: 80% of the going rate, with a salary of at least £33,400
- Relevant non-STEM PhD: 90% of the going rate, with a salary of at least £37,500
In both cases you need a UK PhD or an equivalent overseas doctorate (checked through Ecctis), the PhD must be relevant to the job, and the job must be on the list of occupations that qualify for the PhD discount.
Postdoctoral positions: 70% of the going rate
This applies only to specific occupation codes in science and higher education, such as chemical scientists, biological scientists, biochemists and biomedical scientists, physical scientists, social and humanities scientists, other researchers and higher education teaching professionals. The same 4-year limit applies.
Immigration Salary List jobs
If your job is on the Immigration Salary List, the minimum salary is £33,400, but you must still be paid at least the full standard going rate for the job. GOV.UK also notes that a listed job may apply only in certain parts of the UK (UK-wide, or England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland only), so check the list for the place you will work. Application fees are lower for these jobs.
Immigration Salary List vs Temporary Shortage List
These two lists are often confused, and older articles (including an earlier version of this one) described them incorrectly.
- Immigration Salary List (ISL): gives a lower salary floor of £33,400 for eligible jobs, but the going rate still applies.
- Temporary Shortage List (TSL): introduced on 22 July 2025 so that certain medium-skilled roles (RQF 3 to 5) can still be sponsored. It gives no salary discount by itself: such roles generally need the full £41,700 or the going rate, unless a reduction applies on some other basis (for example, new-entrant rates). Workers sponsored in roles below RQF 6 generally cannot bring dependants.
Both lists operate side by side at present, and both are scheduled to expire on 31 December 2026. The Migration Advisory Committee published its second-stage review in July 2026 and recommended keeping a much smaller list: 28 occupations for 18 months from 1 January 2027. The recommendations only take effect if the government accepts them and changes the Immigration Rules. At the time of writing, we have not seen a final government decision, so anyone relying on a below-degree-level job should plan carefully and take advice.
Overseas recruitment for adult social care workers has also closed under the 2025 changes, so check the current position before relying on a care worker role.
Healthcare and Education Jobs
Some healthcare and education jobs use national pay scales, such as NHS pay bands, instead of the general threshold. For these jobs GOV.UK says your salary must be at least £25,000, or more if the job’s going rate on the national pay scale is higher. You can check the relevant pay scale tables for eligible healthcare jobs and for eligible teaching and education leadership jobs on GOV.UK.
On the Health and Care Worker visa, if your job is in an occupation code with different salary requirements and is not paid on a national pay scale, the floor is generally £31,300 (or the job’s lower going rate, whichever is higher), with £25,000 applying in some Immigration Salary List situations. Because the exact rule depends on the occupation code, always check the specific code for your role.
If You Held a Skilled Worker Visa Before 4 April 2024
People whose first certificate of sponsorship was issued before 4 April 2024, and who have held Skilled Worker permission continuously since then, may be able to use lower transitional thresholds (for example, a general threshold of £31,300 instead of £41,700). GOV.UK has a dedicated page for this situation. The rules are technical, so confirm your dates and codes before relying on them.
Other Requirements That Come With the Salary
Salary is only one part of the Skilled Worker route. You also need:
- A job offer from a Home Office-approved sponsor and a certificate of sponsorship
- A job in an eligible occupation code
- English at CEFR level B2 if you are a first-time applicant applying on or after 8 January 2026 (the level was B1 before that date; extensions are assessed under their own rules)
- Enough money to support yourself, usually at least £1,270 held for 28 days in a row, unless exempt or your sponsor certifies your costs
How Much Does a Skilled Worker Visa Cost?
