Table Of Contents
- Skilled Worker salary threshold
- What if your salary drops below the Skilled Worker threshold
- Risk to your employer/sponsor
- What should you do if your salary drops below the Skilled Worker threshold
- Summary
Your UK Skilled Worker visa is tied to your job role, employer/sponsor, and salary. If you are an applicant, you must be issued a CoS (Certificate of Sponsorship) and offered a salary that meets the minimum salary level requirement applicable on the date of your application. If you are a sponsor, you must offer an eligible job at an appropriate skill level, assign a CoS, and offer a salary relevant to the job role.
If a Skilled Worker’s salary drops below the Skilled Worker threshold, it can significantly impact their permission to live and work in the UK. Therefore, you must be aware of any salary updates from the Home Office and ensure that you are being paid the appropriate salary relevant to your route and job.
Skilled Worker salary threshold?
From 22 July 2025, the standard salary requirement for a UK Skilled Worker visa is £41,700 per year. This means you must be paid at least £41,700 per year or the ‘going rate’ for the type of work you will be doing, whichever is higher.
However, if you work in some healthcare or education sector jobs, the going rate is based on national pay scales. This means different salary rules apply to you if you work in a job in these two sectors.
The minimum salary may be lower if you are extending your UK Skilled Worker visa, updating it (because you are changing your job or employer), or switching to this visa to become a prison officer.
If you are applying to extend or switch to the Skilled Worker visa as a prison officer, you must be paid at least £31,300 per year or the lower going rate for prison officers, whichever is higher.
You’ll need to get your CoS on or before 31 December 2026, if you are switching to the UK Skilled Worker visa, and 31 December 2027, if you are extending this visa.
You can also be paid less than the standard salary requirement in certain situations. For example, you can be paid 70%-90% of your job’s standard going rate if your annual salary is at least £33,400 and you meet one of the following criteria:
• You are aged under 26, studying/a recent graduate/in professional training
• you have a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Maths) PhD level qualification that’s relevant to your job (if you have a relevant PhD level qualification in a non-STEM subject, your annual salary must be at least £37,500)
• You have a postdoc position in science or higher education
• Your job appears on the ISL (Immigration Salary List).
What if your salary drops below the Skilled Worker threshold?
If your salary drops below the required threshold on a UK Skilled Worker visa, it can have serious immigration consequences. However, the outcome depends on how far it drops and whether you still meet any exceptions.
1. You may no longer meet the UK Skilled Worker visa requirements
As a Skilled Worker, you must be paid at least £41,700 (for most roles) per year or the “going rate” for your specific job, whichever is higher.
If your salary drops below both of these, your visa is at risk. The reason for this is that your visa is primarily tied to your job role, employer, and salary.
2. Your Skilled Worker visa may be curtailed
If you no longer meet the Skilled Worker visa salary requirement, you may receive a notice from the Home Office stating your visa has been curtailed (shortened). In such a situation, you may be given around 60 days to find a new sponsored job to continue living in the UK, or leave the UK.
3. Your visa might still be safe
You may still have your visa intact if your salary drops, but it remains under the permitted rules.
For example,
If you are a new entrant, you can be paid 70% of the going rate, but you still must earn at least £33,400 per year.
If you have a PhD-level qualification (STEM or non-STEM subject) relevant to your job, you can be paid 80%–90% of the job’s going rate.
If you are an existing Visa Holders where you got your first CoS before 4 April 2024, you may qualify for lower thresholds (e.g., £31,300 per year) when extending your visa.
4. Impact on your path to ILR or Settlement
You must meet salary requirements at the time of your ILR application, and if your salary drops below the threshold, it can delay or block your settlement clock. This means a salary drop can significantly affect your path to ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain).
5. If there is a temporary salary drop
If your salary drop is temporary (e.g., maternity/paternity leave, sick leave, reduced hours with permission), you may still be Skilled Worker visa compliant, but it depends on how your salary is calculated annually and whether your employer continues to meet the sponsorship rules.
Your employer must report any salary change to the Home Office using SMS as part of their sponsor’s duties if your salary is reduced or your working hours are cut.
Once your employer has reported, the Home Office may review your visa status.
Risk to your employer/sponsor
If your employer pays you below the required salary threshold applicable on the day and fails to report changes to the Home Office, they are at risk of losing their sponsor licence or facing heavy fines.
What should you do if your salary drops below the Skilled Worker threshold?
If your salary drops below the UK Skilled Worker visa threshold, you should immediately check your job’s going rate, confirm if you qualify for any salary discounts, speak to your employer about correcting your salary, consider switching to another sponsored job, and take legal advice if needed.
Summary
Both employers hiring on the Skilled Worker route and those applying for or already holding a UK Skilled Worker visa must meet the minimum salary level requirements. If the applicant fails to meet this requirement, they may have their visa at risk and may get their visa curtailed to 60 days, during which they either must get a new sponsored job or leave the UK. On the other hand, a sponsoring employer must report a salary drop to the Home Office; otherwise, their sponsor licence may be suspended or revoked.
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