Skilled Worker Route: New Salary Compliance Requirements

On 5 March 2026, the Home Secretary presented a Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules (HC 1691) before Parliament. The update introduced several amendments across a number of immigration routes.

In this post, we are focusing on an important change affecting the Skilled Worker route.

What’s Changing?

One of the key updates relates to how sponsors must ensure that Skilled Workers are paid. Under the revised rules, salary compliance will no longer be assessed only by looking at the annual salary. Instead, the Home Office will also expect the required salary to be met within specific pay periods.

This means employers must make sure that sponsored workers are paid correctly throughout the year, not just that their annual salary appears to meet the required threshold.

Sponsors must ensure that:

• The worker’s pay meets both the required hourly rate and the minimum annual salary level for the role.
• Payments made during salary periods are consistent with the required annual salary.

Why the Change?

The intention behind this change is to make it easier for UKVI to detect underpayment and to ensure that sponsored workers receive the correct pay on an ongoing basis.

A new rule, SW 14.3B, sets out how salary will be assessed:

• Workers must be paid at least monthly (or in line with what is stated in their contract). The pay received during each period must meet the required hourly rate for the hours worked.
• Where a worker is paid monthly or less frequently, the total salary over any three-month period must be at least one quarter of the required annual salary.
• If the worker is paid more frequently, the salary paid over any 12-week period must be at least 12/52 of the required annual salary.
• Where a role involves irregular hours that result in uneven pay, the sponsor must confirm the working pattern. In these cases, the salary paid across any 17-week period must meet at least 17/52 of the required annual salary.
• If pay temporarily appears lower because certain permitted deductions are taken over a shorter period, the sponsor must explain this when reporting.

For businesses that sponsor Skilled Workers, this is an important compliance development. Authorising Officers and HR teams will need to ensure payroll systems are monitored carefully so that salary requirements are met consistently throughout the worker’s employment.

Speak to our team for guidance and support.

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