UK Skilled Worker visa 2026: salary thresholds, eligibility, step-by-step (2026)

The Skilled Worker visa is the UK’s main work visa. The salary threshold jumped to £38,700 in April 2024 — a major change. Here’s where it stands in 2026.

Last verified: May 6, 2026.

Eligibility 2026

Job offer from a Home Office-licensed sponsor — required
Salary threshold: £38,700/year OR the going rate for the occupation, whichever is higher (some Health & Care exemptions exist)
English at B1 level (CEFR) — IELTS, TOEFL, or qualifying degree
Sufficient funds: £1,270 in your account for 28 days (waived if sponsor certifies maintenance)
TB test (from listed countries)

Salary thresholds — the detail

Standard: £38,700/year minimum
New entrant rate: £30,960/year if under 26, recent graduate, or in training
PhD-relevant role: 90% of going rate
STEM PhD-relevant role: 80% of going rate
Health & Care Worker: separate visa, lower threshold £29,000
Going rate varies by SOC code — check Annex E of the Immigration Rules for your specific occupation

The 5-step process

1. Get a job offer from a UK employer with a sponsor license
2. Employer issues you a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) — they assign it via SMS portal
3. You apply online at gov.uk within 3 months of CoS issue
4. Biometrics appointment at a VFS Global / TLScontact center
5. Decision: 3 weeks standard, 5 working days priority (£500 extra)

Costs 2026

Visa application: £719–£1,500 depending on length of visa + whether shortage occupation
Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS): £1,035/year × visa length (e.g., 5-year visa = £5,175)
Biometric fee: £19.20
Total for a 5-year visa: ~£6,000 per applicant before legal fees
Dependents: same fees per person

Dependents

Spouse + children under 18 can come as dependents. Each pays the same visa + IHS fees. Spouse can work in any role, full-time. Children attend state school free.

Path to settlement

After 5 continuous years on Skilled Worker visa, you can apply for ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain), then citizenship 12 months after that. See our ILR guide.

Common pitfalls

Salary on payslip must match CoS: if your employer reduces hours, you can fall below threshold and lose the visa
Employer license: if your sponsor loses their license, you have 60 days to find new sponsor or leave
Travel during application: don’t leave the UK while application is being processed
Switching jobs: requires a new CoS + new application (small fee, no IHS top-up if same visa length)

What changed in 2024 that you need to know about

The Skilled Worker visa has been substantially reshaped by three Home Office moves between April 2024 and 2026. First, the general salary threshold jumped from £26,200 to £38,700 in April 2024 — a 47% increase that priced out roughly 35% of jobs that were previously eligible. Second, the Shortage Occupation List was replaced by the Immigration Salary List, which trimmed the eligible roles and reduced the salary discount from 20% to a narrower set of exemptions. Third, dependents on Health and Care Worker visas (a separate route, but using similar Tier 2 architecture) were restricted in March 2024.

If you started looking at the UK Skilled Worker visa before April 2024 and paused, the rules you researched are largely no longer accurate. Always verify against the current gov.uk page or speak with an OISC-registered adviser before making decisions on this route in 2026.

Sponsor license: what to verify before accepting an offer

Your visa is tied to your employer’s sponsor license. If they lose that license — through compliance failure, audit, or voluntary surrender — your visa is invalidated and you have 60 calendar days to find a new sponsored role or leave the UK. This rare-but-real scenario hit roughly 220 sponsors in 2024 alone, mostly in adult social care.

Check the public sponsor register at gov.uk/government/publications/register-of-licensed-sponsors-workers. Confirm the employer is listed under the correct rating (A-rated is normal; B-rated means they’re under remediation).
Ask how long they’ve held the license. A first-time sponsor in their first year has more compliance risk than an established one with a 5+ year track record.
Ask how many CoS they have available. Sponsors are issued an annual quota of Certificates of Sponsorship; if they’ve used most of theirs, your offer can be delayed.
Confirm your job is genuinely on their staffing plan, not a role created specifically to sponsor you. The Home Office can refuse genuineness checks if a role looks manufactured.

The going rate trap (this is the most common rejection reason)

The salary threshold is two numbers, and you need to clear BOTH: the general £38,700 floor AND the “going rate” for your specific Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code. If your SOC code has a going rate of £48,000 (e.g., software engineer at SOC 2136), you must be paid £48,000 minimum — the £38,700 general floor is irrelevant to you.

The going rates are published in Appendix Skilled Occupations of the Immigration Rules, updated annually around April. They’re calculated as the 25th percentile of the ASHE (Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings) for that occupation, which means they trend up year-over-year as UK wages rise.

Common rejection scenario: you’re offered a role at a startup paying £42,000 for a software engineer position. That’s above the general threshold, but below the SOC going rate of £48,000. Visa refused. The fix: get the employer to either raise the salary or reclassify the role under a more appropriate (lower going-rate) SOC code, but only if the role genuinely fits.

