What Happens if Your Salary Falls Below the Skilled Worker Threshold

Your Salary Must Keep Meeting the Rules

A Skilled Worker visa is granted for a job that meets a salary requirement. This is not a one-off check. Paragraph S4.30 of the sponsor guidance says a sponsor must stop sponsoring a worker whose revised salary “no longer meets any salary, hourly or going rate requirement for the job”.

Salary must meet two separate figures. First, the general Skilled Worker salary threshold. Second, the going rate for the specific job. Pay must reach the higher of the two.

Since 22 July 2025 the standard general threshold has been £41,700 a year. Paragraph SW 4.2 of the Immigration Rules sets lower thresholds under other options: £37,500 with a PhD relevant to the job; £33,400 with a relevant PhD in science, technology, engineering or mathematics, for a job on the Immigration Salary List, or for a new entrant (see our guide on PhD points); and lower figures for listed health and education jobs. People first granted Skilled Worker permission before 4 April 2024, who have held it continuously since, can use further lower options in applications made before 4 April 2030. The going rate for the job also applies in each case.

From 8 April 2026 the rules also require the salary to be paid in each pay period: at least the going rate for every hour worked in that period, and, for monthly pay, at least a quarter of the required annual salary over any 3 months (paragraph SW 14.3B).

Why Salaries Drop

A salary can fall below the threshold for several common reasons, and the published rules treat each one differently.

• Reduced hours. A cut in hours usually cuts total pay too. The Home Office compares actual gross pay with the general threshold and does not convert it to a full-time equivalent: Sponsor a Skilled Worker, paragraph SK7.11, says “we will not pro-rate their salary to the equivalent full-time earnings”. So fewer hours can take pay below the threshold. Only the going rate is adjusted to the hours worked. Our guide on reduced hours and pay cuts sets out how this works.
• A role change. If a change of duties moves the job into a different occupation code, the sponsor guidance (paragraph S9.13) says a new certificate of sponsorship and a new application are normally needed, and the new code's going rate applies. See our guide on a promotion or role change with the same sponsor.
• A pay cut. An employer might reduce salaries across the business, or change pay as part of a restructure. The sponsor guidance lists no business-wide exception: a cut that takes pay below the threshold or the going rate is treated like any other.

How the Salary Is Worked Out

The Home Office does not just look at the number on a payslip. Our guide on how Skilled Worker salary is calculated explains the method in full.

In short, actual gross pay is compared with the general threshold; it is not converted to a full-time equivalent. The going rate is pro-rated to the weekly hours stated by the sponsor. Only guaranteed basic gross pay counts (paragraph SW 14.1). Paragraph SW 14.2 says shift pay, overtime and bonuses do not count “whether or not it is guaranteed”, and nor do one-off payments or allowances.

The Risk to Your Current Visa

If pay drops below the rules, the sponsor must report this to the Home Office within 10 working days. Paragraph C1.35 of sponsor guidance part 3 says the Home Office may revoke a sponsor's licence if it fails to comply with its reporting duties.

The sponsor must stop sponsoring a worker whose reduced salary no longer meets the salary or going-rate requirement, and paragraph SUI 37.1 of the Immigration Rules says the Home Office may cancel the worker's permission. Our guide on employment rights for visa holders covers the wider position at work.

The Risk to a Future Extension

An application to extend a Skilled Worker visa is checked against the salary rules again. Our guide to the Skilled Worker extension sets out the full process.

The salary points requirement in paragraph SW 4.2 applies to each application, based on the job and salary at the time of that application. A salary that met the rules at the start of the visa does not carry over.

The Risk to Settlement

Settlement, also called indefinite leave to remain, is permission to live in the UK without a time limit. Our guide on settlement for Skilled Worker visa holders explains the route.

Paragraph SW 24.2 requires the sponsor to confirm that the applicant is paid, and will be paid for the foreseeable future, at least the salary in paragraph SW 24.3. The settlement salary threshold is its own check. Paragraph SW 25.1 says an application that does not meet the requirements is refused, even after years on the route.

What the Rules Turn On

The published rules turn on these points:

• Whether the cut keeps the same salary option. Sponsor a Skilled Worker, paragraph SK8.4, says no new certificate of sponsorship is needed if the reduced salary would still score points under the same salary option as the current permission. If the new salary only meets a different option, paragraph SK8.6 requires a new certificate and a successful new application before the cut.
• The current figures. Thresholds and going rates change over time. Since 22 July 2025 the standard general threshold has been £41,700, and a job with a higher going rate needs more. Current figures are on GOV.UK.
• A new sponsored role. Changing jobs or switching sponsors needs a new application, with the salary rules applied to the new job.
• Other routes. Other work and family routes have their own published requirements, which our guides set out. GOV.UK says immigration advisers must be registered with the Immigration Advice Authority or be a member of an approved professional body, such as a solicitor; only they may advise on a particular person's circumstances.

A Note on New Entrants

The new entrant rate applies to someone “at the start of their career”, as paragraph SW 4.2 puts it. Our guide on the new entrant salary explains who this applies to.

The new entrant rate is time-limited. Paragraph SW 12.3 says it cannot be granted if the person's combined permission as a Skilled Worker, Graduate or Tier 2 worker would then be more than 4 years in total. An application after that point has to meet the threshold and going rate of another salary option.

Next Steps

Related guides:

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

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