The Home Office published new changes to the United Kingdom’s immigration rules on 1 July 2025, to take effect on 22nd July. The new laws will reduce the number of jobs available for sponsorship in the United Kingdom and increase minimum salary requirements, among other changes.
Increase in skills threshold
As expected and outlined in May’s Immigration White Paper, the minimum skill threshold to qualify for a United Kingdom Skilled Worker visa has been increased to degree level, save for where a job is considered strategically important to the United Kingdom or in endemic shortage. This means over 100 previously eligible occupations have been removed. These roles will be set out on a new Temporary Shortage Occupation List, replacing the Immigration Salary List.
The change will not apply to people who are sponsored before 22 July 2025. People who are already sponsored in the Skilled Worker category will be able to renew their visas, change employment and take supplementary employment in occupations below RQF 6.
Dependants of skilled workers
Currently, the vast majority of skilled workers are permitted to bring dependents to the United Kingdom. Under the new Rules, skilled workers in occupations below degree level will no longer be able to bring dependents, unless they have dependent children born in the United Kingdom or can demonstrate sole responsibility for them.
Routine increases in salary
The minimum salary requirements in the Skilled Worker and Global Business Mobility visa categories are also increasing to reflect the most recent Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings
(ASHE) data. The Home Office expects the impact of the salary increases to be minimal, as they are intended to reflect the incremental adjustments that businesses would have
implemented in the normal course of operations. They have also confirmed that there will be ‘no transitional arrangements relating to the updates to salary requirements.’
Key increases include:
The minimum hourly rate has been set at £17.13.
There are also increases to the SOC Code thresholds which we are currently analysing per industry sector. If you would like a tailored assessment please contact us.
Submitting applications prior to the 22nd July
Applications made using a Certificate of Sponsorship (COS) issued before 22 July 2025, or applications that do not require a COS submitted prior to this date will be considered under the existing rules.
Immigration salary list
The list has historically included occupations identified by the Migration Advisory Committee as experiencing labour shortages, allowing for a discounted salary threshold. Going forwards, it will be replaced by a Temporary Shortage List, for Certificates of Sponsorship assigned before 31 December 2026.
For a deeper discussion on the above, please reach out to us at immigrationcompliance@vialto.com, reach out to your Vialto Partners point of contact, or alternatively:
Lyudmyla Davies
Partner (Solicitor)
Ian Robinson
Partner
Andrea Als
Director (Solicitor)
Tom Marsom
Director (Solicitor)
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