The UK reset work migration. Here’s what sponsors and applicants need to know about the latest Skilled Worker visa changes – and the immigration rules for 2026.
Updated 3 February 2026 | By Centuro Global
The UK has made its biggest changes to work migration since 2020. If you sponsor talent or plan to work in the UK, you need to know what changed and what to do now.
These rules affect costs, who qualifies, and how long it takes to get permanent residency. Some changes took effect in 2025. Others start in 2026 and 2027.
TL;DR
What changed:
- English language requirements rose from B1 to B2 (8 January 2026).
- Sponsorship cost increased 32% (16 December 2025).
- Salary threshold jumped to £41,700.
- Skill level rose to bachelor’s degree (RQF Level 6).
- 111 jobs no longer qualify.
- Care worker route closed (22 July 2025).
- Graduate visa cut from 2 years to 18 months (1 January 2027)
- Path to settlement may extend to 10 years (April 2026).
2026 Changes to Skilled Worker Visas
English Language Requirements
From 8 January 2026, the English requirement rose from B1 to B2. This affects Skilled Worker, Scale-up, and High Potential Individual visas.
Who this affects:
- New applicants from 8 January 2026
- People switching from another visa category
Who this doesn’t affect:
- People already on Skilled Worker visas (they can extend using B1)
- Nationals from majority English-speaking countries
- People with UK degrees
- People with overseas degrees taught in English (verified by Ecctis)
- Healthcare professionals who passed language tests for UK registration
What employers must do:
B2 tests all four skills: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. A developer who codes well but writes poorly may now fail. Plan for delays. Test candidates early.
Immigration Skills Charge Increase
The Immigration Skills Charge rose 32% on 16 December 2025.
New rates:
- Large sponsors: £1,320 per year (up from £1,000)
- Small and charitable sponsors: £480 per year (up from £364)
For a five-year visa, large sponsors now pay £6,600 in skills charges alone.
Immigration Rules for Skilled Worker Visas in 2026
Salary Thresholds
The general salary floor is now £41,700.
Employers must:
- Meet both the salary threshold and the going rate for each job code
- Show how you calculated salaries (especially for part-time work)
- Keep contracts and payroll records that match your Certificate of Sponsorship
Skill Thresholds
The skill level is now RQF Level 6, equal to a bachelor’s degree. This removed 111 jobs from the eligible list.
What employers must do:
- Review every role you sponsor and confirm it meets RQF Level 6
- Check the Temporary Shortage List for RQF 3–5 roles (limited exceptions)
- Plan workforce needs around roles that no longer qualify
- Update job descriptions to match the correct SOC code
- Keep records showing how you determined each role’s skill level
Wrong SOC coding is a leading cause of licence revocation. Get it right.
Transitional Protections (Until 22 July 2028)
Workers employed on Skilled Worker visas before 22 July 2025 can extend, switch employers, or vary conditions using old occupation tables. Their permission must be continuous.
What employers must do:
- Collect proof of continuous permission (visa grants, BRP history, prior Certificates of Sponsorship)
- Use the correct legacy table when sponsoring extensions or changes
- Remember: protections end 22 July 2028
Social Care Recruitment Ended
From 22 July 2025, you cannot recruit overseas care workers through the Skilled Worker route.
What employers must do:
- Remove overseas care worker recruitment from HR materials
- Focus on domestic hiring
- Check that recruitment agencies understand this change
Compliance Tightened
The Home Office revoked nearly 2,000 sponsor licences in 2025. Common causes: missing right-to-work records, late reporting, wrong salaries, and job duties that don’t match SOC codes.
What employers must do:
- Run audits every 6–12 months (check right-to-work evidence, Certificate of Sponsorship details, job descriptions)
- Set up HR triggers to report changes (address, salary, job duties)
• Review Sponsor Management System access and train staff
What’s Coming Next
The Temporary Shortage List
The Temporary Shortage List lets employers sponsor RQF Level 3–5 roles in critical sectors. But workers on this list cannot bring dependents.
The Migration Advisory Committee is reviewing the list. They expect a final report in July 2026.
Timeline:
• October 2025: The MAC identified 82 medium-skilled jobs (lab technicians, engineering trades)
• Now through July 2026: Industries must submit Jobs Plans showing how they’ll train domestic workers
Jobs without credible Plans will leave the list when it expires on 31 December 2026. The message: this list is a temporary relief, not a long-term solution.
