UK Skilled Worker Visa Minimum Salary Threshold Explained
How the general salary threshold and the SOC-code going rate combine into one worker-side test, what the new entrant and PhD discounts reportedly do to that number, and why the exact figure belongs with gov.uk, not a blog post.
A quick but important note before anything else: the Skilled Worker salary threshold is exactly the kind of figure that moves — it was raised substantially in April 2024, and multiple independent sources report a further increase for applications made on or after 22 July 2025. This article relied on web search results and multiple independent immigration-law and relocation sources, cross-checked against each other, because a direct fetch of gov.uk's own Skilled Worker guidance was not reachable while drafting. Where sources agreed consistently, that is noted as a widely reported figure — not confirmed Home Office policy. Always confirm the current threshold and going rate directly on gov.uk, or with a qualified immigration adviser, before quoting a figure to a client or an employer.
This piece is a deliberate companion to, and a deliberate contrast with, our UK Skilled Worker sponsor licence explainer. That piece covers the employer side of the route — whether a business holds a valid sponsor licence at all, and how a Certificate of Sponsorship gets assigned once it does. This piece covers a different question entirely: once an employer can sponsor, whether the specific salary being offered to a specific worker, in a specific role, actually clears what current rules require. A licensed employer can still fail a case on salary grounds, and a perfectly compliant salary can still go nowhere without a licence — the two are separate tests that both need to pass.
What the salary threshold structurally is
The Skilled Worker visa's salary requirement is generally described, across current guidance and every independent source checked for this article, as a two-part test rather than a single number. First, there is a general salary threshold that applies broadly across the route — a floor that a sponsored role is generally expected to clear regardless of what it is. Second, there is a "going rate" attached to the specific occupation code assigned to the role, generally reflecting typical UK earnings for that kind of work. Current guidance is consistently reported as applying whichever of the two figures is higher — meaning the general threshold sets a baseline, but for many occupations the going rate is the number that actually decides whether a salary case passes.
Two figures matter, not one
A Skilled Worker applicant generally has to clear both a general salary threshold and the specific "going rate" published for their occupation code — and current guidance frames it as whichever of the two is higher, not whichever is lower or more convenient.
This number has moved before and will likely move again
The general threshold was raised substantially in April 2024, and multiple independent sources report a further increase effective from applications made on or after 22 July 2025 — a two-year pattern of upward revision that makes any figure quoted here a snapshot, not a constant.
Discounts reduce the requirement, but not to zero
New entrants, relevant PhD holders, and roles on the Immigration Salary List are generally described as eligible for a reduced percentage of the going rate — but each discount is reported as sitting on top of its own separate minimum floor, not an open-ended reduction.
This is the worker-side test, not the employer-side process
The salary threshold sits inside the applicant's own eligibility assessment. It is a structurally different question from whether the employer holds a sponsor licence in the first place, which our companion piece on the UK Skilled Worker sponsor licence covers separately.
The going rate and the SOC code, in plain terms
Every role sponsored under this route is generally classified against a four-digit Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code — the same underlying classification system referenced across UK employment statistics, not something invented for immigration purposes. Current guidance is consistently reported as attaching its own published going-rate salary to each SOC code, so that a software engineer, a chef, and a civil engineer are each measured against a figure that reflects typical pay for that specific occupation, rather than one flat number applied across every job in the country. Getting the SOC code right matters as much as getting the salary right — the same offered salary can clear one occupation's going rate and fail another's, purely because of which code the role was classified under.
What independent sources report about the current general threshold — and why this article hedges
This is the section where precision matters most and confidence should be lowest. Multiple independent immigration-law and relocation sources, cross-checked against each other, consistently report a general salary threshold of £41,700 per year for most new Skilled Worker applications made on or after 22 July 2025, replacing an earlier £38,700 figure that itself followed a substantial increase in April 2024. A direct fetch of gov.uk's own current guidance was not reachable while researching this article, so this figure should be treated as a widely and consistently reported estimate as of research in 2026 — not as independently verified against the primary regulator. Given that the threshold has already moved at least twice in roughly eighteen months, the safest practical position is to treat £41,700 as the figure reported at the time of writing, due for reconfirmation on gov.uk before it is used in any actual advice, rather than a number assumed to still hold by the time a specific case is filed.
