A Skilled Worker occupation and salary review helps employers confirm that the proposed role is eligible, the correct occupation code has been selected and the salary meets both the general threshold and the applicable going rate.
James Immigration Solutions Ltd reviews proposed job duties, occupation codes, salary options, working hours and employment terms before a Certificate of Sponsorship is assigned.
Every eligible occupation code has its own skill classification and salary going rate. Selecting a different occupation code can therefore change:
An employer should not decide on a salary before confirming the correct occupation code and applicable salary option.
A sponsor must select an appropriate SOC 2020 occupation code from the relevant tables of Appendix Skilled Occupations.
The code must be based primarily on the actual duties and responsibilities of the job—not simply the job title selected by the employer.
Our review considers:
The Home Office can refuse an application and take compliance action where it believes a sponsor selected a less appropriate code because the correct code was ineligible or carried a higher salary going rate. This is explained in the current Skilled Worker sponsor guidance.
For Certificates of Sponsorship assigned on or after 22 July 2025, a new Skilled Worker job must normally be skilled to RQF Level 6 or above.
This means the work must be at graduate level. It does not necessarily mean the proposed worker must personally hold a university degree.
A role below RQF Level 6 may only qualify in limited circumstances, including where:
The official eligible occupations table classifies occupations as higher skilled, medium skilled or ineligible.
The Immigration Salary List and Temporary Shortage List serve different purposes.
An eligible job on the Immigration Salary List may qualify for a reduced general salary threshold. However, the worker must still receive the full applicable going rate unless another permitted salary option applies.
The list can also contain regional restrictions or limitations applying only to particular jobs within an occupation code.
The Temporary Shortage List includes certain medium-skilled occupations that remain temporarily eligible for Skilled Worker sponsorship.
Being on the Temporary Shortage List does not automatically provide a salary discount. A job only receives the Immigration Salary List salary treatment if it also appears on that list.
These lists are time-limited and may be amended or withdrawn. Eligibility must therefore be checked against the rules in force on the relevant CoS assignment date.
Employers can check the current Immigration Salary List and Temporary Shortage List.
For most Skilled Worker applications involving a CoS assigned on or after 22 July 2025, the following Options A to E apply.
| Option | Applicant’s circumstances | General threshold | Required going rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Standard salary option | £41,700 | 100% |
| B | Relevant PhD | £37,500 | 90% |
| C | Relevant STEM PhD | £33,400 | 80% |
| D | Job on Immigration Salary List | £33,400 | 100% |
| E | Eligible new entrant | £33,400 | 70% |
The salary must meet or exceed both the applicable general threshold and the relevant percentage of the occupation’s going rate. The higher resulting figure is the minimum salary required.
The current standard position is therefore usually the higher of:
The reduced options are not automatic. The worker must satisfy all additional requirements for the selected option and can claim points under only one salary option.
The Home Office publishes current figures in its Skilled Worker salary guidance.
Different thresholds can apply to specified Health and Care occupations and certain workers protected by transitional salary provisions.
| Option | Applicant’s circumstances | General threshold | Required going rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| F | Standard Health and Care or transitional option | £31,300 | 100% |
| G | Relevant PhD | £28,200 | 90% |
| H | Relevant STEM PhD | £25,000 | 80% |
| I | Job on Immigration Salary List | £25,000 | 100% |
| J | Eligible new entrant | £25,000 | 70% |
| K | Specified health or education occupation | £25,000 | Full applicable national-pay-scale going rate |
Options F to J are not available to every sponsored worker. They are restricted principally to specified Health and Care occupations and workers who meet the relevant pre-4 April 2024 transitional rules.
Option K applies to particular health and education occupations governed by national pay scales.
Separate restrictions apply to care workers, senior care workers and certain other healthcare roles. Employers should obtain a case-specific assessment before relying on these thresholds.
Most published going rates are based on a 37.5-hour working week.