Certificate of Sponsorship Fee Hike
The Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) fee is expected to more than double from £239 to £525 later this year.
Budgeting tip: In 2026, a single Skilled Worker application can now cost an employer between £5,000 and £9,000.
Earned Settlement: Path to Permanent Residency
The biggest change is how people earn permanent residency. The government is consulting now. Implementation starts in April 2026.
Longer wait times:
• Most sponsored workers: 10 years (up from 5)
• Workers in roles below RQF Level 6: up to 15 years
Ways to reduce the wait:
• High earnings (over £125,140 for three years): reduce by up to 7 years
• Public service employment: reduce waiting time
• Community contributions (volunteering): reduce waiting time
Ways to increase the wait:
• Immigration law breaches: add up to 20 years
• Criminal convictions: add time
• Receipt of public funds: add time
New requirements for everyone:
• No NHS or government debt.
• Pass the Life in the UK test.
• Prove English at B2 level.
• Earn over £12,570 annually for 3–5 years before applying.
The consultation closes 12 February 2026. A key question: will this apply to people already in the UK? If yes, expect employee questions and possible departures.
What employers should do now:
• Tell long-term sponsored staff about the possible 10-year wait
• Start collecting evidence now (innovation, skills transfer, leadership, community work)
• Adjust retention plans (benefits, promotions) for longer timelines
Try our ILR Calculator to assess your staff’s likely settlement time
Electronic Travel Authorisation
From 25 February 2026, visitors from 85 countries need an Electronic Travel Authorisation before travel. This includes the USA, Canada, Australia, and most of Europe.
An ETA allows multiple visits of up to six months over two years. It does not permit work.
Mobility managers: update corporate travel policies. Make sure colleagues and clients know they cannot board flights without an approved ETA.
The Move to eVisas and Sponsor UK
By 31 December 2026, all visa holders must use eVisas. Physical Biometric Residence Permits and passport vignettes are ending.
What employers must do: ensure all visa holders register for a UKVI account to access their digital status.
The Move to Sponsor UK
The Sponsor Management System is being replaced by Sponsor UK. It’s in trial now for some Government Authorised Exchange sponsors. A broader rollout is expected in 2026.
Prepare your Level 1 and Level 2 users for changes in how they issue Certificates of Sponsorship and report changes.
Graduate Visa Duration Cut
From 1 January 2027, the Graduate visa drops from 2 years to 18 months for bachelor’s and master’s graduates. PhD holders keep the 3-year visa.
This creates a tighter window. Employers must speed up graduate recruitment and make sponsorship decisions earlier.
High-Potential Individual Route Cap
The High Potential Individual route targets recent graduates from the world’s top 100 universities. The eligible institutions list expanded, but there’s now an annual cap of 8,000 applications.
The cap runs from 1 November to 31 October each year. In 2026, HPI usage is expected to double as employers seek cheaper alternatives to Skilled Worker sponsorship.
Act quickly before the quota fills.
Right to Work Checks Extended
In December 2025, consultation ended over extending Right to Work checks to anyone who engages with a contractor, subcontractor or gig economy worker.
- Any worker engaged – not just employees – must have Right to Work checks carried out by the employer.
- Platforms that connect service providers to clients for profit will also have this responsibility.
- Subcontractors, too.
For employers: Map out every stage of your workforce and set out with clients and digital platforms in a contract who is responsible for checks.
How to Apply for a Skilled Worker Visa
There are six basic steps. Employers and applicants have different roles.
Employer steps:
• Get or maintain a sponsor licence
• Check the job meets skill and salary requirements
• Issue a Certificate of Sponsorship
Applicant steps:
• Receive the Certificate of Sponsorship from employer
• Prove English language ability
• Submit the visa application with all documents
Get Expert Help to Hire Sponsored Workers
Sponsoring skilled workers in 2026 is complex. You must map roles to the right SOC code, meet salary and skill thresholds, and maintain clean compliance records. The Home Office is watching closely. Small errors have big consequences.
Centuro Global has helped hundreds of employers secure UK sponsor licences and build compliant hiring processes.
Book a consultation to discuss your UK immigration needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Skilled Worker salary threshold in 2026?
The general salary floor is £41,700 per year. But you must meet two requirements:
- The general threshold (£41,700).
