Skilled Worker Visa Salary Threshold UK 2026: Minimum Pay Rules

The Skilled Worker salary threshold in 2026

The Skilled Worker route is the main UK work visa for migrants taking up sponsored employment with a Home Office licensed sponsor. To qualify, the role offered must be on the Home Office's published list of eligible occupations and must pay at or above the applicable minimum salary threshold. The general threshold in 2026 is GBP 38,700 gross per year, set by the Home Office and reflected in Appendix Skilled Worker of the Immigration Rules. Sponsors and applicants who do not meet the general threshold can still apply if they fall into one of the published reduced-threshold categories.

The Home Office reviews the threshold annually. The current GBP 38,700 figure took effect on 4 April 2024 as part of the package of changes announced by the then Home Secretary in December 2023, and the figure remains in place through 2026 pending the next Migration Advisory Committee review. The figure replaced the previous GBP 26,200 general threshold and represents the most significant single uplift in the route's history.

The threshold operates as a floor: the applicant's salary must be at or above whichever is higher of the general threshold and the published going rate for the specific occupation. Going rates are listed in Appendix Skilled Occupations and are updated alongside the Immigration Rules. For many high-paid professional roles (medicine, finance, engineering at senior level) the going rate sits above GBP 38,700 and so determines the effective minimum.

Reduced thresholds and tradeable points

The route allows reduced salary thresholds where the applicant fits a specific category. The categories are set out in Tables 1 to 4 of Appendix Skilled Worker. The most heavily used reductions in 2026 are:

• New entrants (workers under 26, recent graduates, or those switching from a Student visa, Graduate visa, or specified training routes). Threshold: GBP 30,960 or 70 per cent of the going rate, whichever is higher. The new entrant rate is available for up to four years.
• Health and care worker roles (occupations listed in Table 2 of Appendix Skilled Worker, including doctors, nurses, paramedics, and qualified social workers). Threshold: GBP 29,000 or the going rate, whichever is higher.
• PhD-relevant roles where the applicant holds a PhD in a subject relevant to the job. Threshold reduces by 10 per cent of the going rate (or 20 per cent for STEM PhDs), subject to a floor that varies by category and not below the general absolute minimum that applies to the route.
• Immigration Salary List (ISL) roles (the successor to the Shortage Occupation List). Threshold: GBP 30,960 or 80 per cent of the going rate, whichever is higher. The ISL is reviewed annually by the Migration Advisory Committee.

The reduced-threshold categories are mutually exclusive in a single application: an applicant cannot stack new entrant and ISL discounts on the same visa. Where more than one category applies, the application is made under whichever is most beneficial to the worker.

How salary is calculated for visa purposes

UKVI evaluates gross annual basic pay for guaranteed hours under the contract. The figure must be set out on the Certificate of Sponsorship as the salary the sponsor will pay throughout the period of sponsorship. Items that do count toward the threshold:

• Annual base salary for the guaranteed hours in the contract.
• London weighting where it is a guaranteed contractual element.
• Allowances explicitly listed as part of guaranteed pay (rare and only where set out in the contract as a fixed monthly sum).

Items that do not count toward the threshold:

• Discretionary bonuses (including profit-share, year-end performance bonuses, and signing bonuses where not guaranteed).
• Overtime pay above contracted hours.
• Tips, gratuities and service charges.
• Allowances that are conditional on performance, location or any variable factor.
• Benefits in kind (accommodation, private medical insurance, share options).

Where an applicant works fewer than 37.5 hours per week, the salary figure for threshold purposes is the actual contractual annual salary, not a full-time equivalent. The annualised figure must still meet whichever threshold applies. This is the most common practical issue with part-time Skilled Worker hires: a role paying GBP 40,000 full-time but offered at 0.7 FTE results in a salary of GBP 28,000, below the general threshold.

The sponsor's role: Certificate of Sponsorship and SOC coding

A Skilled Worker application can only be made where a Home Office licensed sponsor has assigned a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) to the applicant. The CoS records the role's SOC 2020 occupation code, the gross annual salary, the guaranteed weekly hours, and the start date of employment. The CoS is the single most important document in the visa application: errors on the CoS cause the visa to be refused.

SOC code selection is the sponsor's responsibility and one of the most error-prone steps. UKVI publishes the going rate by SOC code in Appendix Skilled Occupations. A role mis-coded into a lower-paid SOC may be approved by UKVI on the strength of the salary, but a UKVI compliance audit later may find the SOC inconsistent with the actual duties and that finding can trigger licence action against the sponsor and the curtailment of the worker's leave.

The CoS itself attracts a Home Office fee (GBP 525 for Defined CoS in 2026), and the sponsor pays the Immigration Skills Charge on top: GBP 1,000 per year of visa for medium and large sponsors, GBP 364 per year for small sponsors and charities. Both fees fall on the sponsor and cannot be passed on to the worker.

