For most new Skilled Worker visa applications in 2026, you must be paid at least £41,700 per year or the ‘going rate’ for your specific job — whichever is higher. Lower thresholds apply in certain cases (a relevant PhD, new entrants, roles on a salary shortage list, and health or education roles on national pay scales). Because the going rate is set per job, two people on the same visa can face very different minimums.
The salary rules for the UK Skilled Worker visa changed significantly on 22 July 2025, and they trip up more applicants than any other part of the process. This guide breaks down the 2026 thresholds in plain English — what the numbers are, how the ‘going rate’ works, and who is still eligible after the changes.
The general 2026 salary threshold
For most new applicants, the minimum salary is the higher of two numbers: a fixed floor of £41,700 per year, or the ‘going rate’ for your occupation. You must clear both — meeting one but not the other is not enough. On top of this, most new Skilled Worker roles must now be at graduate level (RQF level 6) following the July 2025 changes, so fewer lower-skilled roles qualify than before.
| Your situation | Minimum salary (2026) | Key condition |
|---|---|---|
| General route (most new applicants) | £41,700/yr or the going rate — whichever is higher | Role usually must be degree level (RQF 6) |
| Lower ‘tradeable points’ option | £33,400/yr or the going rate | Needs a qualifying trait (e.g. relevant PhD, new entrant, salary-list role); not for health/education |
| Health & care and education roles | Set by national pay scales | Different rules — check the relevant NHS/education scale |
| Immigration salary list / Temporary Shortage List | Reduced thresholds | Temporary Shortage List roles cannot bring dependants |
| Prison officers (switching or extending) | £31,300/yr or the going rate | Applies to specific switching/extension cases |
How the salary threshold has changed
The general threshold has risen sharply in a short space of time, which is why so much older advice is now wrong. If you read a guide quoting £26,200 or £38,700 as the general minimum, it predates the current rules:
| From | General threshold | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| Before April 2024 | £26,200 | The long-standing general minimum |
| 4 April 2024 | £38,700 | A large increase under the 2024 reforms |
| 22 July 2025 | £41,700 | The current floor, alongside a shift to degree-level (RQF 6) roles |
For the full before-and-after — including the skill-level change and the Temporary Shortage List — see our guide to the 2025 sponsorship rule changes.
What is the ‘going rate’?
The going rate is the standard salary the UK government expects for a particular job, based on its Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code. Every eligible role has one. If the going rate for your SOC code is higher than the £41,700 floor, the going rate is your real minimum. This is why a software engineer and a secondary-school teacher on the same visa route can face completely different salary requirements.
What counts toward the threshold — and what doesn't
A common and costly assumption is that overtime, bonuses, or perks can top up a salary to the threshold. Generally, they can't. The Home Office looks at your guaranteed basic pay for your normal working hours, not your best-case earnings:
- Counts: your guaranteed basic salary, gross (before tax), for your standard contracted hours.
- Usually doesn't count: overtime, performance bonuses, tips, commission, and one-off payments.
- Usually doesn't count: the cash value of benefits like accommodation, health insurance, or a company car.
- Watch the hours: pay is assessed against your normal working hours, so you can't reach the threshold just by claiming extra hours.
How the ‘higher of’ rule works: two examples
Your minimum is always the higher of the £41,700 floor or your job's going rate. That plays out differently depending on the role:
| Role (illustrative) | Going rate | General floor | Your minimum salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Role with a lower going rate | £35,000 | £41,700 | £41,700 — the floor wins |
| Role with a higher going rate | £49,000 | £41,700 | £49,000 — the going rate wins |
If you qualify for a lower option — for example as a new entrant or with a relevant PhD — the same logic applies, but against the reduced £33,400 threshold and the relevant lower going rate for your role.
Who still qualifies after the 2025 changes?
The July 2025 changes — a higher £41,700 floor and the shift toward degree-level roles — priced some applicants out, but many routes remain open:
- Graduate-level professionals in shortage fields such as technology, engineering, and finance, where going rates and demand are high.
- Health and care and education workers, who are assessed against national pay scales rather than the £41,700 floor.
- New entrants (for example, those early in their careers or under 26) and people with a relevant PhD, who may access the lower tradeable-points threshold.
- Workers in roles on the immigration salary list or Temporary Shortage List, which carry reduced requirements.
If you work in social care, the rules are route-specific and changed substantially in 2025 — our guide to care jobs with visa sponsorship covers what still applies. And whatever your field, the salary threshold only matters if the employer can sponsor at all: start with our guide to UK companies that sponsor Skilled Worker visas.
What if a job pays below your threshold?
If a role is advertised below your threshold, it can't sponsor you as-is — but that's not always the end of the road:
- Ask whether the employer can meet the required figure — an advertised salary is sometimes negotiable up to the sponsorship minimum.
- Check whether you qualify for a lower threshold, such as a new entrant, a relevant PhD, or a role on the immigration salary list.
- Consider health, care, or education roles, which are assessed on national pay scales rather than the £41,700 floor.
- Target higher-paying SOC codes and sectors — technology, engineering, and finance going rates often clear the floor comfortably.
What you can't do is rely on overtime or bonuses to lift a basic salary that sits below the threshold. When in doubt, confirm the figure for your specific role before you invest time in the application.
Check the salary before you apply
A role that pays below your threshold cannot sponsor you, so salary is a filter to apply early — right alongside checking the employer's sponsor licence. Hirely surfaces roles only from employers with an active Home Office sponsor licence, so you spend your time on jobs that can genuinely sponsor you. Create a free profile to see sponsor-verified roles matched to your experience.