The UK Government has trailed a raft of measures to reduce business immigration for less skilled roles in order to prioritise the British workforce for such roles in its Immigration White Paper, published in May. We have outlined these changes and what they mean for employers in this article, and will be discussing the latest on what employers can expect and how best to prepare in this upcoming webinar.
The Government has wasted no time drafting the first of these measures, spelling major changes to who employers can bring to the UK on work visas. The first wave of Immigration Rules, to be enacted on 22 July 2025, will see skills and salary thresholds rise, overseas recruitment for care workers end, and more than 100 occupations no longer granted access to the immigration system. We have detailed these developments below.
No more care worker recruitment from overseas
Despite recruitment challenges for the social care industry, social care providers may no longer recruit care workers from overseas. A transition period, ending 22 July 2028, will keep this under review, allowing care workers and senior care workers already in the UK on relevant visas to extend these and switch sponsors in-country.
Higher skills threshold for the Skilled Worker visa
The minimum skills threshold for new Skilled Worker visa applications has been raised from Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) Level 3 (the equivalent of A-level or school-leaver) to RQF6 (the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree in skill rather than educational attainment). This will exclude 111 occupations from being hired from abroad, including chefs, publicans, dispensing opticians, veterinary nurses, butchers and fitness instructors.
From 22 July, employers may only hire those already in the UK as Skilled Workers into such roles; they will be able to renew their visas, change sponsor/ role and carry out supplementary work at their existing RQF3+ level and continue to stay in the UK under transitionary measures, which will be reviewed and removed in due course, but hopefully only once this cohort already in the UK have been here long enough to settle.
New Temporary Shortage List and Immigration Salary List
52 critical shortage occupations below the required skill level of RQF6 will have a temporary reprieve and may still be hired from abroad as they are on the new ‘Temporary Shortage List’ (see below).
Jobs on the Temporary Shortage List will be time-limited and conditional due to skills and training strategies expected to eventually fill such gaps in the labour market with resident workers. The Home Secretary has commissioned reviews of how employers, sectoral bodies, Skills England and The Department of Work and Pensions will collaborate on such workforce strategies and which jobs should remain on the list.
Workers sponsored on the Temporary Shortage List will not be able to bring family members dependent on their visas. Whether or not these visas will lead to settlement will depend on the length of the visa and the outcome of the upcoming government consultation on settlement and citizenship.
The current Immigration Salary List, with its 20% discount on the general salary threshold for Skilled Worker visas, will be phased out. In the meantime, it has been expanded very slightly to 25 jobs. The expanded Immigration Salary List will now contain the existing entries plus occupations at RQF levels 3-5, which the Migration Advisory Committee identified as being in shortage in its 2023 review and 2024 rapid review.
Occupations on both these lists, which are listed below, will only be eligible for new Skilled Worker visas until the end of 2026, except for adult social care, where transitional measures are expected to end in 2028.
What jobs can be sponsored on the Temporary Shortage List?
These occupations are on the current list, though there will be a review within the next 12 months.
• 1243 Managers in logistics
• 1258 Directors in consultancy services
• 3111 Laboratory technicians
• 3112 Electrical and electronics technicians
• 3113 Engineering technicians
• 3114 Building and civil engineering technicians
• 3115 Quality assurance technicians
• 3116 Planning, process and production technicians
• 3120 CAD, drawing and architectural technicians
• 3131 IT operations technicians
•3132 IT user support technicians
• 3133 Database administrators and web content technicians
• 3412 Authors, writers and translators
• 3414 Dancers and choreographers
• 3417 Photographers, audio-visual and broadcasting equipment operators
• 3422 Clothing, fashion and accessories designers
• 3429 Design occupations not elsewhere classified – only the following job types: Industrial and product designers, Packaging designers, Performance make-up artists, Set designers and Visual merchandising managers and designers
• 3512 Ship and hovercraft officers
• 3520 Legal associate professionals
• 3532 Insurance underwriters
• 3533 Financial and accounting technicians
• 3541 Estimators, valuers and assessors
• 3544 Data analysts
• 3549 Business associate professionals not elsewhere classified – only the following job types: Business support officers, Business systems analysts, Contract administrators, Clinical coders, Clinical trials administrators and Research coordinators.
• 3552 Business sales executives
• 3554 Advertising and marketing associate professionals
• 3571 Human resources and industrial relations officers
• 3573 Information technology trainers
• 4121 Credit controllers
• 4122 Book-keepers, payroll managers and wages clerks
• 4129 Financial administrative occupations not elsewhere classified – only the following job types: Box office assistants, Grants officers, Mortgage administrators, Revenue assistants (excludes National and Local government revenue occupations) and Treasury assistants.