When we checked GOV.UK on 26 October 2026, the standard application fees were:
| Application | Up to 3 years | More than 3 years |
|---|---|---|
| From outside the UK | £819 | £1,618 |
| From inside the UK (extend, switch, update) | £943 | £1,865 |
| Job on the Immigration Salary List | £628 | £1,235 |
You will also normally pay the Immigration Health Surcharge of £1,035 per year of your stay. GOV.UK’s own example: a 2-year visa from outside the UK for a job not on the Immigration Salary List costs £819 plus £2,070 in surcharge, a total of £2,889. Your partner and children pay the same fee length as you. Fees are updated from time to time, so confirm the figure on GOV.UK on the day you apply.
How to Check Your Own Salary Requirement
- Find your occupation code. Match the real duties of the job, not just the job title.
- Check the skill level. Confirm the code is RQF 6 or above, or on the current ISL or TSL.
- Find the going rate. Use the official going rates table on GOV.UK.
- Check for a discount. See whether you qualify as a new entrant, PhD holder, postdoctoral worker, or an ISL role, and apply the correct floor and percentage.
- Compare. Your salary must meet the floor and the going rate (or the stated percentage of it).
- Confirm the sponsor. Your employer must hold a valid sponsor licence and assign your certificate of sponsorship.
Common Salary Mistakes
- Assuming £41,700 is enough without checking the going rate
- Using the wrong occupation code
- Assuming a job automatically qualifies for a discount because it appears on a shortage list
- Treating the Temporary Shortage List as if it lowered the salary requirement
- Counting allowances or extras that do not count towards the salary requirement without checking the rules
- Forgetting that discount routes have time limits and eligibility conditions
- Using outdated figures from older articles or social media posts
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Skilled Worker visa salary requirement in 2026? For most new applications it is £41,700 per year or the going rate for the occupation code, whichever is higher.
Can I get a Skilled Worker visa if I earn less than £41,700? Sometimes. Lower floors apply to new entrants, relevant PhD holders, listed postdoctoral roles, Immigration Salary List jobs and some healthcare and education jobs. You still need to meet the relevant percentage of, or the full, going rate.
What is the lowest salary possible on a Skilled Worker visa? Outside healthcare and education, the lowest general floor is £33,400. Healthcare and education jobs on national pay scales have a £25,000 floor.
What is a going rate? It is the standard salary linked to each occupation code in the Immigration Rules. GOV.UK publishes a going rates table, and the rates are based on a 37.5-hour week.
Does the Temporary Shortage List lower the salary requirement? No. It only allows certain medium-skilled roles to be sponsored. The interim list gives no salary discount of its own.
Do the shortage lists end in 2026? Both the Immigration Salary List and the interim Temporary Shortage List are due to expire on 31 December 2026. The Migration Advisory Committee has recommended a smaller replacement list, but the government has not confirmed it as of this update.
How much is the Skilled Worker visa fee? From outside the UK, the standard fee is £819 for up to 3 years and £1,618 for longer, plus the Immigration Health Surcharge of £1,035 per year. Check GOV.UK for the current table.
What English level do I need? First-time applicants applying on or after 8 January 2026 generally need CEFR B2 in reading, writing, speaking and listening, unless exempt.
Does the £41,700 threshold change for part-time work? The general threshold is not reduced for part-time hours, according to Home Office casework guidance. Going rates are adjusted to the hours on the certificate of sponsorship.
What to Watch Before You Apply
Three things could change your position in the coming weeks: the 31 December 2026 expiry of the shortage lists, any government decision on the Migration Advisory Committee’s recommendations, and updates to the Home Office fee table. If your job is below degree level, ask your sponsor early which route they are using.
Need Help?
If you are comparing job offers or unsure which occupation code and salary rule applies to you, contact Arzuka for a document assessment or consultation. No consultant can guarantee a visa approval. For the wider process, read our guides to the UK visa application process in Pakistan, UK visa processing times and common UK visa rejection reasons.
Disclaimer: This article is general information, not legal advice. UK immigration rules, fees and shortage lists change often. Always confirm the current position on GOV.UK or with a regulated immigration adviser before applying.