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Skilled Worker Visas: What’s Changing in July 2025?
The Skilled Worker and Health and Care Worker visas will undergo changes this month as part of the government’s new immigration reforms. Join our free immigration updates webinar
on Friday, 11th July, as we provide tactics for navigating these changes.
UK Work Visas to Undergo Major Changes This Month
UK work visas are set to undergo major changes this month (July 2025) as part of the first raft of changes from the UK government’s White Paper for Immigration. The Skilled Worker visa, the UK’s primary and most popular work visa for foreign nationals, will undergo several significant changes to its eligibility including the basic skill level required for the visa and minimum salary thresholds being raised. Minimum salary thresholds for some other work visas will also rise, potentially excluding more foreign applicants from applying for UK work visas. In addition, recruitment for overseas care workers will cease entirely as the government emphasises the importance of UK recruitment in the sector and decries alleged “abuse” within the Health and Care worker visa system.
The changes are described by the Home Office as “an important step in ending the UK’s reliance on overseas, lower-skilled recruitment” and will come into effect on 22nd July 2025. Read on below for a full overview of the upcoming changes, as well as detailed advice and guidance from our immigration experts on what businesses and individuals should do to prepare for these changes. If you have any questions about UK immigration, our team is happy to assist. Contact Us
What Are the Full List of Changes for July 2025?
The full list of changes due to be implemented on the 22nd July 2025 can be found in full in the government’s Statement of Changes HC 997 (1 July 2025) and its Explanatory Memorandum. We will discuss each of these in more detail later in the article, but in the meantime, we have summarised the most important points below:
• The minimum skill level for Skilled Worker visas will rise from RQF level
3 (equivalent to A-levels) to RQF level 6 (graduate level)
• Minimum salaries for work visas will increase:
o Skilled Worker visa: from £38,700 to £41,700
▪ The minimum general salary threshold for all extension and change of employment applications for individuals who entered the Skilled Worker route after 4 April 2024 will also increase to £41,700
o PhD relevant to the job: from £34,830 to £37,500
o PhD STEM / Immigration Salary List or New Entrant route: from £30,960 to £33,400
o Transitional arrangements for those granted on the route prior to 4 April 2024 – minimum general threshold for those extending or making change of employment applications increasing from £29,000 to £31,300
o Senior or Specialist Worker and Expansion Worker visas: from £48,500 to £52,500
• A new Temporary Shortage List will be introduced with around 60 critical roles set at RQF level 3-5. Candidates on this route will not be able to bring dependents with them or benefit from visa fee discounts
o Additionally, these roles will be time-limited until the end of 2026 and will only remain if the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) give their recommendation to do so
o The Immigration Salary List will still remain in place but be phased out by December 2026
• Closing the Health and Care Worker visa route to new foreign care worker and senior care worker applicants
o Applicants within the UK will still be able to switch to these roles under a Health and Care worker visa until the end of the transitional period on 22nd July 2028 The above changes primarily only pertain to the Skilled Worker visa route unless otherwise specified. These changes do not affect the Health and Care Worker visa route, and the only change being made to that route is the removal of care workers from the list of eligible occupations. Note that salary increases will also affect those currently on routes towards indefinite leave to remain.
Also note that going rates for each standard occupation code (SOC) will increase along with the general salary increases.
New Skill Level Requirements
From the 22nd July 2025, only roles that are rated RQF Level 6 or above will be eligible for a Skilled Worker visa.
The Registered Qualifications Framework (RQF) is a means to objectively assess the skill level of a role or occupation by determining what type of qualification is required to carry out the role. Currently, roles RQF 3 or higher are eligible for a Skilled Worker visa, which is equivalent to an A-level qualification in the UK. However, RQF Level 6 will become the new minimum skill level required for this visa, which is approximately graduate level.This will render approximately 111 low- to medium-skilled occupations ineligible for the Skilled Worker visa, including roles such as hotel managers, health care practice managers and veterinary nurses.
Transitional Protection for RQF Level 3–5 Roles
As part of the new changes, there will be a transitional period for Skilled Worker visa holders in the UK working in RQF Level 3-5 roles. These individuals can still continue to be sponsored for their roles by their employer, as long as they were previously granted permission to stay before 22 July 2025 and have continuously held a Skilled Worker visa since then. Note that this is a temporary measure and is currently set to last until 22 July 2028. In addition, some low- and medium-skilled occupations will still be eligible for the Skilled Worker visa after 22 July 2025 in a new Temporary Shortage
List, discussed below.
Temporary Shortage List and Immigration
Salary List
The Temporary Shortage List (TSL) is a new list of shortage occupations that will eventually fully replace the current Immigration Salary List (ISL). The TSL consists of critical roles rated at RQF Level 3-5 that are currently experiencing labour shortages. Roles on the TSL will be time-limited, meaning that candidates can only apply for TSL roles within a certain given timeframe, unless there are recommendations for the role to stay on the list for a longer period of time. Candidates on TSL or ISL roles working in roles RQF Levels 3-5 will not be able to bring dependents with them to the UK. Eligible TSL roles include engineering technicians, IT operations technicians, data analysts and trades such as welders, electricians and plumbers.The Immigration Salary List is due to expire on 31 December 2026. A further change made to roles on the ISL mean that percentage discounts will no longer be given to roles; instead, they must all meet the basic £33,400 minimum salary in order to be eligible.