How much you actually need to live on while waiting

The Home Office requires you have £1,270 available for 28 consecutive days before applying — this is the maintenance requirement. But this number is not what you’ll actually need to land in the UK comfortably. Realistic budget for the first month, before your first paycheck:

Deposit + first month rent (London): £3,000–£5,000 (one-bedroom flat: £1,500–£2,500/month + 5-week deposit)
Deposit + first month rent (Manchester/Birmingham/Leeds): £1,500–£2,500
Council tax setup: £100–£200 first month
Utilities setup: £100
Bank account opening: normally free, but you’ll need a UK address and proof of address. Monzo, Starling, and Revolut accept BRP/eVisa as ID and don’t require proof of address — use these in week one.
Phone + internet: £30–£50/month
Groceries + transport: £400–£600 first month

Many sponsored employees don’t see their first net paycheck for 6–7 weeks after starting work (UK monthly payroll runs the last working day, and you typically miss the first cycle). Plan for ~£5,000 in landing costs in London, ~£3,000 elsewhere.

Switching jobs while on the Skilled Worker visa

You can change jobs without leaving the UK, but it’s a full new visa application — not just a notification. New employer must hold a sponsor license, issue you a new Certificate of Sponsorship, and you submit a new application from inside the UK with biometrics.

Cost: visa fee + biometrics, but IHS is NOT charged again if your visa length stays the same
Timeline: 8 weeks standard, 5 working days priority (+£500), 1 working day super priority (+£1,000)
You can start the new job as soon as the application is submitted (not approved), provided your old visa was still valid and the new role is in the same broad occupation category. This is the “permission to work” under section 3C.
If you’re made redundant: 60 calendar days to find a new sponsor and submit, OR leave the UK. Some employers offer settlement packages that include immigration support — ask.

From Skilled Worker to ILR: what the 5 years actually look like

Time on the Skilled Worker visa counts toward Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), but not all time abroad counts as “continuous residence.” The rule: in any rolling 12-month period during the qualifying 5 years, you cannot be outside the UK for more than 180 days. This is checked at the ILR application by reviewing your travel history.

The trap that catches people: business travel + holidays + family visits add up. If you took a 4-week holiday, then two 1-week conferences abroad, then a 3-week family trip in the same 12-month rolling window, that’s already 70 days. A second long holiday and you’re close to the limit. Track absences from your first day in the UK on a spreadsheet.

After 5 years on the Skilled Worker visa, you apply for ILR. Requirements: £3,029 fee, Life in the UK test, English at B1 (or higher if your visa already required it), no serious criminal convictions, and — importantly — you must still be sponsored at the time of application. If you lose your job in month 58, the 60-day grace period to find new sponsorship still applies, but you cannot apply for ILR while unemployed.

Tax, NI, and pension once you’re here

Skilled Worker visa holders are tax-resident in the UK from day one (assuming you’re here 183+ days in the tax year). Standard income tax bands apply: 0% on the first £12,570 (Personal Allowance), 20% on £12,570–£50,270, 40% on £50,270–£125,140, and 45% above £125,140. National Insurance Class 1 is 8% on earnings between £12,570 and £50,270, then 2% above.

Auto-enrolment into a workplace pension is mandatory for any employee earning over £10,000/year. The minimum is 8% combined (5% employee + 3% employer), but most professional employers contribute 4–8%. If you leave the UK before retirement, your pension stays with the provider; you can transfer to a QROPS in your home country (with tax considerations) or leave it for retirement.

Family rules: spouses and children

Your spouse or partner and children under 18 can come as dependents. Each pays the same visa fee + IHS. Spouse can work in any role, full-time, with no employer sponsorship needed. Children attend state school free.

Spouse evidence required: marriage certificate or 2+ years cohabiting evidence (joint accounts, joint tenancy, photographs, communications)
Children evidence: birth certificates showing parental relationship
Sole parental responsibility: if your child has a non-traveling parent, that parent must consent in writing OR you must show sole responsibility (court order, custody agreement)
Spouse’s English: A1 for entry visa, A2 for first extension, B1 for ILR — same SELT-approved providers (Trinity, IELTS Life Skills, LanguageCert)

FAQ

Can I switch from a Graduate visa to Skilled Worker without leaving the UK?

Yes — switch from inside the UK any time before your Graduate visa expires. The Graduate visa is one of the smoothest switching routes because Home Office processing typically defaults to inside-UK switch fees + standard processing.

What if my employer’s sponsor license is suspended during my visa?

If suspended, your visa remains valid but no new CoS can be issued. If revoked, you have 60 days to find a new sponsor. Wait for written notice from the Home Office before acting.

Can I do contract work or be self-employed?

No. The Skilled Worker visa requires you work in the role specified on your CoS, for the specific sponsor. Side work is restricted: you can do up to 20 hours/week of secondary employment, but only in eligible occupations on the Immigration Rules list.

What happens to my visa if I have a baby in the UK?

Children born in the UK to non-British parents do not automatically get British citizenship. They become British only when one parent gets ILR or naturalises. The baby is not on your visa — you’ll need to apply for a dependent visa for them, but they can stay in the UK while the application is pending.

Can I leave the UK for an extended trip during the visa?

Yes, but track absences carefully. The 180-days-in-12-months limit applies to ILR qualification, not to maintaining the visa itself. You won’t lose the visa for being abroad longer, but you may delay your ILR by needing to recalculate the 5-year clock.

What if my marriage breaks down while on the visa?

Skilled Worker visa is held by the worker, not the spouse, so the marriage status doesn’t affect your visa. Your spouse, however, may need to switch routes to maintain their UK status if they want to stay.

Can I bring elderly parents as dependents?

No, not on the Skilled Worker visa. The Adult Dependent Relative visa is a separate, much harder route. Most parents come on visit visas, but those have a 6-month limit and don’t lead to settlement.