Academic employers have long relied on discounted pay thresholds to hire post-doctoral researchers under the Skilled Worker route, but that concession may soon disappear.
In a companion review to its annual report, the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) concludes there is “no reasonable rationale” for letting PhD-holders qualify on salaries up to 30 % below standard rates.
Publishing its findings on 17 December 2025, the MAC says data show recent PhD graduates earn broadly the same as other skilled workers and therefore do not need special treatment. It proposes abolishing both the STEM and non-STEM PhD discounts and replacing the current patchwork of reductions with a single ‘new-entrant’ rate of £33,400.
![Government advisers say scrap PhD salary discounts on UK work visas]()
Universities and R-D intensive firms warn the change could inflate grant budgets and make early-career researchers less competitive versus EU laboratories, where pay rules are looser. The MAC counters that the overall impact on net migration would be minimal and that research institutions should pay internationally-mobile talent a fair market rate.
Amid these shifts, employers and researchers can streamline the visa process by turning to VisaHQ’s specialist support for UK Skilled Worker applications (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/). The platform walks sponsors through documentation, fee calculations and online submissions, helping institutions stay compliant with evolving Home Office requirements while saving valuable administrative time.
If accepted, the recommendation would come into force alongside a broader salary-reset in April 2026. Sponsors planning to onboard post-docs next academic year may wish to accelerate hiring before any transitional window closes and review stipend policies for industrial PhDs. Education unions are expected to lobby ministers for ring-fenced research funding to absorb the higher salary bill.
For global mobility managers, the message is clear: budget prudently for post-doctoral moves and anticipate additional compliance checks as the Home Office audits CoS entries against the new rules.
In a companion review to its annual report, the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) concludes there is “no reasonable rationale” for letting PhD-holders qualify on salaries up to 30 % below standard rates.
Publishing its findings on 17 December 2025, the MAC says data show recent PhD graduates earn broadly the same as other skilled workers and therefore do not need special treatment. It proposes abolishing both the STEM and non-STEM PhD discounts and replacing the current patchwork of reductions with a single ‘new-entrant’ rate of £33,400.
Universities and R-D intensive firms warn the change could inflate grant budgets and make early-career researchers less competitive versus EU laboratories, where pay rules are looser. The MAC counters that the overall impact on net migration would be minimal and that research institutions should pay internationally-mobile talent a fair market rate.
Amid these shifts, employers and researchers can streamline the visa process by turning to VisaHQ’s specialist support for UK Skilled Worker applications (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/). The platform walks sponsors through documentation, fee calculations and online submissions, helping institutions stay compliant with evolving Home Office requirements while saving valuable administrative time.
If accepted, the recommendation would come into force alongside a broader salary-reset in April 2026. Sponsors planning to onboard post-docs next academic year may wish to accelerate hiring before any transitional window closes and review stipend policies for industrial PhDs. Education unions are expected to lobby ministers for ring-fenced research funding to absorb the higher salary bill.
For global mobility managers, the message is clear: budget prudently for post-doctoral moves and anticipate additional compliance checks as the Home Office audits CoS entries against the new rules.
