UK Skilled Worker Visa 2027: Salary Thresholds, Sponsors and Costs

The UK Skilled Worker visa is still the main way to move to Britain for a job, but it is a much narrower door than it was two years ago. Since 22 July 2025, most new applicants need a graduate-level job paying at least £41,700 a year, and overseas recruitment of care workers has stopped.

This guide is for people abroad weighing up a sponsored job offer, and for Student or Graduate visa holders who want to switch. It covers the rules as they stand in late 2026, what it costs you and your employer, and which reforms are law and which are still proposals.

The honest one-line answer: if you have a degree-level job offer from a licensed sponsor paying £41,700 or the going rate for the role (whichever is higher), you can still get this visa. If your job is below degree level, you probably can't, unless it sits on a shortage list.

What changed after the 2025 white paper

The May 2025 immigration white paper set out a long list of changes. These are now in force:

• 22 July 2025: the skill level rose from RQF 3 (roughly A-level) to RQF 6 (degree level), the general salary threshold rose from £38,700 to £41,700, and new overseas applications for care worker and senior care worker roles closed.
• 16 December 2025: the Immigration Skills Charge paid by employers rose by 32%.
• 8 January 2026: the English requirement for new Skilled Worker applicants rose from B1 to B2.
• 8 April 2026: visa application fees rose by roughly 6 to 7%.

What has not happened yet is the move to a 10-year "earned settlement" route. More on that below, because it matters if you are planning to stay long term.

The RQF 6 skill level: which jobs qualify

Every sponsored job is matched to a four-digit occupation code. Since July 2025, the code needs to be "higher skilled", meaning RQF 6 or above: engineers, software developers, accountants, doctors, nurses, teachers, scientists and most managerial roles.

"Medium skilled" codes (RQF 3 to 5) only qualify if the job is on the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List. If your first certificate of sponsorship was issued before 22 July 2025, you can generally keep extending in a lower-skilled role and change employers within it.

Check your code before you get excited about an offer. Employers sometimes pick a code that flatters the role, and the Home Office refuses applications where the job doesn't match it. GOV.UK's Skilled Worker job eligibility page links to the full occupation and going-rate tables.

Salary thresholds in late 2026

You must be paid the higher of the general threshold and the going rate for your occupation code. Some applicants can be paid less if they fit one of the reduced options.

New entrant status is capped at four years in total, including time spent on a Graduate visa. After that, you need the full rate to extend.

Only guaranteed basic pay for up to 48 hours a week counts. If an employer offers "£35,000 plus £8,000 in bonuses", that is a £35,000 job for visa purposes. And if the going rate for your code is £44,000, the £41,700 floor is irrelevant: you need £44,000.

Temporary Shortage List and Immigration Salary List

The Temporary Shortage List (TSL) was created in July 2025 to keep some medium-skilled roles open while the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) reviewed them. Roles on it are eligible despite being below RQF 6, but TSL workers generally cannot bring dependants.

The current TSL arrangements run to 31 December 2026. In its Stage 2 report in July 2026, the MAC recommended keeping 28 occupations on the list beyond that date, down from 52, with access limited to 18 months. At the time of writing, the Home Office has not confirmed which recommendations it will adopt, so treat any medium-skilled job offer for 2027 as uncertain until the updated list is published.

The older Immigration Salary List still carries a lower visa fee (£628 or £1,235) and a £33,400 floor, but it is being wound down and folded into the TSL framework. Check the current list on GOV.UK on the day you apply.

Care workers: the route that closed

From 22 July 2025, the Home Office has refused new entry clearance applications for care workers (code 6135) and senior care workers (code 6136). If a recruiter offers you a UK care job with sponsorship while you are abroad, it cannot lead to a visa under the current rules. These "offers" are a common scam aimed at Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe, India and the Philippines. Read our guide to spotting fake overseas job offers before paying anyone anything.

There is a transition period until 22 July 2028 for people already in the UK. Care workers already sponsored can switch employers within the sector, provided they meet the conditions, including at least three months' lawful work for their current sponsor before the new certificate is issued. Nurses remain eligible; see our guide to nursing jobs abroad.

How much the Skilled Worker visa costs

Your share and your employer's share are separate. Your employer is not allowed to pass the Immigration Skills Charge or sponsor licence costs on to you.

A single applicant applying from abroad for a five-year visa pays £1,618 plus £5,175 in IHS: £6,793 before travel and tests. A couple with one child pays that three times, roughly £20,000 upfront, which is why many people take a three-year visa first.

The Health and Care Worker visa (for doctors, nurses and some allied health roles) is cheaper and exempt from the IHS. Fees are on GOV.UK's Skilled Worker visa pages.

