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, from 22 July 2025, sponsors may assign a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) for an RQF 3–5 role only where the worker already holds Skilled Worker permission in the same SOC code (referred to by the Home Office as “continuing employment”), or where the occupation appears on the Immigration Salary List (ISL) or Temporary Shortage List (TSL). This change reverses the 2020 reduction in the skill level requirement to RQF 3 and aligns the Skilled Worker visa with the RQF 6+ threshold used for Global Business Mobility and Scale-up routes.
In the case of continuing employment, the worker must remain in the same SOC code they were previously sponsored in before 22 July 2025.
To clarify the new rules, Appendix Skilled Occupations has been split in two. Tables 1–3 of Appendix Skilled Occupations list SOC codes assessed by the Home Office as RQF 6 or above and eligible for sponsorship under the full Skilled Worker rules, including Options A–C.
By contrast, the new Tables 1A, 2A 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 Immigration Salary List or the 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, unless the role is later upgraded to RQF 6 by substantial redesign of the role.
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. The Home Office has also reserved the right to bring forward the expiry date for any individual occupation if compliance concerns arise, as noted in the Explanatory Memorandum.
The new rules also prohibit new dependants for workers sponsored in RQF 3–5 roles via the TSL or ISL. This means new dependants may not be sponsored by workers in RQF 3–5 roles unless they were already granted leave before 22 July 2025 or fall within a narrow exception, such as sole parental responsibility. The bar applies only to applications submitted on or after 22 July 2025. Existing dependants already granted leave are unaffected.
The Statement also sets out transitional provisions. Workers who were granted Skilled Worker permission in an RQF 3–5 role before 22 July 2025 may continue in that occupation, including when changing employer within the same SOC code, even though that job would no longer qualify under the new rules. 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 to all applications made on or after 22 July 2025. CoS issued on or after that date must relate to RQF 6+ jobs, unless a transitional exception applies. 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.
This means that for applications made on or after 22 July 2025, their salary must meet whichever is the higher of the Option A–J annual figure and the refreshed going rate requirement, and must also meet the minimum hourly rate of £17.13, calculated on the basis of no more than 48 hours per week. For Immigration Salary List roles, the £23,200 list salary already exceeds the hourly benchmark.
‘Continuing employment’ salary bands (Options F–J) offer a transitional concession where the worker held Skilled Worker permission before 22 July 2025 in a sub-degree occupation and continues in that same SOC code. These are still higher than the pre-July floors but are lower than the standard Options A–E. New hires (on or after 22 July 2025) cannot access these lower bands.
The explanatory memorandum 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.
Continuing employment workers may also sponsor new dependants after 22 July, as the new dependant bar applies only to new ISL/TSL sponsorship.
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 either the Immigration Salary List or Temporary Shortage List.
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 Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List. 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 Immigration Salary List or the 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.
Need Assistance?
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 will either need to move them authentically up the value chain, or ensure that a CoS is assigned before 31 December 2026 while the role remains listed on a valid shortage list, or be prepared to recruit domestically once the concession expires.
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
