Key Changes to the Skilled Worker Route (Effective April 9, 2025)

The changes impact several key areas: care worker sponsorship, salary thresholds, deductions, and new entrant salary reductions. Here’s what you need to know:

1. Care Worker Sponsorship Requirements

Employers hiring care workers under the Skilled Worker visa route must now prioritise recruitment from the existing pool of care workers in England who have lost their sponsorship before seeking talent from overseas.

• Employers must provide confirmation from regional or sub-regional partnerships to prove that local recruitment efforts have been exhausted before hiring from abroad.

• These changes apply only to care jobs in England—Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland remain unaffected.

For more details, refer to the official announcement: New rules to prioritise recruiting care workers in England

2. Increased Minimum Salary Requirements

A major change is the increase in the minimum salary threshold to align with updated wage data and national living wage requirements:

• 💰 New minimum salary: Increased from £23,200 (£11.90/hour) to £25,000 (£12.82/hour).

• 📊 Adjustments ensure wages remain above the National Living Wage, which is also set to rise in April 2025.

• 🏥 Healthcare & education sector salaries will be adjusted according to national pay scales.

• 📌 Other occupation salary rates will be revised only to align with the new minimum salary floor.

For more information, see the Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules

3. Salary Deduction & Employer Sponsorship Costs

A significant change aims to prevent unfair deductions from Skilled Worker visa applicants' salaries.

• ✅ Employers cannot pass sponsorship costs (e.g., Certificate of Sponsorship fees) onto applicants.

• ⛔ Closes loopholes preventing self-sponsorship—applicants can no longer fund their own salaries through investments in their sponsor’s business.

• 🔍 Ensures consistent treatment of paid allowances, creating a fairer system for visa holders.

Learn more about these updates: Key UK Immigration Updates for Employers – Stay Compliant in 2025

4. Changes to New Entrant Salary Reductions

A tightening of the eligibility criteria for reduced salaries under training schemes and the new entrant route:

• 📉 To qualify for new entrant reduced salaries, applicants must be actively working towards a UK-recognised professional qualification.

• 📌 This ensures that the salary reductions only apply to those genuinely in training programs, preventing misuse of lower salary thresholds.

Detailed guidance can be found here: Skilled Worker Visa – Application Guidance 2025