English language: B2 since January 2026

New applicants now need English at CEFR level B2 in speaking, listening, reading and writing. You can meet this with an approved Secure English Language Test, a degree taught in English (checked through Ecctis), or by being a national of a majority English-speaking country.

If you held a Skilled Worker visa before 8 January 2026, you only need B1 to extend and don't need to prove it again. If you switch from a Student or Graduate visa, you need B2. Doctors, nurses and midwives may be covered by their professional regulator's English assessment.

How to find a licensed sponsor

Only employers on the Home Office's register of licensed sponsors can hire you on this route. The register is a downloadable spreadsheet with tens of thousands of names, town, sponsorship rating and route.

Practical ways to use it:

1. Filter the spreadsheet for "Skilled Worker" and by town or employers in your field. Trading names often differ from legal names, so cross-check on Companies House.
2. On job boards, search "visa sponsorship" plus your job title, then check every employer against the register.
3. Prioritise A-rated sponsors. A B rating means the sponsor is under an action plan.
4. Apply to employers directly. No legitimate UK employer charges you for a certificate of sponsorship.

If you use an immigration adviser, check they are a solicitor or registered with the Immigration Advice Authority (formerly OISC). Unregulated advice in the UK is a criminal offence.

Bringing your family

Skilled Workers in eligible roles can bring a partner and children under 18. Each dependant pays the same visa fee and the full £1,035 a year IHS. If your sponsor doesn't certify maintenance, you need extra savings for each of them (at the time of writing, £285 for a partner, £315 for the first child and £200 for each additional child).

Care workers who applied after March 2024 can't bring dependants, and the TSL route generally doesn't allow them. Partners on dependant visas can work in almost any job.

Settlement: 5 years now, 10 years proposed

Today, Skilled Workers can apply for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) after five years, if they still meet the salary rules, pass the Life in the UK test and meet the English requirement.

In November 2025 the government published its "earned settlement" consultation. The proposals included:

• a standard qualifying period of 10 years instead of 5
• a 15-year baseline for Skilled Workers in jobs below RQF 6
• shorter periods for high earners, people in public service roles and those with advanced English
• longer periods for people who have claimed benefits

The consultation closed on 12 February 2026. At the time of writing (late October 2026), the 10-year model has not been written into the Immigration Rules. The September 2026 Statement of Changes did not include it, and the government has not confirmed what protection people already on the five-year path will get.

If you are applying now, assume settlement could take longer than five years, and keep payslips, P60s and tax records from day one.

The application, step by step

1. Agree the occupation code and salary in writing; your employer then assigns a certificate of sponsorship (CoS).
2. Take an approved English test if needed, and a TB test if you live in a listed country.
3. Apply online within three months of the CoS being assigned and pay the fee and IHS.
4. Verify your identity at a visa centre or through the ID check app. Decisions typically take about three weeks from outside the UK, and you receive an eVisa, not a card.

Once you land, our guide to living and working in London covers rent, transport and bank accounts.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the minimum salary for a UK Skilled Worker visa in 2027?

The general threshold is £41,700 a year, or the going rate for your occupation if that is higher. New entrants and some PhD holders can qualify on £33,400 to £37,500 with a reduced going rate. Thresholds can change with any Statement of Changes, so check GOV.UK before your CoS is assigned.

Can I still get a UK care worker visa from abroad?

No. New overseas applications for care worker and senior care worker roles have been refused since 22 July 2025. Only people already in the UK in sponsored care roles can switch employers, under transitional rules running to July 2028.

How long does it take to get settlement on a Skilled Worker visa?

Under the current rules it is five years. The government has proposed a 10-year baseline under its earned settlement plans, but at the time of writing that change has not been made law.

Can my employer make me pay for the visa?

Your employer can choose to reimburse your own visa fee and IHS, but it cannot recover the Immigration Skills Charge or sponsorship costs from you. Any employer or agent asking you to pay for your certificate of sponsorship is breaking the sponsor rules.

Do I need a degree for a Skilled Worker visa?

Not formally. The job must be at degree level (RQF 6), but the visa doesn't assess your own qualifications unless the occupation is regulated. Employers hiring at that level usually expect one anyway.

Final Thoughts

The Skilled Worker route now rewards people with graduate-level jobs and solid salaries, and shuts out most others. If you fit the profile, the process is predictable: find a licensed sponsor, agree the right occupation code, and budget for the IHS, which is the biggest single cost.

If you don't fit, don't let a recruiter sell you a workaround. There isn't one for care work from abroad, and medium-skilled roles depend on a shrinking shortage list. A UK master's followed by the Graduate route, or another country entirely, may suit you better.

Keep watching the settlement rules, and plan as if the five-year path might not be there when you reach year five.