The UK Home Office has issued a new Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules (HC 733) on March 12, 2025. These changes, which will come into effect on various dates, impact several visa categories, including visitor visas, the Skilled Worker visa, the Ukraine Scheme, and the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS). Below, we break down the key updates and their implications, focusing on sponsor licence compliance, right to work checks, and other critical areas.
1. Changes to the Skilled Worker Visa Route
New Minimum Salary Floor for the Skilled Worker Visa
The minimum salary for Skilled Worker visas is increasing from £23,200 per year (or £11.90 per hour) to £25,000 per year (or £12.82 per hour). While the general salary threshold for most Skilled Worker visa applicants remains £38,700 per year (or the going rate for skilled workers, if higher), the new £25,000 floor rate will apply to specific categories of workers, including:
- Care workers and senior care workers
- New entrants joining the job market
- Roles on the Immigration Salary List (previously the Shortage Occupation List)
- Certain health and education roles
- Roles relevant to STEM PhD holders
Salary thresholds for health and education roles are being updated in line with national pay scales. However, not all roles will be subject to the £25,000 minimum salary. Instead, each occupation will have specific adjustments based on the latest salary data.
For other occupations, going rates are being updated only to reflect the new minimum salary floor of £25,000 per year or £12.82 per hour.
This is how the new rules will impact UK employers hiring via the Skilled Worker Visa:
- Existing Employees with the Skilled Worker Visa
For employers with current Skilled Worker visa employees, existing visas will remain valid until renewal. However, for any Skilled Worker visa extension or renewal after April 9, 2025, the updated higher salary thresholds will apply – you will need to increase the hourly rate to 12.21 if it’s below that amount. Employers should review their sponsored workers’ contracts and assess whether salary adjustments are needed to comply with the new salary threshold for Skilled Worker visas. Failing to meet the revised salary criteria could affect sponsor licence compliance and impact future visa renewals.
- Recruiting New Skilled Workers
From April 9, 2025, any certificate of sponsorship (CoS) issued for a new Skilled Worker visa applicant must reflect the increased minimum salary for Skilled Worker visa UK. Some roles, such as NHS Band 3 positions, may no longer qualify under the new Skilled Worker visa salary threshold, depending on regional pay scales. Employers should check the going rate for Skilled Worker roles and confirm salary compliance before assigning a certificate of sponsorship UK.
- Planning Ahead
Employers looking to hire under the Skilled Worker visa route should consider recruiting before the salary changes take effect. Otherwise, businesses must budget for higher salaries to remain eligible under the updated Skilled Worker visa salary requirement. Ensuring salaries meet the revised salary threshold for Skilled Worker visas is crucial for a smooth sponsorship licence application process.
New Salary Deduction Rules for Sponsored Workers
Starting from April 9, 2025, updates to the Immigration Rules will introduce new restrictions on salary deductions for sponsored workers under the Skilled Worker visa. These changes will apply to any Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) issued after this date. Employers must ensure that deductions related to business costs, immigration expenses, or business investments are accounted for when assessing whether a Skilled Worker meets the required salary threshold for Skilled Worker visas.
The new rule specifically applies to:
- Salary deductions
- Loan repayments
- Investments
However, optional salary sacrifices, such as voluntary benefits that a worker can choose to opt into, will not be considered as deductions under this rule. Under existing sponsor duties, sponsors are already restricted from passing on certain costs to Skilled Worker visa holders. This includes the Immigration Skills Charge, the Certificate of Sponsorship UK assignment fee, and other expenses related to the sponsorship licence application or sponsor licence compliance. While some deductions, such as those recovering costs for visa application fees or the immigration health surcharge, are still permitted, they must be agreed upon in advance, reasonable, and compliant with employment law.
These deductions will now be excluded from the sponsored worker’s official salary calculation when determining whether they meet the Skilled Worker visa salary requirement. Employers must ensure that the adjusted salary still meets the minimum salary threshold for Skilled Worker visas after all deductions are applied.
Failing to comply with these new rules could result in serious sponsor licence compliance breaches, potentially leading to a sponsor licence suspension or even appearing on the revoked sponsor licence list. Sponsors must carefully review their sponsor reporting duties and verify salary calculations to avoid any risks to their sponsorship licence.
Protection for Care Workers on Skilled Worker Visa Route
To address the growing pool of care workers and senior care workers who have lost sponsorship due to insufficient work or revoked sponsor licences, new rules require employers to first attempt to recruit from this pool before sponsoring new workers from overseas or other immigration routes.
The new rules mandate that employers must first attempt to recruit from the existing pool of workers actively seeking new employment before considering sponsorship for new hires from other immigration pathways or overseas. This measure aims to prioritise the reemployment of individuals already in the UK who have lost their previous sponsorship.
This change does not apply to workers outside England or those switching from another immigration route after working for the same employer for at least three months. Employers must ensure sponsor licence compliance and adhere to sponsor duties when recruiting skilled workers.
New Entrant Salary Reduction
Applicants relying on a new entrant salary reduction must now hold a UK qualification. This ensures that new entrants meet the necessary standards for their roles. Employers must verify these qualifications as part of their sponsor compliance guidance.
2. Introduction of a New ETA Requirement for Trinidad and Tobago Nationals
Effective from 3pm on March 12, 2025, nationals of Trinidad and Tobago will no longer be eligible to apply for an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) to travel to the UK. Instead, they must apply for a UK visitor visa in advance.
A six-week transition period is in place for those who already hold an ETA and confirmed travel bookings to the UK obtained on or before 3pm on March 12, 2025. These individuals can enter the UK without a visa until 3pm on April 23, 2025.
Additionally, Trinidad and Tobago nationals will now require a direct airside transit visa when transiting through the UK, unless specific exceptions apply. This change aims to address operational pressures at the border, including a significant increase in asylum claims from Trinidad and Tobago nationals.
3. Updates to the Ukraine Scheme
The Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme (UPE), launched on February 4, 2025, allows Ukrainians and their eligible family members to apply for an additional 18 months of permission to stay in the UK.
Key changes include:
- Extending eligibility to children under 18 who were granted Leave to Enter outside the Immigration Rules to join or stay with their parents holding Ukraine Scheme permission.
- Aligning the definition of parent across the Homes for Ukraine (HfU) and UPE schemes with the broader immigration system.
- Introducing a requirement that parents wishing to be joined by their children under the HfU scheme must be lawfully resident in the UK.
These changes aim to provide clarity and consistency while maintaining the UK’s commitment to supporting Ukrainians. Employers and sponsors must ensure they meet home office compliance standards when supporting individuals under these schemes.
4. Changes to the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
The EUSS enables EU, EEA, and Swiss citizens who were living in the UK before the end of the transition period (December 31, 2020) to secure their immigration status.
Key updates include:
- Allowing non-EEA applicants to use a UK-issued biometric residence card or permit that has expired by up to 18 months as proof of identity and nationality.
- Ensuring that individuals with a pending administrative review of an EUSS decision will not be removed from the UK if they have not left or been granted entry (except on immigration bail).
- Clarifying that individuals who became EU, EEA, or Swiss citizens after the transition period cannot sponsor an EUSS family permit application.
