The United Kingdom government is considering relaxing certain skilled work visa rules by potentially lowering strict salary thresholds across several immigration routes.
The move follows recommendations from the independent Migration Advisory Committee, MAC, aimed at balancing labour shortages with competitive wage standards.
If implemented, the adjustments will expand employment and migration pathways for skilled professionals from Nigeria, India and other non-EU countries.
—25th percentile proposed for occupations–
A key MAC recommendation is to reduce occupation-specific salary thresholds under the Skilled Worker visa route.
The committee proposes basing salary requirements for individual occupations on the 25th percentile of earnings instead of the current median salary benchmark. This would lower the minimum salary employers must offer for many sponsored roles.
However, the MAC recommends retaining the overall salary threshold of £41,700, while also presenting an alternative option of £48,400 for government consideration.
The adjustment could improve access to sponsored roles in IT, engineering, healthcare, construction and education, where employers face recruitment challenges.
*New entrant threshold at £33,400*
The advisory body also recommended introducing a single salary threshold of £33,400 for new entrants under the Skilled Worker route.
The proposal aims to make it easier for younger professionals and recent graduates to enter the UK labour market without requiring employers to meet salary levels tied to experienced workers.
—PhD salary discounts to be scrapped—
In another notable recommendation, the MAC proposed scrapping salary discounts currently available to applicants with PhD qualifications.
Where postdoctoral salary concessions remain necessary, the committee suggests replacing them with a single threshold of £41,700, applicable for up to four years.
—Global Business Mobility changes—
The proposed changes also extend to Global Business Mobility routes used by multinationals to transfer staff into the UK.
For Senior or Specialist Workers and UK Expansion Workers, the MAC recommends aligning salary requirements with median earnings for each eligible occupation.
Graduate Trainees would face a single salary threshold of £33,400, with occupation-specific requirements removed.
The committee also proposed a minimum salary threshold of £30,900 for jobs on the Temporary Shortage List, with employers still required to meet market-rate pay levels.
—Visa fees increased recently—
The development comes after the UK increased visa application fees across multiple categories.
Short-term visit visas of up to six months rose from £127 to £135, while two-year visas increased to £506 from £475. Five-year and ten-year visit visas now cost £903 and £1,128 respectively.
Fee adjustments also affected transit, study and family visa routes as part of broader immigration cost changes.
