In a companion recommendation released on 17 December, the Migration Advisory Committee calls for abolishing the 10–30 % salary discount that currently lets PhD-holders qualify for Skilled Worker visas on lower pay. After analysing pay data, the MAC finds “no reasonable rationale” for discounting salaries for doctorate graduates, who earn broadly in line with other skilled migrants.
Instead, the committee proposes a single ‘new-entrant’ threshold of £33,400 for all graduates, with no extra concession for PhDs or post-docs. Post-doctoral researchers should meet the full £41,700 general threshold, it says, unless government policy justifies a temporary four-year discount.
UK universities – big sponsors of post-doctoral and research staff – face a potential jump in sponsorship costs if ministers accept the advice. While universities argue that early-career researchers command lower pay, the MAC contends that subsidising one sector invites demands from others and complicates the system.
![MAC Tells Home Office to Scrap PhD Salary Discount on Skilled-Worker Visas]()
Amid these potential shifts, VisaHQ can assist universities, research institutes and private-sector sponsors in interpreting the new salary rules, preparing compliant applications and tracking processing timelines for Skilled Worker visas. Find out more about their UK visa solutions at https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/.
For STEM-intensive companies, the change would level the playing field between research roles recruited from academia and industry hires who already meet the higher threshold. HR teams should model scenarios in which new research hires must clear the £41,700 bar from 2026.
The Home Office is expected to consult stakeholders before deciding; however, business groups that favour a simpler, occupation-neutral system are likely to support the proposal.
Instead, the committee proposes a single ‘new-entrant’ threshold of £33,400 for all graduates, with no extra concession for PhDs or post-docs. Post-doctoral researchers should meet the full £41,700 general threshold, it says, unless government policy justifies a temporary four-year discount.
UK universities – big sponsors of post-doctoral and research staff – face a potential jump in sponsorship costs if ministers accept the advice. While universities argue that early-career researchers command lower pay, the MAC contends that subsidising one sector invites demands from others and complicates the system.
Amid these potential shifts, VisaHQ can assist universities, research institutes and private-sector sponsors in interpreting the new salary rules, preparing compliant applications and tracking processing timelines for Skilled Worker visas. Find out more about their UK visa solutions at https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/.
For STEM-intensive companies, the change would level the playing field between research roles recruited from academia and industry hires who already meet the higher threshold. HR teams should model scenarios in which new research hires must clear the £41,700 bar from 2026.
The Home Office is expected to consult stakeholders before deciding; however, business groups that favour a simpler, occupation-neutral system are likely to support the proposal.
