Table Of Contents:
- Salary Requirement in 2026
- You can be paid less
- Your job appears on the ISL (Immigration Salary List)
- You are aged under 26, studying or a recent graduate, or in professional training
- You have a PhD level qualification (STEM or non-STEM) that is relevant to your job
- You have a postdoc position in science or higher education
- If you work in healthcare or education sector
- In nutshell
The recent increase in salary requirements for the UK Skilled Worker visa came into effect on 22 July 2025. Any migrant applying for this visa for the first time on or after this date will have to be paid in line with the latest salary levels. Sponsors also issuing fresh CoS (Certificate of Sponsorship) from this date will have to offer the new salary levels to the sponsored workers.
In 2026, the minimum salary for the type of work you will be doing is £41,700 per year or the ‘going rate’ for the type of work you will be doing, whichever is higher.
Salary Requirement in 2026
In 2026, if you apply for a UK Skilled Worker visa, you will usually need to be paid by your sponsor the ‘standard’ annual salary of at least £41,700, or the ‘going rate’ for your job, whichever is higher.
For example, if your annual salary is £43,000, but the annual going rate for your job is £46,000, you do not satisfy the usual salary requirements for this visa.
Please note that each job/occupation code has its own annual going rate.
You can be paid less
Even though you have been offered a salary that is less than the standard salary requirement of £41,700 a year or the standard ‘going rate’ for your job, you may still be able to apply for a Skilled Worker visa in the following circumstances:
1. Your job appears on the ISL (Immigration Salary List)
The ISL in 2026 is a list of skilled jobs/occupations that have lower salary requirements.
If your job for which you are being sponsored appears on the ISL, you must be paid at least £33,400 per year. In this situation, you must still be paid at least the standard going rate for your job.
2. You are aged under 26, studying or a recent graduate, or in professional training
You can be paid 70% of the standard going rate for your job if your annual salary will be at least £33,400 and one of the following conditions applies:
- You are aged under 26 on the date of your application
- You are currently in the UK on a UK student visa and you are studying at a bachelor’s degree level or above (or you have been studying at a bachelor’s degree level or above in the last 2 years, and your most recent visa was a student visa or visit visa)
- You are currently in the UK on a UK Graduate visa (or you have been in the UK on a Graduate visa in the last 2 years, and your most recent visa was a Graduate visa or visit visa)
- You will be actively working towards a recognised qualification in a UK-regulated profession • You will be actively working towards chartered status or full registration in the job you are being sponsored for
3. You have a PhD level qualification (STEM or non-STEM) that is relevant to your job
If you have been sponsored for a job that is eligible for a PhD (STEM or non-STEM) salary discount, you can be paid 80% or 90% of the standard going rate of the job, depending on which subject you are qualified in.
If you have a qualification in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, or Maths) subject, you can be paid 80% of the standard going rate for your job, as long as your sponsor will still pay you an annual salary of at least £33,400.
If you have a qualification in a non-STEM subject, you can be paid 80% of the standard going rate for your job, as long as your sponsor will still pay you an annual salary of at least £37,500.
In both situations, you must:
- have a UK PhD qualification or an equivalent doctorate-level overseas qualification
- be able to show your qualification is relevant to the job you will be doing in the UK
Research or academic leaders may also apply, if eligible, for the UK Global Talent visa, which has no minimum salary requirements.
4. You have a postdoc position in science or higher education
You can be paid 70% of the standard going rate for your job if you will be working in a postdoc position in certain science or higher education roles.
To qualify for this salary discount, your job must be in one of the following occupation codes:
- 2111: chemical scientists
- 2112: biological scientists
- 2113: biochemists and biomedical scientists
- 2114: physical scientists
- 2115: social and humanities scientists
- 2119: natural and social science professionals not elsewhere classified
- 2162: other researchers, unspecified discipline
- 2311: higher education teaching professionals
5. If you work in healthcare or education sector
There are different salary level rules for those working in some healthcare or education sector jobs. Your annual salary must be at least £25,000 – or more if the going rate for your job is higher.
The going rates for these jobs in the healthcare and educational sectors are based on national pay scales that are set by the relevant independent body, such as the NHS.
In nutshell
From 22 July 2025 the skilled worker visas’ headline graduate-level jobs’ salary threshold is £41,700 a year. However, in 2026 skilled workers with a job that appears on ISL (Immigration Salary List) may be paid less. Similarly, those aged under 26, studying or a recent graduate, or in professional training, or having a PhD level qualification can also be paid less.
Transitional salary rules apply for those who got their CoS before 22 July 2025.
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