Changes to the Skilled Worker visa, 1 July 2025

On 1 July 2025, the Home Office announced changes to the immigration rules mainly relating to the Skilled Worker visa route. The changes will have a considerable impact on UK employers' ability to recruit overseas workers from 22 July 2025.

The changes form part of the Government's strategy to reduce net immigration as stated in the 'White Paper' of May 2025 by increasing the skill level requirement from RQF Level 3 (similar to an A level) to RQF Level 6 (degree level) and further raising the minimum salary requirements.

Employers where possible should ensure applications for Skilled Worker visas likely to be affected by the changes are made by 21 July. Those who were intending to employ overseas workers after this date should check to ensure whether they will be able to.

What are the changes

The proposed changes cover over 180 job occupations which will be published on the Home Office website shortly.

The changes will result in increases to the minimum salary threshold for the following:

• • • £38,700 to £41,700 for Skilled Workers.
    • £48,500 to £52,500 for Global Mobility Workers
    • £34,830 to £37,500 for those on the Immigration Salary List - jobs approved by the Migration Advisory Committee (these jobs may be below RQF level 6 and are in areas of recognised shortage)
    • £30,960 to £33,400 for New Entrants (for example those under the age of 26 or applying through the student or graduate visa route)
    • £29,000 to £31,000 those applying for extensions of stay approved under the rules in place pre April 2024.

A new Temporary Shortage List (TSL) will provide for time-limited recruitment in certain roles below RQF level 6 but employees being sponsored in a TSL role will not be permitted to bring their dependants to the UK.

The Immigration Salary List (formerly known by the more common sense nomenclature of the Shortage Occupation List) will be gradually phased out as the Government aims to train up UK workers to fill skills gaps.

In what is likely to be a devastating blow to the care industry, recruitment of overseas workers for social care roles will end on 22 July 2025. Transitional provisions will allow overseas workers who have been employed by their UK sponsor for at least three months can switch into skilled worker route as care workers until 22 July 2028. 

Impact of the changes on applicants and employers

For employers, this ends the changes introduced in 2020 to relax the skills threshold allowing companies to make up for the shortfall of workers following the end of free movement after Brexit. Employers may still be able to recruit jobs in lower skilled jobs and at lower salaries but only for jobs approved by the MAC on the Immigration Salary List and the Temporary Shortage List.

Applicants not yet on Skilled Worker permission and who are likely to be affected by the changes should lodge their applications before 22 July where possible. For those already here, the new minimum salary requirements should be noted when making an application for an extension of stay - crucially this will be different for those who entered the scheme prior to April 2024 and those applying since.

Further changes coming

The White Paper proposed further changes relating to Skilled Workers such as:

• • • New English language requirements
    • Potential changes to the Life in the UK test
    • Increase in the qualifying period for settlement from 5 to 10 years
    • Increase to Immigration Skills Surcharge of 32% over current rates.

With employers still struggling with increases to NI contributions, recruiting overseas nationals on which some sectors are highly dependant, notably the hospitality, care and IT sectors, will be challenging and more expensive. The alternative will be to recruit from the UK workforce. Challenging times indeed.