What Happens if Your Salary Falls Below the Skilled Worker Threshold

Your Salary Must Keep Meeting the Rules

When you got your Skilled Worker visa, your job had to meet a salary requirement. Many people think this is a one-off check. It is not. Your pay must keep meeting the rules for the whole time you hold the visa.

To stay compliant, your salary must meet two separate figures. First, it must meet the general Skilled Worker salary threshold. Second, it must meet the going rate for your specific job. You need to meet the higher of the two. If your pay falls below either, you have a problem.

Since 22 July 2025 the general threshold has been £41,700 a year. A lower threshold of £33,400 applies only where one of the published reduced-rate cases fits, such as a new entrant, a relevant PhD, or a job on the Immigration Salary List. A PhD outside science, technology, engineering, and mathematics carries its own floor of £37,500.

From 26 March 2026 the rules also require the salary to be paid in each pay period, not averaged across the year.

Why Salaries Drop

A salary can fall below the threshold for several common reasons. It helps to know which one applies to you, because the fix is different in each case.

• Reduced hours. If your hours are cut, your total pay usually drops too. The Home Office looks at your pay on a full-time basis, so fewer hours can take you below the rules. You can read more about how this works in our guide on reduced hours and pay cuts.
• A role change. If your duties change, your job may fall under a different occupation code with a different going rate. A new, higher going rate can leave your current pay too low. See our guide on a promotion or role change with the same sponsor.
• A pay cut. Your employer might reduce salaries across the business, or change your pay as part of a restructure. Any cut that takes you below the threshold or the going rate is a risk.

How the Salary Is Worked Out

The Home Office does not just look at the number on your payslip. It works out your salary in a specific way. Our guide on how Skilled Worker salary is calculated explains this in full.

In short, your pay is assessed on a full-time equivalent basis. This means the Home Office checks what you would earn for full-time hours. Only your basic, guaranteed pay normally counts. Things like one-off bonuses or overtime that you cannot rely on usually do not count towards meeting the threshold.

The Risk to Your Current Visa

If your pay drops below the rules, your sponsor must report this to the Home Office. Reporting changes is one of their sponsor duties, and they can lose their licence if they fail to do it.

Once the Home Office knows, it can decide that your job no longer meets the Skilled Worker rules. This can lead to your visa being curtailed, which means it is cut short. You can read about how this works in our guide on employment rights for visa holders, which covers your wider position at work.

The Risk to a Future Extension

When you apply to extend your Skilled Worker visa, the Home Office checks your salary again. Our guide to the Skilled Worker extension sets out the full process.

If your pay is below the threshold or the going rate when you apply to extend, your application can be refused. This is true even if your pay met the rules at the start of your visa. The check is based on your pay at the time you apply, so a drop can leave you unable to stay.

The Risk to Your ILR

ILR stands for Indefinite Leave to Remain. It is the right to live in the UK without a time limit. Our guide on ILR for Skilled Worker visa holders explains the route.

To get ILR, your salary must meet the rules on the date you apply for settlement. The ILR salary threshold is its own check. If your pay is too low at that point, your ILR application can be refused. This can happen even after years of lawful work, so it is worth watching your salary closely as your ILR date gets closer.

What You Can Do

If your pay is at risk of dropping below the rules, act early. The sooner you act, the more options you have.

• Raise it with your employer. Explain clearly that your pay must stay above the threshold and the going rate to protect your visa. Many employers do not realise the rules apply for the whole visa, not just at the start.
• Check the current figures. The threshold and going rates change over time. Since 22 July 2025 the general Skilled Worker threshold has been £41,700, but your job needs more if its going rate is higher. Always check the current figures on GOV.UK.
• Look at a new sponsored role. If your employer cannot keep your pay high enough, you may need to change jobs or move to a new sponsor. Our guide on switching sponsors walks through this.
• Look at the other routes. Other work and family routes have their own published requirements, which our guides set out. A regulated adviser, listed by the Immigration Advice Authority, can advise on your own circumstances.

A Note on New Entrants

Some people qualify for a lower salary rate as a new entrant, for example if they are early in their career. Our guide on the new entrant salary explains who this applies to.

If you used the new entrant rate, be careful. This rate does not last forever. When it ends, you must meet the standard threshold and going rate. Plan ahead so that your pay rises in time.

Next Steps

Related guides:

• Skilled Worker Salary Threshold
• Going Rate for Skilled Worker Jobs
• Skilled Worker Extension Guide
• ILR for Skilled Worker Visa Holders
• Changing Jobs on a Skilled Worker Visa

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