The government has released the Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules. The explanatory memorandum can be viewed in full here >>
Skilled Worker Changes
Below highlights the key changes which will impact employers when looking to recruit and sponsor Skilled Workers. Skilled Worker changes will be effective for any certificate of sponsorship assigned on or after 9th April 2025.
Routine update to the minimum salary requirement
- Changes are being made to update the minimum salary floor from £23,200 per year (or £11.90 per hour) to £25,000 per year (or £12.82 per hour). Each year this is updated using the latest Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
- Going rates for individual occupations in healthcare and education are also being updated, where they are drawn from national pay scales, so that they continue to reflect the latest pay scales.
Changes to the provisions for care workers and senior care workers
Following extensive engagement with the Social Care sector, the Home Office and Department of Health and Social Care have made changes to the provisions for care workers and senior care workers. These changes are being made in response to the growing pool of workers in this route who no longer have sponsorship due to their previous sponsor losing their sponsor licence or not being able to provide sufficient work. The changes require sponsors to try to recruit from this pool of workers who are seeking new employment before seeking to sponsor new recruits from other immigration routes or from overseas.
Fee Changes
The Home Office have also confirmed increases to Visa application fees and other processing fees for any applications received after the 9th April 2025. This includes an increase to the Certificate of Sponsorship fee (CoS), which sees the cost more than double from £239 to £525 per certificate.
A full list of the new fees can be found here >>
