Among the changes brought in under the Immigration Rules Statement of Changes HC 997, published on 1 July 2025, the skill level for Skilled Worker visas will be restored to the higher, degree-equivalent level of RQF 6.
The change comes as the government implements reforms initially outlined in its Immigration White Paper.
Higher Skill Threshold for Skilled Worker Visas
Under the new rules, sponsors may only issue a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) in respect of Skilled Worker visas, dated 22 July 2025 or later, for an occupation that meets, or is treated as meeting, Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) level 6 or above. The rules therefore reverse the 2020 reduction to RQF 3, and brings the Skilled Worker visa in line with the skill threshold for Global Business Mobility and Scale Up visas.
To clarify the new rules, Appendix Skilled Occupations has been split in two. Tables 1, 2 and 3 now list all SOC-2020 codes the Home Office considers to be RQF 6+ and therefore fully eligible for new Skilled Worker, Global Business Mobility and Scale up visas.
By contrast, the new Tables 1a, 2aa and 3a contain the RQF 3-5 codes that were previously sponsorable. These sub-degree occupations are now ringfenced for two narrow purposes only. First, workers who already hold Skilled Worker permission under the pre-22 July rules and have maintained it continuously, or second, jobs that appear on either the expanded Immigration Salary List or the interim Temporary Shortage List.
Where a vacancy falls below RQF 6 and is not named on one of those shortage lists, it ceases to be eligible for visa sponsorship altogether once the new rules take effect. Even where the job is on a list, the CoS must be issued no later than 31 December 2026, the date on which all entries are currently scheduled to expire. Also, importantly, new dependants may not accompany workers in these sub-degree posts.
The Statement also sets out transitional provisions. Applications supported by a CoS assigned before 22 July 2025 will continue to be decided under the old skill rules, and workers whose permission was granted under those rules may extend in the same lower-skill occupation. The Home Office warns, however, that these concessions “will not be in place indefinitely” and will be reviewed in due course.
Impact on Existing Visa Holders
The new requirement for sponsored roles to sit at RQF level 6 or above applies only to Certificates of Sponsorship issued on or after 22 July 2025. Employees who already hold permission in an RQF 3-5 occupation are therefore shielded from the higher skill bar, for the time being at least. As such, they may continue in the same job, renew their leave or change employer within the same SOC code without needing to move to a graduate-level role, and any dependant family members they already sponsor are unaffected by the new restrictions.
That protection is not, however, comprehensive. When an existing sponsored worker next applies to extend, change employer or settle, the application will still be judged against the uprated salary framework that also comes into force on 22 July. Their pay must meet the new headline thresholds or the refreshed occupation-specific “going rate,” and where the hourly calculation falls below £17.13 the employer must raise the salary accordingly. The Home Office has provided no transitional relief from these higher pay figures.
The explanatory memorandum also warns that the concession allowing sub-degree extensions “will not be in place indefinitely.” Employers are therefore advised to be prepared for further policy announcements, mapping all sponsored workers who remain in RQF 3-5 roles, to check their visa-expiry dates and to budget any pay increases that will be needed to clear the new salary thresholds before the next application is launched.
Impact on New Skilled Worker Applicants
For any Certificate of Sponsorship issued on or after 22 July 2025, the job must now be assessed at RQF level 6 (broadly, graduate level) unless it is specifically listed on one of the two interim shortage occupation schedules.
As a practical consequence, a vacancy that falls below degree level is no longer eligible for sponsorship, however high the salary, unless the associated SOC 2020 code appears on either the expanded Immigration Salary List or the new Temporary Shortage List inserted at paragraph SW 6.1A of the Skilled Worker rules. Even then, the concession is strictly time-limited. Entries on both lists are scheduled to lapse on 31 December 2026, and the Government has reserved the right to bring that deadline date forward.
Because the great majority of sub-degree occupations have not been placed on either list, employers would need to consider redesigning such roles at RQF 6, or switch to domestic recruitment, or abandon sponsorship altogether.
Where a role does remain on a shortage list, the application will carry extra conditions. The worker may not bring new dependants, and the visa will be tied to a route that is explicitly temporary. Applicants will also have to meet the higher salary thresholds introduced at the same time, judged against both the refreshed ASHE-based going rate for the SOC code and the new hourly floor of £17.13.
Key Takeaways for Employers
Employers that intend to sponsor new overseas recruits after 22 July 2025 must treat the graduate-level threshold as the starting point for every vacancy. Before advertising or assigning a CoS, you will need to confirm that the role’s SOC 2020 code appears in Tables 1–3 of the revised Appendix Skilled Occupations, which list jobs the Home Office rates at RQF 6 or above.
If the code is missing, sponsorship is no longer possible unless the occupation also features on the expanded Immigration Salary List or the interim Temporary Shortage List as these lists provide a temporary waiver for certain RQF 3-5 roles, but will lapse on 31 December 2026 and bar new dependants from accompanying the worker.
Where the vacancy fails both tests, you will need either to redesign the post so that its duties meet RQF 6 standards, recruit domestically or abandon sponsorship altogether.
If the post does qualify, the salary you quote on the CoS must still clear the new headline thresholds or the updated ASHE-based “going-rate” for that SOC code, together with the universal hourly floor of £17.13 for the first 48 working hours each week. Build these higher figures into offer letters and payroll budgets before the CoS is drafted to avoid refusal.
Job descriptions, recruitment adverts and online application portals should be updated to state the degree-level requirement and to explain the additional restrictions that apply to shortage list roles. HR, recruitment and payroll staff may also need refresher training to comply with the new rules.
Finally, record keeping remains important. Keep evidence of how you classified the role, why it was judged RQF 6 or shortage list-eligible and how the salary meets both the annual and hourly tests. These will be vital should you be subject to a Home Office audit and will help protect your sponsor licence and the immigration status of your sponsored workers.
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In short, the revised skill requirement will narrow the field of eligible occupations for Skilled Worker visas. Employers intending to hire from overseas must confirm that a vacant role satisfies the degree-level test or, if it lies below that threshold, prove that the SOC code is still on a shortage list and be prepared for the accompanying restrictions and eventual expiry of that concession.
Employers that rely on RQF 3-5 occupations must either move them authentically up the value chain, ensure the role remains on a shortage list and are sponsored before the December 2026 deadline or recruit domestically.
The higher skill level also comes at the same time as increases to sponsored work visa salary thresholds, which are also expected to reduce the number of eligible candidates under the Skilled Worker, Global Business Mobility and Scale up routes.
To prepare your organisation for these reforms and for specialist guidance on how the changes impact your organisation, speak to our UK immigration specialists.
Author
Founder and Managing Director Anne Morris is a fully qualified solicitor and trusted adviser to large corporates through to SMEs, providing strategic immigration and global mobility advice to support employers with UK operations to meet their workforce needs through corporate immigration.
She is a recognised by Legal 500 and Chambers as a legal expert and delivers Board-level advice on business migration and compliance risk management as well as overseeing the firm’s development of new client propositions and delivery of cost and time efficient processing of applications.
Anne is an active public speaker, immigration commentator, and immigration policy contributor and regularly hosts training sessions for employers and HR professionals
