Sponsor Paying You Below Your Visa Salary: What to Do
If your sponsor pays you less than your Certificate of Sponsorship salary, your visa and your settlement plans can be at risk. This guide explains your rights and how to act.
- Section
- Skilled Worker Visa
- Reading time
- 9 min
- Last checked
- 9 June 2026
- Source
- The published Immigration Rules and GOV.UK guidance, linked throughout this guide.
- Rowan does not
- Look at your own case, tell you which route to choose, or say what the Home Office will decide. This guide shows the published rules and where to read them.
In short
- Your sponsor must pay at least the salary on your CoS and the going rate.
- Underpayment can risk your visa and your future extension or settlement application.
- You have full UK employment rights, including minimum wage and paid holiday.
- Keep records: payslips, contract, and your CoS salary figure.
- You can get help from Acas and report serious abuse to the Fair Work Agency.
Your sponsor must actually pay the salary on your Certificate of Sponsorship, and that pay must meet the going rate for your job. The Home Office checks against HM Revenue and Customs records. Underpayment can risk your visa and your future extension or settlement application. You keep full UK employment rights. This guide shows how to raise the problem and where to report it.
What your sponsor promised to pay
When your employer sponsored you, it gave you a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS). The CoS states your salary. Your sponsor told the Home Office it would pay you that amount. It must keep that promise.
Your pay also has to meet two tests. It must meet the Skilled Worker salary threshold and the going rate for your job. The going rate is the standard pay for your SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) code. Since 22 July 2025 the general Skilled Worker threshold has been £41,700, though some roles have lower figures — £33,400 for a new entrant, a job on the Immigration Salary List, or someone with a relevant PhD in science, technology, engineering or mathematics, and £25,000 for health and education jobs paid from a national pay scale. From 26 March 2026 the rules also require the salary to be paid in each pay period, rather than averaged across the year. Always check the current figures on GOV.UK.
What underpayment looks like
Underpayment is not always obvious. Watch for these signs:
- Your payslip shows less than the salary on your CoS.
- Your hours were cut, so your yearly pay fell below the required level.
- Deductions are taken that bring your real pay below the threshold.
- You are paid in cash or paid late, with no clear records.
- You are asked to repay part of your wages, or to cover your sponsor's own fees. Since 31 December 2024 a sponsor may not pass the sponsor licence fee, its administrative costs, or the certificate of sponsorship fee on to a Skilled Worker at all.
Paragraph SW 14.2A of the Immigration Rules deals with money that flows back to the sponsor. Deductions from salary, repayments of loans, and investments are subtracted from your salary for immigration purposes and averaged over the period of sponsorship — unless they are a genuinely optional benefit you chose.
How your pay is worked out matters. Read our guide on salary calculation for Skilled Workers to check whether your real pay still meets the rules.
Why underpayment is a problem for your visa
If your pay falls below your CoS salary or below the required threshold, your sponsor is breaking its duties to the Home Office. The Home Office can act against the sponsor. If the sponsor licence is suspended or revoked, your visa can be affected too.
There is a second risk that is easy to miss. When you apply for an extension or for settlement (indefinite leave to remain), the Home Office looks at whether you were actually paid correctly. A history of underpayment can put that application at risk.
Your employment rights stay the same
Being on a visa does not lower your rights at work. You have the same employment rights as visa holders that any worker has. This includes:
- At least the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage.
- The pay set out in your contract.
- Paid annual leave.
- Protection from unlawful deductions from your wages.
- The right to be paid on time.
Gather your evidence first
Before you raise anything, collect clear records. Keep copies of:
- Your Certificate of Sponsorship and the salary figure on it.
- Your employment contract.
- All your payslips.
- Your bank statements showing what you were actually paid.
- Any messages or emails about your pay or hours.
Good records make your case stronger and protect you if there is a dispute later.
How to raise it with your employer
Start by raising the issue calmly and in writing. A short, polite email creates a record. Set out the salary on your CoS, what you have actually been paid, and ask for the difference to be corrected.
Many problems are fixed at this stage. If your employer ignores you or refuses, you can use a formal grievance and then look at the options below.
Where to get help and report it
- Acas: free, confidential advice on pay and work disputes. See the Acas website.
- Fair Work Agency: for serious labour exploitation, you can report the employer to the Fair Work Agency, which replaced the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority.
- Employment tribunal: you can bring an unlawful deduction of wages claim. There are strict time limits, so get advice quickly.
- Pay and Work Rights: you can also report unpaid wages through GOV.UK.
If your job ends because you raised it
If your sponsorship ends, the Home Office curtails your permission: GOV.UK says your visa is then limited to 60 days, or however long you have left on it if that is less than 60 days. You can then look for a new sponsor and switch sponsors, or switch to another route. Our guide on losing a sponsored job explains the 60-day window in full.
Next steps
Related guides:
Questions and answers
What salary is my sponsor required to pay me?
Your sponsor must pay at least the salary stated on your Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS), and that figure must meet both the Skilled Worker salary rules and the going rate for your job. The going rate is the standard pay for your occupation code. Your sponsor cannot pay you less than what it promised the Home Office.
Can underpayment put my visa at risk?
Yes. If your pay drops below the level on your Certificate of Sponsorship or below the required threshold, your sponsor is breaching its duties. The sponsor guidance says the Home Office makes regular checks with HM Revenue and Customs, and that where it finds a worker being paid less than promised, it will cancel the worker's permission and take action against the sponsor. Underpayment can also cause problems for a future extension or settlement application.
Do I have the same employment rights as everyone else?
Yes. As a Skilled Worker visa holder, you have full UK employment rights. You are entitled to at least the National Minimum Wage, your contractual pay, paid holiday, and protection from unlawful deductions. Your immigration status does not reduce these rights.
Where can I report being underpaid?
You can contact Acas for free, confidential advice on pay and employment disputes. For serious labour exploitation, you can report the employer to the Fair Work Agency, which replaced the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority. You can also raise an unlawful deduction of wages claim at an employment tribunal.
Will I get in trouble for reporting my own sponsor?
Raising a genuine concern about unpaid wages is your legal right, and the law protects you from being punished for it. The risk to your visa comes from the underpayment itself, not from reporting it. Get advice before you act so you understand your options and protect your position.
This guide is general information about published immigration rules. It is not advice about an individual application under s.82 Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, and Rowan is not regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority. Immigration rules change several times a year. For advice on a particular situation, contact an adviser authorised by the Immigration Advice Authority or an immigration solicitor. Always check GOV.UK for the authoritative current rules.