Discounts that reportedly lower the requirement — each with its own floor
Several categories of applicant are reported as eligible to be paid less than the full going rate, though every source checked describes each discount as sitting on top of its own separate absolute minimum, not as an open-ended reduction. New entrants — commonly described as applicants under a specified age threshold, those switching from a Student or Graduate visa, or those working toward a recognised professional qualification — are consistently reported as eligible for a reduced going-rate requirement, commonly described as at least 70% of the standard going rate, subject to that separate floor. Applicants with a doctorate relevant to the sponsored role are reported as eligible for a further reduced percentage where the doctorate is in a STEM subject, and a smaller reduction where it is not, again each subject to its own floor. Roles that appear on an Immigration Salary List are reported as eligible for an additional going-rate discount, with that list itself reported as time-limited and due for its own periodic review. None of the specific percentages or floor amounts in this paragraph should be treated as settled figures without checking gov.uk directly — discounts of this kind are exactly the detail that gets recalibrated whenever the underlying thresholds move.
A separate, lower-threshold route: health and care roles
Health and care occupations are generally sponsored through a distinct Health and Care Worker visa route rather than folded into the general Skilled Worker figures described above, and independent sources consistently report that route as carrying a materially lower salary threshold structure of its own, alongside an hourly-rate component and an exemption from the Immigration Health Surcharge that the general Skilled Worker route does not carry. Our Health and Care Worker visa explainer covers that route's structure directly. Treating the general Skilled Worker threshold discussed in this article as applicable to a health or care role would understate what that separate route actually allows, and treating the health and care figures as applicable to a general Skilled Worker case would understate what that route actually requires — the two should not be read interchangeably.
How the salary test connects to the rest of a Skilled Worker case
The salary threshold does not sit in isolation from the rest of a Skilled Worker application. A worker generally still needs a Certificate of Sponsorship assigned by a licensed employer — the process our sponsor licence explainer covers — and the visa itself carries its own separate costs, including the Immigration Health Surcharge our IHS explainer walks through. An applicant switching from a Student or Graduate visa, relevant to the new entrant discount discussed above, may also want to weigh that route against staying on the Graduate route for a period first. Advising a Skilled Worker salary case well generally means checking all of these pieces together, not assuming a pass on one implies a pass on the others.
What a consultancy should actually verify before advising a salary case
Given that this threshold has moved at least twice in roughly eighteen months, that the going rate varies by SOC code in ways a general figure cannot capture, and that every discount described above carries its own conditions and floor, the practical discipline here is heavier verification than a single number can provide. Confirm the current general threshold and the specific going rate for the correctly assigned SOC code directly on gov.uk before advising a figure; confirm whether the applicant genuinely meets new entrant, PhD-relevant, or Immigration Salary List criteria before applying any discount; and confirm the employer's own sponsor licence position separately, since a compliant salary offer does not by itself mean that employer can sponsor anyone. Our UK visa consultant software page covers how VisaBOS helps a consultancy track Skilled Worker cases against the correct SOC code and current salary rules from intake, though it is a case-management tool, not a source of immigration law, and does not replace confirming current requirements with gov.uk or a qualified immigration adviser.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK Skilled Worker visa minimum salary threshold, and how is it different from the sponsor licence process?
The minimum salary threshold is a worker-side eligibility test: it asks whether the specific salary being offered to a specific applicant, for a specific role, clears the figures that current Home Office rules require. That is a genuinely different question from the one our companion piece on the UK Skilled Worker sponsor licence explains — whether the employer itself holds a valid sponsor licence, issued by UK Visas and Immigration, that lets it sponsor anyone at all. An employer can hold a perfectly valid, fully compliant sponsor licence and still fail to sponsor a particular worker because the salary on offer does not clear the threshold for that role. Equally, a salary can comfortably clear every threshold and still go nowhere if the employer never obtained a licence, or never assigned a Certificate of Sponsorship. A consultancy advising on a Skilled Worker case generally needs to check both halves — the employer's licence status and the worker's salary case — separately, not treat either as a proxy for the other.
What is the current general salary threshold figure, and how confident should this article be in it?
Multiple independent immigration-law and relocation sources, cross-checked against each other, consistently report a general salary threshold of £41,700 per year for most new Skilled Worker applications made from 22 July 2025 onwards, up from an earlier £38,700 figure that itself followed a substantial increase in April 2024. A direct fetch of gov.uk's own current Skilled Worker guidance was not reachable while researching this article, so this figure is being presented as a widely and consistently reported estimate as of research in 2026 — not as independently confirmed Home Office policy. Given that this threshold has already been revised at least twice in roughly eighteen months, treat £41,700 as the figure reported at the time of writing, due for reconfirmation on gov.uk before it is quoted to a client, rather than a number safe to assume will still hold by the time a case is actually filed.
