The 2026 salary thresholds
Since 22 July 2025 the general threshold is £41,700. Reduced thresholds apply to certain applicants — but you must still meet the going rate for your occupation:
| Applicant type | General threshold |
|---|---|
| Standard applicant | £41,700 |
| PhD relevant to the job | £37,500 |
| STEM PhD relevant to the job | £33,400 |
| Immigration Salary List role | £33,400 |
| New entrant | £33,400 |
| Eligible health / education job | £31,300 |
Threshold figures above: gov.uk — Skilled Worker visa: Your job, read 2026-10-01.
Skill level, sponsor, and English
Skill level RQF6. Since 2025 the role must normally be at RQF Level 6 (graduate level) or above and appear on the eligible occupation list. Some lower-skilled roles remain only via temporary shortage arrangements.
Licensed sponsor. You need a job offer from a UK employer holding a valid sponsor licence, who issues you a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS).
English B2. Historically B1 was enough. From 8 January 2026, new applicants must prove English at B2 (independent user) in all four components, unless exempt (e.g. by nationality or a qualifying degree taught in English).
The "going rate" — why salary alone isn't enough
Every eligible occupation has its own going rate — a typical salary for that job. You must be paid the higher of the general threshold and the going rate. So a role can clear £41,700 yet still fall short because its going rate is higher; or a reduced-threshold applicant may need more than £33,400 if the occupation's going rate exceeds it. Because going rates are set per occupation code, the only way to be certain is to find your code and its current rate on gov.uk, or have an adviser confirm it. Threshold figures in this paragraph: gov.uk — Skilled Worker visa: Your job, read 2026-10-01.
Going rates for the SOC 2020 occupation codes listed in Tables 1 to 2a of Appendix Skilled Occupations are based on a 37.5-hour week. Source: Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Worker at SW 14.4(a), read 2026-10-01.
How to apply: steps, fees & timeline (2026)
The Skilled Worker visa is sponsor-led: nothing starts until a licensed UK employer assigns you a Certificate of Sponsorship. The rest is a digital-first application with one in-person biometrics step.
Government fees (2026)
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application fee — from outside the UK, up to 3 years | £819 |
| Application fee — from outside the UK, over 3 years | £1,618 |
| Application fee — from inside the UK (extend / switch), up to 3 years | £943 |
| Application fee — from inside the UK (extend / switch), over 3 years | £1,865 |
| Immigration Salary List job, up to 3 years (same inside or outside) | £628 |
| Immigration Salary List job, over 3 years (same inside or outside) | £1,235 |
| Immigration Health Surcharge (per year) | £1,035 |
| Maintenance funds (held 28 days) | £1,270 |
The Health and Care Worker visa is a separate route with its own fees — £324 per person for up to 3 years and £628 for more than 3 years, the same whether you apply from inside or outside the UK — and it is exempt from the Immigration Health Surcharge. Check the salary tool above first.
How long does it take?
Standard processing is about 3 weeks for applications from outside the UK and up to 8 weeks from inside, measured from your biometrics appointment. A super-priority service can return a decision within about 5 working days where available.
Documents to prepare
- Valid passport and your CoS reference number.
- Proof of English at B2 (SELT test or a qualifying degree).
- Proof of £1,270 maintenance funds, held for a 28-day period — not needed if your A-rated sponsor certifies that amount on the CoS, or if you are applying for permission to stay and have been in the UK with permission for 12 months or longer on the date of application. Source: Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Worker at SW 15.2(a), read 2026-10-01.
- Where required: TB test certificate, ATAS certificate, or a criminal record certificate.
The most common refusal causes are CoS errors — wrong salary, incorrect SOC occupation code, or job duties that don't match. Confirm these before you submit.
Frequently asked questions
Q. Is £41,700 always the figure I need?
A. No. It's the general floor, but the going rate for your occupation can be higher, and reduced thresholds can be lower. Your requirement is the higher of the applicable threshold and the going rate. Figure as published by gov.uk — Skilled Worker visa: Your job, read 2026-10-01.
Q. Who counts as a "new entrant"?
A. The rule lists several conditions and you need to meet one or more of them: being under the age of 26 on the date of application; being sponsored for a postdoctoral position in one of the SOC 2020 occupation codes listed in the rule; being sponsored for a job in a UK Regulated Profession while working towards a recognised UK professional qualification for it; working towards full registration or chartered status with the relevant professional body for the job; coming from recent Student permission, where the course was a UK bachelor's, master's, PhD or other doctoral qualification, a Postgraduate Certificate in Education or a Professional Graduate Diploma of Education, you have completed it or are applying no more than 3 months before you are expected to, and any expired Student permission expired less than 2 years before the date of application; or coming from Graduate permission, which if expired must have expired less than 2 years before the date of application. Source: Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Worker at SW 12.2, read 2026-10-01. On the 4-year point: granting the application must not mean your combined permission as a Skilled Worker, Graduate and/or Tier 2 Migrant would be more than 4 years in total, whether or not that permission is for a continuous period. Source: Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Worker at SW 12.3, read 2026-10-01.
Q. What changed on 8 January 2026?
A. The English language requirement for new applicants rose from B1 to B2. Existing visa holders extending may be subject to transitional rules — check your specific situation.
Q. Does this visa lead to settlement?
A. The Skilled Worker route can lead to Indefinite Leave to Remain, though the qualifying period and conditions have been under review. Confirm the current settlement timeline before relying on it.
Document checklist (save your progress)
Tick each item as you gather it. Progress is saved in this browser — nothing is uploaded.
Threshold figures in this checklist: gov.uk — Skilled Worker visa: Your job, read 2026-10-01. The maintenance-funds figure is not carried on that page.
Sources and official references: gov.uk — Skilled Worker visa: your job (salary requirement); gov.uk — Going rates for eligible occupation codes; gov.uk — When you can be paid less; gov.uk — Skilled Worker visa: how much it costs ; gov.uk — Health and Care Worker visa: how much it costs; UK Visas and Immigration — UK visa fees (policy paper). Every fee on this page was re-checked against those documents on 22 August 2026 and the application fees were corrected: the table previously showed a single pair of approximate figures that no longer matched gov.uk, and it now separates applications made from outside the UK from in-country extensions and switches, and lists the Immigration Salary List rate separately. The fee schedule in force is the one added to the policy paper on 18 March 2026 and effective from 8 April 2026; the previous uprating was 9 April 2025 (general salary threshold £41,700 from 22 July 2025; B2 English requirement from 8 January 2026). This tool provides an estimate only and is not immigration advice. The going rate for your occupation must be confirmed separately. Already in the UK and unsure of your tax residence? Check our UK Statutory Residence Test calculator.
Last reviewed: August 22, 2026 · the official sources linked above were re-fetched and compared against the figures on this page by our automated fact audit; next check on the weekly audit cycle.