• 4132 Pensions and insurance clerks and assistants
• 5213 Welding trades
• 5214 Pipe fitters
• 5223 Metal working production and maintenance fitters
• 5225 Air-conditioning and refrigeration installers and repairers
• 5231 Vehicle technicians, mechanics and electricians
• 5232 Vehicle body builders and repairers
• 5233 Vehicle paint technicians
• 5235 Boat and ship builders and repairers
• 5241 Electricians and electrical fitters
• 5242 Telecoms and related network installers and repairers
• 5244 Computer system and equipment installers and servicers
• 5245 Security system installers and repairers
• 5249 Electrical and electronic trades not elsewhere classified
• 5311 Steel erectors
• 5315 Plumbers and heating and ventilating installers and repairers
• 5319 Construction and building trades not elsewhere classified – only the following job types: Builders, Divers, Fence erectors, Industrial climbers, Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) operators and Steel fixers and underpinners.
• 5322 Floorers and wall tilers
• 5323 Painters and decorators
• 5330 Construction and building trades supervisors
• 8133 Energy plant operatives
What jobs are on the July 2025 Immigration Salary List?
• 1212 Managers and proprietors in forestry, fishing and related services – only ‘fishing boat masters’, limited to Scotland.
• 1232 Residential, day and domiciliary care managers and proprietors
• 2111 Chemical scientists – only jobs in the nuclear industry, limited to Scotland.
• 2112 Biological scientists – all jobs
• 2115 Social and humanities scientists – only archaeologists
• 2142 Graphic and multimedia designers – all jobs
• 3111 Laboratory technicians – only jobs requiring three or more years’ related on-the-job experience which was gained legally
• 3212 Pharmaceutical technicians – all jobs
• 3411 Artists – all jobs
• 3414 Dancers and choreographers – only skilled classical ballet or contemporary dancers who meet the standard required by UK ballet, or a contemporary dance company that is endorsed as being internationally recognised by a UK industry body such as the Arts Councils.
• 3415 Musicians – only skilled orchestral musicians who are leaders, principals, sub-principals or numbered string positions, and who meet the standard required by internationally recognised UK orchestras that are full members of the Association of British Orchestras.
• 3416 Arts officers, producers and directors – all jobs
• 5119 Agriculture and fishing trades not elsewhere classified – only jobs in the fishing industry
• 5213 Welding trades – only high integrity pipe welders, where the job requires three or more years’ related on-the-job experience obtained through legal work
• 5235 Boat and ship builders and repairers – all jobs, limited to Scotland
• 5312 Stonemasons and related trades – all jobs
• 5313 Bricklayers – all jobs
• 5314 Roofers, roof tilers and slaters – all jobs
• 5316 Carpenters and joiners – all jobs
• 5319 Construction and building trades not elsewhere classified – only retrofitters
• 6129 Animal care services occupations not elsewhere classified – only racing grooms, stallion handlers, stud grooms, stud hands, stud handlers and work riders
• 6131 Nursing auxiliaries and assistants – all jobs (only applies to roles in environments where registered nurse roles also exist)
• 6135 Care workers and home carers – for transitionary sponsoring of those already working legally in these roles in the UK until 2028
• 6136 Senior care workers – for transitionary sponsoring of those already working legally in these roles in the UK until 2028
• 9119 Fishing and other elementary agriculture occupations not elsewhere classified – only deckhands on large fishing vessels (9 metres and above) where the job requires at least three years’ full-time legally-obtained work experience
Minimum salary threshold rises
The Home Secretary has asked the Migration Advisory Committee to review sponsored work visa salary minima, discounts to these for certain categories and how occupational going rates should be met by employers sponsoring migrants. The review is expected within six months, and as these figures tend to go up rather than down, it would be advisable to recruit accordingly).
In the meantime, on 22 July the general minimum salary thresholds for certain sponsored visa categories rise by around 8% in line with inflation and recent annual surveys of hours and earnings.
Sponsored workers must be paid a gross wage which matches or exceeds the highest of the minimum salary threshold for the visa category and the going rate of pay for that particular occupation as defined by the UK government, as well as complying with National Minimum Wage rules (with exceptions for certain discounts).
From 22 July 2025, the minimum salary threshold for new Skilled Worker visas is rising from the current £38,700 to £41,700, with the hourly rate rising from £15.88 to £17.13. For those with a non-STEM PhD there is a 10% discount, meaning the £34,830 minimum salary threshold will rise to £37,500. For New Entrants and sponsored Skilled Workers with STEM PhDs, or those on the Immigration Salary List, there is a 20% discount, meaning the £30,960 minimum salary will be uprated to £33,400.
Before April 2024’s changes, those on the Skilled Worker route and a few ‘Health and Care ASHE salary job’ occupation codes not on a national pay scale have a minimum salary threshold rise from £29,000 to £31,300. Those in these categories with a 10% PhD discount have a minimum rise from £26,100 to £28,200.
In order to meet specific business needs, Senior or Specialist Workers and UK Expansion Workers’ minimum salary thresholds rise from £48,500 to £52,500. For Global Business Mobility Graduate Trainees, minimum salaries are up from £25,410 to £27,300. Scale-up Workers’ minimum salaries rise from £36,300 to £39,100 (while transitional rates continue to apply to earlier grants of permission as those on a Scale-up visa have a minimum based on the rules when they were first assigned a Certificate of Sponsorship.)
Please contact Vanessa Ganguin if you would like to discuss how any of these changes may affect your workforce strategies.