Where the proposed worker will work a different number of hours, the going rate is normally calculated as follows:
[
\text{Published going rate} \times \frac{\text{weekly working hours}}{37.5}
]
For example, if the published going rate is £40,000 and the employee will work 40 hours per week:
[
£40,000 \times \frac{40}{37.5} = £42,666.67
]
The employer would need to compare the resulting going rate with the applicable general salary threshold and pay whichever requirement is higher.
For Options A to E, the current guidance also applies an hourly going-rate floor of £17.13 where the relevant percentage of the published going rate would otherwise produce a lower hourly figure.
Part-time sponsored employment may be possible, but the general salary threshold is not reduced simply because the employee works fewer hours.
For example, an employee working 20 hours per week may have their occupation going rate adjusted to reflect those hours. However, their actual annual gross salary must still meet the applicable general salary threshold.
Employers should therefore calculate separately:
The salary must satisfy every applicable requirement.
When assessing the general salary threshold, the Home Office normally counts actual gross earnings for a maximum of 48 hours per week.
An employer cannot use excessive weekly hours to increase the salary calculation artificially.
For example, an employee working 60 hours per week will usually have only the salary attributable to 48 hours counted towards the general salary threshold. The going-rate calculation, however, considers the worker’s full weekly hours.
The Home Office normally counts guaranteed basic gross salary before income tax and employee National Insurance and pension deductions.
Other payments treated exactly like basic gross salary for tax, pension and National Insurance purposes may also be considered.
Payments that normally cannot be included include:
A limited transitional exception for certain guaranteed allowances may apply to some continuously sponsored former Tier 2 workers making an eligible application before 1 December 2026.
Current salary-calculation rules are contained in sections SK7 and SK8 of the Home Office sponsor guidance.
Certain deductions or payments made by the worker to the sponsor or a related organisation can reduce the salary counted for immigration purposes.
These may include:
The Home Office may average these payments across the sponsorship period and subtract them from the stated salary when assessing whether the threshold is met.
Optional salary-sacrifice arrangements may be treated differently, but they must be genuinely voluntary and must not reduce pay below National Minimum Wage.
An individual may qualify as a new entrant where, for example, they are:
New entrant status is time-limited. The combined period of permission under the Graduate, Skilled Worker and former Tier 2 routes must not exceed four years if the new application is granted.
Employers should calculate the worker’s previous and proposed periods of permission before relying on the new entrant salary option.
We consider the employer’s activities, organisational structure and genuine requirement for the proposed role.
We review the actual duties, responsibilities, required skills and seniority of the position.
Where more than one code may appear relevant, we compare the available codes and identify which most accurately reflects the proposed employment.
We check whether the occupation is:
We establish which salary option may apply based on:
We calculate:
We compare the proposed findings against:
Any inconsistency should be resolved before the CoS is assigned.
An employer may need to provide:
Common errors include:
These errors can result in a Defined CoS request being rejected, a visa application being refused or compliance action against the sponsor licence.
The salary requirement continues after the worker’s application is approved.
The Home Office can compare:
The sponsor must pay the required salary consistently. A significant salary reduction or change in working hours may require an SMS report, a new CoS or a new immigration application.
James Immigration Solutions Ltd supports employers with occupation-code selection, salary calculations, new entrant assessments, working-hours reviews and CoS preparation.
An occupation and salary review should be completed before the employer assigns the Certificate of Sponsorship.
Read more about our Certificate of Sponsorship Support and Sponsored Worker Applications.
Email: admin@jisl.co.uk
Website: www.jisl.co.uk
James Immigration Solutions Ltd is regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority at Level 1.
IAA organisation reference: F202538614
Company number: 15056317
This page provides general information. Salary thresholds, occupation lists and Immigration Rules may change. A role should be assessed under the rules applying on the relevant CoS and application dates. No particular Home Office decision is guaranteed.
Last reviewed: 3 August 2026.
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