What is the "going rate," and how does the SOC code determine it?
Every role sponsored under the Skilled Worker route is generally classified against a four-digit Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code, and current guidance is consistently reported as attaching its own published "going rate" salary figure to each code, generally set by reference to typical UK earnings data for that occupation. The going rate is occupation-specific in a way the general threshold is not — two roles that both clear the general £41,700-type figure can still sit at very different going rates depending on the SOC code assigned, and assigning the wrong code is reported as one of the more common ways a case runs into salary trouble that has nothing to do with what the worker is actually being paid.
Which threshold actually applies to a given case — the general minimum or the going rate?
Independent sources are consistent on the mechanism, even where they disagree on exact figures: the applicable minimum is generally described as whichever is higher between the general salary threshold and the specific going rate for the assigned SOC code, and an applicant is generally expected to clear both, not just one. In practice this means the general figure acts as a floor that applies across the board, while the going rate can push the real minimum considerably higher for occupations where typical UK pay already sits well above that floor — so quoting only the general threshold to a client in a high-paying occupation risks materially understating what the role actually needs to offer.
What is the new entrant discount, and who is reported to qualify for it?
Multiple sources consistently describe a reduced going-rate requirement for applicants who qualify as "new entrants" — commonly reported as being paid at least 70% of the standard going rate for the SOC code, subject to a separate absolute floor rather than an unlimited discount. Sources describe new entrant status as generally covering applicants under a specified age threshold (commonly reported around 26), those switching from a Student or Graduate visa, or those working toward a recognised professional qualification or chartership in the relevant field. As with every figure in this article, the exact age cutoff, percentage, and floor amount are the kind of detail that Home Office guidance revises, so a consultancy should confirm current new entrant criteria on gov.uk before relying on it for a specific applicant, particularly one whose case sits close to a cutoff.
Are there other salary discounts — for PhD holders, health and care roles, or shortage occupations?
Independent sources describe several further concessions, each reported as sitting on top of its own separate minimum floor rather than stacking without limit. A relevant STEM doctorate is commonly reported as allowing sponsorship at a reduced percentage of the going rate, with a relevant non-STEM doctorate allowing a smaller reduction, in each case provided the PhD is relevant to the sponsored role in the way current guidance requires. Health and care roles are generally sponsored under a separate Health and Care Worker visa route with its own, lower reported threshold structure — our Health and Care Worker visa explainer covers that route directly rather than folding it into the general Skilled Worker figures here, since treating the two as interchangeable would understate what a standard Skilled Worker case actually requires. Sources also describe an Immigration Salary List of occupations eligible for a further going-rate discount, reported as due to expire at the end of 2026, which is exactly the kind of time-limited policy detail that needs checking against its current status rather than assumed to still be in force.
Is there an hourly rate requirement in addition to the annual salary figure?
Sources describing the Health and Care Worker visa route consistently report a minimum hourly rate sitting alongside its annual salary figure, and general Skilled Worker guidance is also reported as including an hourly-rate floor alongside the annual thresholds discussed above, intended to prevent a role clearing the annual figure only by assuming unrealistically long hours. This article was not able to verify a precise current hourly figure for the general Skilled Worker route directly against gov.uk during drafting, so treat the existence of an hourly component as reported and worth checking, rather than treating the annual salary alone as the complete test.
What should a consultancy actually verify before advising a Skilled Worker salary case?
Because this threshold has already moved at least twice in roughly eighteen months, because the going rate varies by SOC code in ways a general figure cannot capture, and because several discounts each carry their own conditions and floors, the practical discipline is to treat every number in this article as a starting point for verification, not a client-ready answer. Confirm the current general threshold and the specific going rate for the correct SOC code directly on gov.uk before advising a salary figure; confirm whether the applicant genuinely qualifies as a new entrant, PhD-relevant, or under the Immigration Salary List before applying any discount; and confirm the employer's sponsor licence position separately, since — as covered above — a compliant salary case does not by itself mean the employer can sponsor anyone. Our UK visa consultant software page covers how VisaBOS helps a consultancy track Skilled Worker cases against the correct SOC code and salary rules from intake, though it is a case-management tool, not a source of immigration law, and does not replace confirming current requirements with gov.uk or a qualified immigration adviser.
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