New Immigration Rules Impacting Skilled Worker Route from 22 July 2025

A new Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules has been presented to Parliament today, 01 July 2025, with several changes to the Skilled Worker immigration route coming into force on 22 July 2025.

The changes will apply to all Certificates of Sponsorships (CoS) assigned by Skilled Worker sponsors from 22 July 2025, meaning a Skilled Worker application under current Rules can still be made from 22 July 2025 if the CoS has been assigned on or before 21 July 2025.

What are the changes?

The Skilled Worker changes coming into force from 22 July 2025 include the following:

General salary threshold increases

For new sponsorships (new Skilled Workers sponsored from 22 July 2025), including Skilled Workers sponsored from 04 April 2024 who are extending their permission to remain:

• Standard threshold of £38,700 will be increased to £41,700
• The threshold that applies to those that hold a PhD in a subject relevant to their job will be increased from £34,830 to £37,500
• The threshold that applies to those that hold a PhD in a STEM subject relevant to their job will be increased from £30,960 to £33,400
• The threshold of £30,960 that currently applies to those undertaking a job on the Immigration Salary List and new entrants will be increased to £33,400

For those undertaking a Health and Care ASHE salary job or who were first granted permission as a Skilled Worker under the Rules in place before 04 April 2024:

• Standard threshold of £29,000 will be increased to £31,300
• The threshold that applies to those that hold a PhD in a subject relevant to their job will be increased from £26,100 to £28,200

There doesn't appear to be any increases to the following:

• PhD in STEM subject - £25,000
• Immigration Salary List - £25,000
• New entrant - £25,000
• Health or education occupation - £25,000

Going rates to be increased

Going rates under Appendix Skilled Occupations will be increased. By way of an example:

HR Director under SOC 1136 sponsored from 22 July 2025 (new to the Skilled Worker route) will need to be paid:

• General salary threshold of £41,700 (assuming they’re not a new entrant and don’t hold a PhD relevant to the role); and
• A going rate of £27.13 per hour (£52,900 for 37.5 hours per week)

If the HR Director has been sponsored as a Skilled Worker since before 04 April 2024, they will need to be paid:

• General salary threshold of £31,300 (assuming they’re not a new entrant and don’t hold a PhD relevant to the role); and
• A going rate of £21.13 per hour (£41,200 for 37.5 hours per week)

There doesn’t appear to be any transitional provisions for those sponsored between 04 April 2024 and 21 July 2025, so such workers will need to comply with the first example above (£41,700 general salary threshold / £27.13 per hour).

Skill level increased to RQF Level 6 (degree level)

At present, Skilled Workers must be sponsored to undertake a job in an occupation skilled to RQF Level 3 or above. From 22 July 2025, this will be increased to RQF Level 6, unless the role is contained on the Temporary Shortage List or Immigration Salary List.

The increase to skill level will mean that, from 22 July 2025, approximately 180 roles will no longer be suitable for sponsorship unless permission as a Skilled Worker was granted under the pre-22 July 2025 Immigration Rules (or the role is contained on the Temporary Shortage List or Immigration Salary List). Some of the roles that will no longer be suitable for sponsorship include:

• Manager and directors in retail and wholesale – 1150
• Hotel and accommodation managers – 1221
• Health care practice managers – 1231
• Engineering technicians – 3113 (but will be suitable for sponsorship under the Temporary Shortage List until 31 December 2026)
• Early education and childcare practitioners – 3232
• Interior designers – 3421
• Ship and hovercraft officers – 3512 (but will be suitable for sponsorship under the Temporary Shortage List until 31 December 2026)
• Data analysts – 3544 (but will be suitable for sponsorship under the Temporary Shortage List until 31 December 2026)
• Advertising and marketing associate professionals – 3554 (but will be suitable for sponsorship under the Temporary Shortage List until 31 December 2026)
• Early education and childcare assistants – 6111
• Care workers – 6135 (but will be suitable for sponsorship under the Immigration Salary List until 22 July 2028)
• Senior care workers – 6136 (but will be suitable for sponsorship under the Immigration Salary List until 22 July 2028)
• Many other roles too

Various health and education roles will also no longer suitable for sponsorship (unless contained on Temporary Shortage List or Immigration Salary List) from 22 July 2025, including:

• Medical and dental technicians - 3213
• Health associate professionals not elsewhere classified - 3219
• Higher level teaching assistants - 3231
• Teaching assistants - 6112
• Educational support assistants - 6113
• Nursing auxiliaries and assistants – 6131 (but will be suitable for sponsorship under the Immigration Salary List until 31 December 2026)
• Ambulance staff (excluding paramedics) - 6132
• Dental nurses – 6133

Temporary Shortage List

Introduction of a Temporary Shortage List, which contains occupations below RQF Level 6 (degree-level) that are suitable for sponsorship until 31 December 2026. Roles include (amongst others):

• Managers in logistics – 1243
• IT operations technicians – 3131
• IT user support technicians – 3132
• Data analysts – 3544
• Various construction roles, including Welding trades – 5213, Pipe fitters – 5214

The Temporary Shortage List will be under review; if a role isn’t contained on an updated list in the future, it may mean that a future extension or settlement application can’t succeed. I’ve not yet come across anything to indicate that such workers will not be able to secure settlement; however, even if sponsors decided to sponsor such workers for 5 years initially (in the hope sponsorship can run for 5 years and then the worker can apply for settlement), such workers may be caught out by the earned settlement proposals announced in the White Paper (further information about these changes is awaited).

Those sponsored to undertake a Temporary Shortage List role (or RQF levels 3-5 listed on the Immigration Salary List) will not be able to bring dependants with them to the UK.

Care Workers and Senior Care Workers

Care Workers and Senior Care Workers can only apply for permission to stay; no applications can be pursued for new sponsorships from overseas. For in-country applications, the worker must have been legally working for the sponsor as a Care Worker/Senior Care Worker for at least 3 months (with an application for permission to remain being submitted prior to 22 July 2028), or the applicant must have permission as a Skilled Worker sponsored as a Care Worker or Senior Care Worker issued prior to 22 July 2025.

This change will prevent sponsors from sponsoring new workers present in the UK under another immigration route, unless the Care Worker/Senior Care Worker has been working for the sponsor for at least 3 months.

Global Business Mobility Routes

The general salary threshold for Senior or Specialist Workers under the Global Business Mobility routes will be increased from £48,500 to £52,500, with other Global Business Mobility and Scale-up routes seeing salary increases too.

The new changes are complex; any sponsor looking to recruit (and sponsor) new staff to undertake roles below degree-level should urgently seek legal advice – it is advisable that CoS for such roles are assigned on or before 21 July 2025. From 22 July 2025, if the worker is new to the Skilled Worker route, CoS cannot be assigned to roles below degree-level unless the role is contained on the Temporary Shortage List or Immigration Salary List.

Talk to us

If you have any questions regarding the changes, do not hesitate to contact our team of immigration law specialists. You can contact our team by calling 0330 162 8461 or by completing our online enquiry form.