UK Skilled Worker Visa 2026: £41,700 Salary, B2 English and Who Still Qualifies
Applying for a UK Skilled Worker visa in 2026? The general salary threshold is £41,700, most jobs now need to be graduate-level, and first-time applicants must prove English at B2 rather than B1. Here is what applies to you, when you can be paid less, what it costs, and the new rules for care workers.
Key points (updated 29 October 2026)
Your employer must pay you at least £41,700 a year or the going rate for your job, whichever is higher. Most jobs must be at graduate level (RQF 6); medium-skilled jobs only qualify if they are on the Immigration Salary List or Temporary Shortage List. New applicants must prove English at level B2. Care workers and senior care workers can no longer make new applications from overseas. On 2 November 2026 the government confirmed that the standard wait for settlement will rise to 10 years, or 5 years if you earn at least £50,271 in 3 of the 5 years before applying — the new rules are not in force yet.
The salary rule: £41,700 or the going rate
The general minimum salary is £41,700 a year, or the going rate for your occupation code, whichever is higher. Every occupation code has its own going rate, so a role with a going rate above £41,700 must pay that higher amount. Your employer must also always pay at least the National Minimum Wage. Check the going rate for your exact occupation code on GOV.UK before accepting an offer.
When you can be paid less
You may qualify on a lower salary, as long as you are paid at least £33,400 a year (£37,500 for a non-STEM PhD) and meet one of these: you are under 26, on or recently on a Student or Graduate visa, or training for a regulated profession — then you can be paid 70% of the going rate, but your total stay in the UK under this rate cannot be more than 4 years, including Graduate visa time; you have a STEM PhD relevant to the job — 80% of the going rate; you have a non-STEM PhD relevant to the job — 90% of the going rate; you are in an eligible postdoctoral science or higher education role — 70%; or your job is on the Immigration Salary List — at least £33,400, still at least the standard going rate, and a lower visa fee.
Skill level: mostly graduate-level jobs
Since 22 July 2025, most new Skilled Worker roles must be at graduate level (RQF 6). Many jobs that used to qualify — including a range of hospitality, retail and construction roles — no longer do for new applicants. Medium-skilled jobs can only be sponsored if they appear on the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List. If you are unsure, check your occupation code against the eligible occupations list on GOV.UK.
English: B2 is now the standard for new applicants
You must prove you can read, write, speak and understand English to at least level B2. If you are extending or updating a Skilled Worker visa you already held before 8 January 2026, the older B1 level still applies. If you are switching from a Health and Care Worker visa you do not need to prove it again, but switching from any other visa, such as a Graduate visa, means meeting B2. You can prove it with an approved Secure English Language Test (SELT); a degree taught in English (a UK degree, or a non-UK degree confirmed by Ecctis); certain UK school qualifications in English taken before age 18; or by being a national of a majority English-speaking country on the Home Office list. If you proved your English in a previous successful application, you may not need to again.
Care workers: new overseas applications have closed
Care workers (occupation code 6135) and senior care workers (6136) are no longer on the list of jobs you can make a new application for. You can only extend, update or switch into these roles if you meet the conditions — for example, if you are switching from another visa, you must have been working legally in the job for your sponsor for at least 3 months, and in England the employer must be registered with the Care Quality Commission. Other health roles can still use the Health and Care Worker visa, where you and your family do not pay the healthcare surcharge — check your occupation code on GOV.UK.
What it costs
Application fees per person: from outside the UK, £819 for a visa of up to 3 years or £1,618 for longer; from inside the UK (extending, switching or updating), £943 or £1,865. Jobs on the Immigration Salary List have lower fees. On top of that is the Immigration Health Surcharge, usually £1,035 per person for each year — about £5,175 for a 5-year visa. Many employers cover some of these costs, so ask before you accept an offer.
Bringing your partner and children
Your partner and children can apply as your dependants. Each person pays their own application fee and surcharge, so costs add up quickly for a family. You may also need to show you have enough savings to support them unless your employer confirms on your certificate of sponsorship that it will cover this. Check the current dependant rules on GOV.UK before you plan a move.
Settlement: 10 years by default under the new rules
On 2 November 2026 the government confirmed its 'earned settlement' model. Once it is in force, most Skilled Workers will wait 10 years for indefinite leave to remain, unless they earn at least £50,271 in 3 of the 5 years before applying (5 years) or £125,141 (3 years), work in an eligible public service job, or have a British connection. Skilled Workers who arrived before April 2024 can keep extending their visas on current terms until 2035. No start date has been set, and current rules apply until the Immigration Rules change. Read our Skilled Worker ILR guide for the full detail.
Getting professional help
A refused application is expensive, so if your case is not straightforward, use an immigration adviser regulated by the OISC or a solicitor regulated by the SRA — unregulated immigration advice is a criminal offence in the UK. Our business directory lists immigration specialists, including advisers who speak Hindi, Punjabi, Gujarati, Urdu and Bengali. This guide reflects GOV.UK as of 29 October 2026; always check gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa before you apply.
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