The UK is considering a set of changes to its skilled migration policies that could reduce salary limitations for foreign professionals and expand access to work visas in key sectors.
The proposals come from the Migration Advisory Committee, which reviewed how salary thresholds apply under the Skilled Worker visa route and related immigration pathways.
The recommendations are not yet policy and will only take effect if approved by the UK government.
At the centre of the review is a change to how minimum pay levels are set for specific jobs. The committee proposes shifting occupation-specific salary thresholds from the current median earnings benchmark to the 25th percentile.
In practical terms, this would reduce the minimum salary many employers must offer to sponsor foreign workers.
The overall salary requirement would remain in place. The MAC suggests keeping the general threshold at £41,700, while also presenting a higher option of £48,400 for consideration by policymakers.
A separate proposal introduces a lower entry point for new applicants. Under this plan, younger professionals and recent graduates would qualify under a single salary threshold of £33,400. The aim is to make early-career recruitment easier for employers struggling to fill roles.
The committee also recommends scrapping existing salary discounts for PhD holders. Where postdoctoral concessions are still deemed necessary, it suggests a capped threshold of £41,700, applied for no more than four years.
The changes go beyond the Skilled Worker route. For the Global Business Mobility system, the MAC proposes aligning salary requirements for Senior or Specialist Workers and UK Expansion Workers with median pay levels in each occupation.
Graduate Trainees would also fall under the £33,400 threshold, with occupation-based variations removed entirely.
For roles on the Temporary Shortage List, the committee sets out a minimum salary level of £30,900. Employers would still be expected to pay market-aligned wages, even where immigration support is allowed for shortage occupations.
The recommendations are closely tied to ongoing labour shortages in the UK. Employers in healthcare, information technology, engineering, construction, and education report difficulties in recruiting staff.
Lower thresholds could expand access to overseas candidates, including professionals from countries such as Nigeria and India, where demand for UK work routes is strong.
Nothing changes immediately. The UK government still has to decide whether to adopt the proposals through the UK Home Office.
Alongside the salary review, visa costs in the UK have also been increasing. Short-term visit visas of up to six months now cost £135, up from £127.
Longer-term options have also increased, with two-year visas at £506, five-year visas at £903, and ten-year visas at £1,128. The adjustments cover several categories, including study, transit, and family routes.
