Changes to the Skilled Worker Visa Eligibility Requirements
The government has announced changes to the eligibility criteria for the Skilled Worker Visa. The changes are scheduled to take effect on 22 July 2025.
Our UK Immigration Lawyers outline the skill and salary changes to the most popular UK Work Visa route.
Contact our specialist UK Immigration Solicitors for expert immigration legal advice
Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules HC 997
The 1 July 2025 Statement of Changes HC 997 announced significant changes to the popular Skilled Worker Visa route.
They are:
- Increase in skills threshold
- Increase in salary threshold
- Reduction in the number of jobs that qualify for a Skilled Worker Visa
- Ending Health and Care Worker Visas for care workers and senior care workers
Changing the Health and Care Worker Visa and ending the sponsorship of carers
From 22 July 2025, UK employers will not be able to sponsor new:
- Care workers – occupation code 6135
- Senior care workers – occupation code 6136
If a sponsored carer or senior carer is already in the UK and has been working for their sponsoring employer for at least three months, they can extend their visas until 22 July 2028. On that date, the two care roles will be removed from the immigration salary list and the temporary shortage list.
The new Skilled Worker Visa skills threshold
The skill level for Skilled Worker Visa applicants will increase from Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) level 3 or above to Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) level 6 or above.
This means that new jobs will only be eligible for inclusion on the skilled occupations list if the skill level of the occupation is degree level (RQF 6) rather than the equivalent of an A-level standard (RQF 3).
Job applicants for a Skilled Worker Visa under the new RQF 6 eligibility criteria do not need to hold a degree; however, the job vacancy must be at a degree level, and the applicant must possess the necessary qualifications, skills, and experience to perform the job.
The government states that approximately 180 occupations will no longer be eligible for skilled worker sponsorship after the change in skill level takes effect on 22 July 2025.
The change is said to be due to:
- Growth in net migration and visa numbers, and
- Concern about the exploitation of overseas workers by UK employers
Skilled workers in the affected RQF 3-5 level occupations can only be sponsored in these occupations if:
- They are already in the Skilled Worker Visa route, or
- They have been sponsored for an application which is later successful when the immigration rules change come into effect, or
- The occupation is on the immigration salary list, or
- The occupation is included on the new interim temporary shortage list
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said that adding to the complexities of the Skilled Worker Visa route by changing the skill threshold would achieve three aims:
- A complete reset of the UK immigration system to restore proper control and order, and
- Stronger controls to bring migration down
- Ensuring the focus of UK businesses is on investing in skills and training in the UK, rather than employing workers from overseas
Transitional arrangements mean that Skilled Worker Visa holders working in roles at RQF 3 -5 level can continue to extend their sponsored employment. However, the government reserves the right to review this.
You can read the full government announcement here.
The new Skilled Worker Visa salary threshold
The salaries in Appendix Skilled Occupations are being increased in accordance with the 2024 Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE).
The increased minimum salary threshold, effective from 22 July 2025, is £41,700 gross per year, an increase from £38,700.
The Skilled Worker Visa holders' salary must be the higher of:
- The general minimum salary threshold of £41,700, or
- The going rate for the SOC 2020 occupation code
Complicated immigration rules still apply to lower the minimum salary threshold from £41,700 per year. They will apply if:
- The applicant has a PhD in a subject relevant to the job, and their salary equals or exceeds both £37,500 per year and 90% of the going rate for the SOC 2020 occupation code, or
- The applicant has a PhD in a STEM subject relevant to the job, and their salary equals or exceeds both £33,400 per year and 80% of the going rate for the SOC 2020 occupation code, or
- The applicant is being sponsored for a job on the immigration salary list, and their salary equals or exceeds both £33,400 per year and the going rate for the SOC 2020 occupation code, or
- The applicant is a new entrant and their salary equals or exceeds both £33,400 per year and 70% of the going rate for the SOC 2020 occupation code
Existing Skilled Worker Visa holders will be able to:
- Continue in their employment at current salaries
- Renew their Skilled Worker Visas
- Change sponsored employer
The government has flagged that these transitional arrangements for current Skilled Worker Visa holders could be ended.
The two worker lists
There will be two worker lists:
- The immigration salary list, and
- The temporary shortage list
With effect from 22 July 2025, any new worker employed via either list on a job that is under RQF 6 level will not be able to be accompanied by family members on Dependant Visas, nor will they be able to sponsor family to move to the UK on a Dependant Visa after they are in the UK.
For an RQF 3 level job to be included on either list and eligible for a discounted salary, the job must be :
- In short supply, or
- Critical to the UK
The immigration salary list contains occupations that the Migration Advisory Committee have said are in labour shortage. Eventually, the immigration salary list will be replaced by the temporary shortage list. Any job with a skill level below RQF 6 must be included in the temporary shortage list to qualify for a Skilled Worker Visa.
The current temporary shortage list contains occupations at RQF levels 3-5. These are jobs that the Department for Business and Trade identifies as being required to fulfil the UK's modern industrial strategy. For those interested in the strategy, it can be read here.
Given the stated aim to increase skill thresholds for the Skilled Worker Visa and to reduce net migration, the temporary shortage list is surprisingly long and diverse.
In addition to various engineering and electrical technicians, plumbers and painters, it also includes dancers and other less obviously strategic employees, such as box office assistants.
If an employer is concerned about whether they can recruit sponsored workers from overseas on Skilled Worker Visas, it's best to take immigration and global mobility legal advice from UK Immigration Lawyers who can advise on the latest changes and how they may impact your business.
Specialist immigration legal advice is required because the government intends to end the immigration salary list and only allow workers sponsored through the temporary shortage list on the Skilled Worker Visa to be employed temporarily, as the name of the list suggests. Occupations will only remain on the temporary shortage list if the Migration Advisory Committee recommend their continued inclusion.
Further immigration changes
The government has said that it plans to make further immigration law changes, including:
- Raising the English language requirement for Skilled Worker Visa applicants
- Increasing the cost of the immigration skills charge
- Changing the rules on the qualifying period for settlement in the UK from five to ten years and making the application merit-based
All UK Immigration Lawyers await the details of these immigration changes so they can properly advise employers and sponsor licence holders.
For example:
- Will an increased immigration skills charge make it cost-effective to hire overseas workers?
- Will an enhanced English language requirement significantly reduce the pool of talent eligible to apply for a Skilled Worker Visa?
- Will more rigid settlement immigration rules deter skilled workers from moving to the UK, especially if the qualifying period for Indefinite Leave to Remain is extended to those on Skilled Worker Visas and not just limited to those on Family Visas or other routes?
Talk to the Immigration Lawyers at OTS Solicitors
One thing is certain in the ever-changing world of immigration law: businesses need expert immigration law advice that is up-to-date and proactive.
At OTS Solicitors, our award-winning business immigration team will listen to your questions, take time to understand your global mobility needs and provide clear immigration legal advice to help you navigate the complex business immigration rules and changing laws.
Contact our specialist UK Immigration Solicitors for expert immigration legal advice.
Appointments are available at our offices in central London, as well as by phone or Zoom consultation.
Our lawyers speak Arabic, Armenian, Farsi, French/Mauritian Creole, Spanish, Tamil, Tagalog/Ilonggo and Urdu/Punjabi.
Related Posts
What Does The Immigration White Paper Mean For UK Businesses And Sponsor Licence Holders?
Sponsor Licence Audits by UK Immigration Lawyers
Immigration Law Training on Home Office Audits
Does Your Business Need Immigration Law Training on Appendix D of the Immigration Rules?