The applicant's costs and the Immigration Health Surcharge

The applicant pays the Skilled Worker visa application fee (which scales by visa length and whether the application is from inside or outside the UK), plus the Immigration Health Surcharge of GBP 1,035 per year of visa for the main applicant and GBP 776 per year for any children. These fees are paid up front at the point of online application.

Applicants who switch into the Skilled Worker route from inside the UK (for example, from a Student visa or Graduate visa) pay the in-country application fee, which is higher than the out-of-country equivalent in most fee categories. The full fee schedule is published in the fees order at the GOV.UK fees table and is reviewed annually.

How the threshold interacts with settlement

A Skilled Worker holder qualifies for ILR after five years of continuous lawful residence on the route, subject to meeting the settlement-stage salary threshold at the time of the ILR application. The settlement-stage threshold is the same as the entry threshold (general GBP 38,700, or the relevant reduced rate that applied at entry) but can be assessed on the actual salary in the role at the date of application.

Where the role's going rate has risen during the five years (because the Migration Advisory Committee or the Office for National Statistics updated the wage data underpinning the going rate), the applicant must be earning at least the new going rate at the settlement stage. Sponsors who maintain salaries in line with cost of living increases generally have no issue, but a Skilled Worker held at a flat salary for five years can find themselves below the settlement-stage threshold even if they were comfortably above the entry threshold five years earlier.

Recent and upcoming changes to watch

The Home Office published its 2024 white paper "An immigration system that works in the national interest" indicating a long-term direction of travel toward higher salary thresholds, restricted dependant rights, and a tighter ISL. The April 2024 changes (general threshold up to GBP 38,700, social care dependants restricted, ISL replacing SOL) reflect the first wave of those changes.

The Migration Advisory Committee is scheduled to publish a fresh review of the ISL and going rates during 2026. Sponsors and applicants in roles close to the threshold should monitor the MAC's reports and the Home Office Statement of Changes, since a single change to a SOC code's going rate can move an entire occupation in or out of the route. The Home Office posts Statements of Changes to GOV.UK with at least 21 days' notice before they come into force.

Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum salary for a Skilled Worker visa in the UK in 2026?

The general minimum salary threshold is GBP 38,700 gross per year, or the published going rate for the SOC 2020 occupation code, whichever is higher. Reduced thresholds apply for new entrants (GBP 30,960), health and care worker roles (GBP 29,000), Immigration Salary List roles (GBP 30,960), and certain PhD-relevant roles.

Does my Skilled Worker salary include bonuses and overtime?

No, in most cases. Only gross annual basic pay for guaranteed contractual hours counts toward the threshold. Discretionary bonuses, performance pay, overtime, tips, and benefits in kind are excluded. London weighting can count if it is a guaranteed contractual element.

What happens if my salary falls below the threshold after I start work?

The sponsor must report a salary reduction to UKVI through the sponsor management system within 10 working days. A drop below the applicable threshold can lead to curtailment of the worker's leave. Sponsors who fail to report can lose their sponsor licence.

Can I work part-time on a Skilled Worker visa?

Yes, but the annualised salary for the contracted hours must still meet the applicable threshold. A part-time role at GBP 38,700 full-time equivalent but contracted at 0.6 FTE results in GBP 23,220 annual pay, below the general threshold, and the visa cannot be granted unless a reduced-threshold category applies.

Does the Skilled Worker threshold apply to dependants?

No salary threshold applies to the dependant directly: their right to be in the UK derives from the main applicant. However, the main applicant must continue to meet their own salary threshold. Restrictions on whether dependants can join the route at all (for example, the 2024 restriction on care worker dependants) apply at the route level rather than as a salary test on the dependant.

What is the difference between the general threshold and the going rate?

The general threshold (GBP 38,700) is the absolute minimum that applies across all occupations regardless of role. The going rate is the median wage published for each SOC 2020 occupation in Appendix Skilled Occupations. The applicant must meet whichever is higher. For senior professional roles the going rate is the binding figure; for lower-paid occupations the general threshold is binding.

Will the salary threshold change in 2026?

The Home Office reviews thresholds annually and updates by Statement of Changes. The Migration Advisory Committee is scheduled to publish a fresh ISL and going-rates review during 2026. Any change is signalled in advance through a Statement of Changes published on GOV.UK with at least 21 days' notice before it takes effect.

How we verified this

Threshold figures and route descriptions in this guide reflect Appendix Skilled Worker and Appendix Skilled Occupations of the Immigration Rules as in force for 2026, the April 2024 Statement of Changes that raised the general threshold to GBP 38,700, and the Home Office Skilled Worker caseworker guidance. SOC 2020 coding and going-rate detail come from the Office for National Statistics SOC 2020 documentation read together with Appendix Skilled Occupations. The Immigration Skills Charge figures reflect the 2026 fees order published on GOV.UK.

Primary sources and further reading

• GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa
• Home Office: Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Worker
• Home Office: Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Occupations
• Migration Advisory Committee
• Home Office: Visa and immigration fees
• GOV.UK: Immigration Health Surcharge