UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) has published an “accessible” version of its Review of Salary Requirements—a 56-page document that codifies the higher pay thresholds introduced over the summer and reminds employers that transitional grace ends tonight.
From 22 July 2025 the general baseline for most Skilled Worker extensions rose to £31,300, while Health & Care visas maintained a lower £25,000 floor. The accessible review, released 30 December, collates dozens of threshold tables, PhD discounts and regional pay-band variations into screen-reader-friendly format, making it easier for HR and mobility teams to check compliance in the rush before year-end payroll runs.
For sponsors who would rather not navigate these changes alone, VisaHQ’s corporate visa specialists can step in to review Certificates of Sponsorship, benchmark salaries against the new “going-rate” tables, and prepare fully compliant extension applications. Our UK portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) centralises document uploads and real-time status tracking, helping HR teams stay ahead of UKVI deadlines without diverting resources from core business.
![Government issues accessible review of new salary thresholds as sponsors race to meet 31 December filing cut-off]()
Why the urgency? Applications filed up to 23:59 GMT tonight may rely on the old salary evidence, provided the Certificate of Sponsorship was assigned before 22 July. From 1 January 2026, all extension or change-of-employer applications must meet the new figures regardless of assignment date, closing a loophole that many companies have used to keep pay budgets flat.
The review also reiterates that “going-rate” occupation tables have been uprated in line with the 2024 Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), warning that advertising salaries below those rates could trigger compliance audits.
Sponsors planning January recruitment should therefore budget for a 7–14 % rise in headline salaries (and a parallel uplift in pension and National Insurance costs). Mobility managers are advised to update assignment cost projections and alert finance teams to higher Immigration Skills Charge liabilities that will follow larger salary bills.
From 22 July 2025 the general baseline for most Skilled Worker extensions rose to £31,300, while Health & Care visas maintained a lower £25,000 floor. The accessible review, released 30 December, collates dozens of threshold tables, PhD discounts and regional pay-band variations into screen-reader-friendly format, making it easier for HR and mobility teams to check compliance in the rush before year-end payroll runs.
For sponsors who would rather not navigate these changes alone, VisaHQ’s corporate visa specialists can step in to review Certificates of Sponsorship, benchmark salaries against the new “going-rate” tables, and prepare fully compliant extension applications. Our UK portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) centralises document uploads and real-time status tracking, helping HR teams stay ahead of UKVI deadlines without diverting resources from core business.
Why the urgency? Applications filed up to 23:59 GMT tonight may rely on the old salary evidence, provided the Certificate of Sponsorship was assigned before 22 July. From 1 January 2026, all extension or change-of-employer applications must meet the new figures regardless of assignment date, closing a loophole that many companies have used to keep pay budgets flat.
The review also reiterates that “going-rate” occupation tables have been uprated in line with the 2024 Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), warning that advertising salaries below those rates could trigger compliance audits.
Sponsors planning January recruitment should therefore budget for a 7–14 % rise in headline salaries (and a parallel uplift in pension and National Insurance costs). Mobility managers are advised to update assignment cost projections and alert finance teams to higher Immigration Skills Charge liabilities that will follow larger salary bills.