Employers must ensure that roles have the correct Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code as listed on the Home Office website in order to be eligible for any exceptions or salary discounts.
Updated Salary Thresholds
The new minimum salary threshold for the Skilled Worker visa will rise from £38,700 to £41,700. Going rates for eligible occupations will also rise accordingly; candidates will still have to be paid at least the general minimum salary for the Skilled Worker visa or the going rate for their role, whichever is higher. Exceptions will still be made to those who have a PhD relevant to their job, a PhD in a STEM subject, a role on the Immigration Salary List or who are new entrants to the job market, though these salary thresholds will also see increases.
Those applying for extensions to their Skilled Worker visa where applications were submitted before 4 April 2024 will also see their minimum salary thresholds rise. The full details of the new salary thresholds are laid out below:
| Category | Current Minimum Salary | New Minimum Salary (After 22 July 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Skilled Worker visa | £38,700 | £41,700 |
| Skilled Worker: PhD relevant to the job | £34,830 | £37,500 |
| Skilled Worker: PhD in a STEM subject, Immigration Salary List, or New Entrant | £30,960 | £33,400 |
| Skilled Worker: Extensions for applications submitted before April 2024 | £29,000 | £31,300 |
In addition to the above, sponsors must now ensure salaries meet or exceed both a fixed hourly rate:
• £17.13/hour (for Table 1 jobs)
• £12.82/hour (for Table 2 jobs)
Only up to 48 hours per week can be counted toward the salary requirement; any excess overtime is disregarded.
Impacts on ILR & Settlement
The changes made to Skilled Worker visas will also consequently impact those looking to apply for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) in the UK. Applicants who will be assigned their first certificate of sponsorship on or after 22 July 2025 will have to be earning at least £41,700 or the appropriate going rate when they eventually apply for (ILR). Applicants currently in the UK on a Skilled Worker visa will have to continue to satisfy the salary requirements that were in place when they were first granted their initial certificate of sponsorship.
Why Have These Changes Been Brought into
Effect?
The latest changes announced are the first part of Keir Starmer’s Plan for Change, of which the Immigration White Paper is a central part. These plans set out tighter and more restrictive immigration controls for the UK, including making it more difficult for individuals to enter and remain in Britain. Starmer’s reasons for wanting to bring down migration numbers are varied. In official statements, he has expressed a desire to emphasiseinvestment in British recruitment rather than turning to “lower-paid” foreign workers to fill vacancies, as well as shutting down potential cases of “abuse” within the current visa system. He has also previously expressed concern regarding net migration’s “pressure on housing and public services”, in addition to the rising levels of
organised crime and risks to life associated with undocumented English Channel crossings. Perhaps most notable of all of Starmer’s remarks on immigration is his description of the UK’s potential to become an “island of strangers” if stricter controls on immigration are not enforced. This led many to draw comparisons to Enoch Powell’s controversial Rivers of Blood speech in 1968, which argued fiercely against rising levels of migration to the UK and sparked violence and hostility towards immigrant communities at the time.
What Further Changes Will We See in the Future?
The Home Office indicated further changes to come at an as-of-yet undetermined time in the future, further affirming the raft of changes set out in the Immigration White Paper. These changes include the following:
• Raising the Immigration Skills Charge for businesses by 32%
• Raising English language requirements for multiple visas
• Reducing the duration of the Graduate visa
• Reforms to Family visas, including potentially setting a new minimum salary threshold The Home Office have indicated that most of these changes will be implemented “by the end of this year”.
In addition, the government has commissioned the MAC to carry out two independent reviews: one into salary requirements for work visas and one into the new Temporary Shortage List. The former review is expected to be delivered in 6 months, while the latter will be completed in the next 12 months.
What Are the Next Steps for Individuals and
Businesses?
Considering the degree of changes being introduced this month, the UK government have left relatively little time for individuals and businesses to act before they are brought into effect.
Individuals who were planning on applying for a UK work visa should consider submitting their applications very soon if they are concerned about the new changes. This is particularly pertinent for care workers and senior care workers, who may not have any viable pathways to immigrate to the UK after the changes are brought into effect.
Note that only certificates of sponsorship issued to employees on or after 22nd July 2025 will be subject to the new rules.
Recommendations for Businesses
Sponsors of foreign workers in the UK are recommended to do the
following:
• Review your current sponsored workers – Review your current workers status, including how long they have remaining on their current visas and whether it would be beneficial to extend their current visas at the salary rates in place before 22 July.
• Review your pipeline of upcoming hires – If you are planning to sponsor someone in the near future, carefully check current salary rates and how these will change for certificates of sponsorship assigned after 22 July 2025
• Plan your budget – Carefully consider salary increases and
application fees
• Audit your HR systems – Ensure salaries remain compliant on extension or role change• Assign any outstanding Cos before 22 July 2025 if you want to secure the current salary rates
In addition, business should consider these next steps:
• Get advice on individual cases early – especially if you are unsure whether a worker is protected by transitional rules
• Identify any staff approaching extension or change of employment
• Assign any outstanding Cos before 22 July 2025 if you want to use current salary rates
• Plan for increased salary costs in recruitment budgets