- The going rate for your specific job code.
Whichever is higher wins. For example, if your job code has a going rate of £45,000, you must pay at least £45,000, even though the general threshold is lower.
For part-time workers, you can pro-rate the salary. But the full-time equivalent must still meet both thresholds.
Keep detailed records of how you calculated each salary as the Home Office checks.
What is the skills threshold for skilled worker visas?
The skill level is now RQF Level 6. That equals a bachelor’s degree.
This removed 111 jobs from the eligible list. If your role doesn’t meet the RQF Level 6 requirement, you cannot sponsor it through the standard Skilled Worker route.
- Exception: Some RQF Level 3–5 roles appear on the Temporary Shortage List. These roles can still be sponsored, but workers cannot bring dependents.
- The key: match your job to the correct SOC code. Wrong coding is the top reason the Home Office revokes licences. If you’re unsure, get help. Don’t guess.
Workers who held Skilled Worker visas before 22 July 2025 can still use the old occupation tables until 22 July 2028, if their permission stayed continuous.
What is the Temporary Shortage List, and how long will it last?
The Temporary Shortage List lets employers sponsor certain RQF Level 3–5 roles that are critical to UK infrastructure and industrial strategy.
- 82 occupations: lab technicians, engineering trades, and similar roles.
- The catch: Workers sponsored under this list cannot bring dependents to the UK.
- How long it lasts: The current list expires on 31 December 2026.
The Migration Advisory Committee is reviewing it now. Industries must submit Jobs Plans showing how they’ll train domestic workers and reduce reliance on overseas hiring. The final report comes in July 2026.
Jobs without strong Plans will likely leave the list.
Can UK employers still sponsor care workers from overseas?
No. From 22 July 2025, overseas care worker recruitment through the Skilled Worker route ended. This includes care workers and senior care workers in residential and home care settings.
What employers must do:
- Focus on domestic recruitment.
- Remove any references to overseas care worker sponsorship from your HR materials and recruitment processes.
Make sure your recruitment agencies know about this change. If they’re still advertising overseas care positions, they’re behind the times.
What are the English language requirements for skilled workers in 2026?
From 8 January 2026, the requirement increased from B1 to B2 on the Common European Framework of Reference. B2 means upper-intermediate English. The test covers four skills: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. All four must pass.
- Who this affects: New Skilled Worker applicants, people switching from other visa categories, and applicants for Scale-up and High Potential Individual visas.
- Who gets exemptions: Nationals from majority English-speaking countries, people with UK degrees, people with overseas degrees taught in English (verified by Ecctis), and healthcare professionals who passed language assessments for UK registration.
Important: People already on Skilled Worker visas before 8 January 2026 can extend using their previous B1 qualification. They don’t need to retake the test at B2.
How much does it cost to sponsor a skilled worker?
The Immigration Skills Charge rose 32% on 16 December 2025.
Current rates:
- Large sponsors: £1,320 per year
- Small and charitable sponsors: £480 per year
For a standard five-year visa, that’s £6,600 for large sponsors or £2,400 for small sponsors.
This doesn’t include the visa application fee (paid by the worker), the health surcharge, or your legal and administrative costs.
What compliance risks should employers be wary of in 2026?
The Home Office revoked nearly 2,000 sponsor licences in 2025. Enforcement is strict.
Common violations:
- Missing right-to-work checks: Keep copies of every worker’s documents. Check them before they start work. Update them when visas renew.
- Late reporting: Report changes within 10 working days. This includes address changes, salary changes, absences, and resignations. Set up HR triggers so nothing slips through.
- Wrong salaries: The salary on the Certificate of Sponsorship must match what you actually pay. If you promised £42,000 but paid £40,000, you’re in breach.
- Job duties don’t match SOC codes: This is the top cause of revocation. If you sponsor a software engineer but they’re actually doing basic admin work, you’re in trouble. The job must genuinely match the SOC code you claimed.
What to do now:
- Run compliance audits every 6–12 months
- Check that job descriptions match actual duties
- Review your Sponsor Management System access and train users
- Keep organised files for each sponsored worker
- Set calendar reminders for reporting deadlines
The Home Office takes compliance seriously. A revoked licence means you lose the ability to sponsor anyone. Protect your licence by staying on top of the rules.
