New Minimum Salary Rates Announced for Skilled Worker Visa Holders

The government have announced fresh changes to the Immigration Rules affecting sponsor licence holders and associated skilled workers, due to come into effect in April 2023.

The government issued Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules HC 1160 confirms that the minimum salary thresholds will be going up as of 12^th April 2023.

The explanatory Memorandum to the Statement confirms that :

"Salary thresholds and going rates for individual occupations are being updated, based on the latest available UK salary data. Clarification is also being added to how salaries are considered where an applicant is working a pattern where the regular hours are not the same each week. These changes relate to the Skilled Worker, Global Business Mobility, Scale-up and Seasonal Worker routes."

The confirmed increases are as follows:

• General salary threshold will be increasing from £25,600 to £26,200;
• Lower salary threshold for roles on the Shortage Occupation List will be increasing from £20,480 to £20,960;
• Minimum hourly rate will be increasing from £10.10 to £10.75.

Employers within Health and Social Care should note that Senior Care Workers (occupation code: 6146) and Care Workers (occupation code: 6145) – are both on the Shortage Occupation List and therefore qualify for the lower salary threshold.

Employers should also keep in mind that the number of weekly hours needed to align the hourly rate to the lower salary threshold will also be changing. Currently a care worker or senior carer needs to work for at least 39 hours a week at £10.10 per hour to meet the annual minimum salary of £20,480. From next month, a care worker or senior carer will only need to work for 37.5 hours at the new £10.75 rate to reach the new minimum salary threshold of £20,960.