New Immigration Rules for Skilled Workers: What’s Changing in April 2025?
In This Article
1. New Recruitment Rules for Care Workers in England
2. Government Crackdown on Exploitation and Visa Abuse
3. Increase in Minimum Salary for Skilled Worker Visa Applicants
4. Changes to Salary Deductions and Sponsorship Costs
5. New Requirements for ‘New Entrant’ Salary Discounts
6. What These Changes Mean for Employers and Applicants
7. Looking Ahead: Future Immigration Policy Updates
8. Contact our Immigration Barristers
9. Frequently Asked Questions
10. Glossary
On 12 March 2025, the UK government published the latest Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules (HC 733), introducing significant amendments to the Skilled Worker visa route. These changes primarily affect care workers and senior care workers, alongside broader updates to salary thresholds and compliance requirements. Employers and applicants must take note of these developments to ensure compliance and understand their implications.
1. New Recruitment Rules for Care Workers in England
A major update concerns the recruitment of care workers and senior care workers in England. From 9 April 2025, care providers who want to recruit a new worker from overseas must first prove that they have attempted to recruit a worker from within England who needs new sponsorship. This measure is designed to ensure that those who came to the UK to pursue a career in adult social care can do so while also reducing reliance on overseas recruitment.
Employers must obtain confirmation from the relevant regional or sub-regional partnership that they have made genuine efforts to recruit from this existing pool of workers before sponsoring new applicants from overseas. This requirement aims to prioritise workers already in the UK, ensuring they are given opportunities before new recruits are brought in from abroad.
These new recruitment rules apply only to care jobs based in England. Applications for care work in Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland remain unaffected. Additionally, workers in England who were already sponsored in these occupations before the changes take effect will not be subject to this requirement. This includes those switching employers or transitioning from other immigration routes, provided they have been working lawfully for their sponsor for at least three months.
The government has stressed that these changes align with their broader objective of reducing reliance on overseas recruitment in the care sector. By linking immigration and workforce planning, the aim is to encourage domestic workforce development while also ensuring fair treatment for those already in the UK.
2. Government Crackdown on Exploitation and Visa Abuse
The government has reiterated its commitment to tackling exploitation in the care sector and broader immigration system abuses. Since July 2022, over 470 sponsor licences in the care sector have been revoked, affecting more than 39,000 workers. To prevent further exploitation, the government has taken steps to ensure that employers cannot pass sponsorship costs onto workers, which had led to unsustainable debt and unfair treatment in the care sector.
Authorities are also working on strengthening oversight of visa sponsorship within the care sector. This includes ensuring compliance with sponsorship obligations and preventing rogue employers from taking advantage of international workers. These actions form part of a wider Plan for Change, a government strategy aimed at restoring order to the UK’s immigration system by linking immigration, skills, and visa policies to boost domestic workforce growth and reduce reliance on international recruitment.
3. Increase in Minimum Salary for Skilled Worker Visa Applicants
Another key change is the increase in the minimum salary floor for Skilled Worker visa applicants. The previous threshold of £23,200 per year (£11.90 per hour) has now been raised to £25,000 per year (£12.82 per hour).
This adjustment follows the government’s annual salary review, using the latest Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The increase ensures that salary requirements continue to reflect the pay situation for UK workers and remain significantly above the National Living Wage, which is also set to rise in April 2025.
For healthcare and education occupations that follow national pay scales, salary thresholds have been updated in line with the latest pay agreements. For other Skilled Worker occupations, the going rates have been adjusted solely to reflect the new minimum salary floor of £25,000 per year.
Employers will need to ensure they are offering competitive salaries to attract and retain skilled workers while also complying with the latest regulations. Failure to meet these new salary requirements may result in visa refusals or sponsorship licence penalties.
4. Changes to Salary Deductions and Sponsorship Costs
New rules have been introduced to regulate salary deductions, ensuring fair pay and preventing exploitation of Skilled Worker visa holders. The government aims to ensure greater consistency in how paid allowances are treated, while also preventing sponsorship costs from being passed on to workers.
Additionally, a loophole that previously allowed applicants to contribute towards their own salary by investing in their sponsor’s business has now been closed. This is part of a broader push to prevent financial abuse of visa applicants, ensuring that salaries paid to workers are genuine and not artificially inflated through indirect self-financing.
These measures are designed to protect workers and maintain the integrity of the Skilled Worker sponsorship system. Employers who attempt to circumvent these regulations may face severe penalties, including licence revocation and bans on future sponsorship.
5. New Requirements for ‘New Entrant’ Salary Discounts
A further amendment affects new entrants benefiting from salary reductions. Previously, applicants claiming a reduced salary threshold based on training towards a recognised professional qualification were not restricted in terms of where that qualification could be obtained. The new rule now stipulates that the qualification must be a UK qualification for the applicant to be eligible for the salary reduction.
This change ensures that salary discounts are only available to those actively engaging in UK-based professional development. By tightening these rules, the government aims to ensure that salary reductions are used appropriately and not exploited as a way to lower employment costs for international workers who do not meet the standard salary requirements.
Employers should assess whether their new entrants meet the updated eligibility criteria before offering salary reductions, as incorrect applications could result in visa refusals or compliance breaches.
6. What These Changes Mean for Employers and Applicants
These updates introduce significant challenges and responsibilities for both employers and applicants under the Skilled Worker route. Employers, particularly in the care sector, must carefully review their recruitment processes to ensure compliance with the new hiring obligations. They must also take into account the updated salary thresholds when planning new hires.
For care providers, the requirement to recruit from within England before hiring from overseas represents a fundamental shift in hiring strategy. Employers will need to work closely with regional partnerships to confirm recruitment efforts and ensure their processes align with the new regulations.
Applicants should ensure that their salaries meet the revised minimum threshold and be aware of the new restrictions on deductions and qualification-based salary reductions. Those already in the UK looking for sponsorship should take advantage of the new priority hiring rules, ensuring they are proactive in seeking opportunities with employers who need to comply with the revised requirements.
7. Looking Ahead: Future Immigration Policy Updates
With the government expected to publish an Immigration White Paper in the near future, further policy updates may follow. The White Paper is expected to provide a comprehensive strategy for linking immigration policy with skills development, reducing long-term dependence on overseas labour while supporting workforce growth in critical sectors such as healthcare and social care.
Employers and visa applicants should stay informed and seek expert guidance to navigate the evolving UK immigration landscape. The changes to the Skilled Worker route are part of a wider effort to align the immigration system with domestic workforce planning, ensuring that businesses can access the skills they need while maintaining fair conditions for workers already in the UK.
8. Contact our Immigration Barristers
For expert advice in relation to the Skilled Worker Visa route, sponsor licensing or sponsor compliance, contact our business immigration barristers on 0203 617 9173 or complete our enquiry form below.
