Immigration Update: April 2025 brings more changes to skilled worker route

The Home Office has issued a new Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules HC 733 (12 March 2025) that will make various changes to the EU Settlement Scheme, Ukraine Schemes, The Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) Scheme, Global Talent route and Skilled Worker route. 

We focus on the changes to the Skilled Worker immigration route for employers, which includes increases to salary thresholds and restrictions on hiring new care workers from overseas. 

A summary of these changes include:

• An increase to the lower minimum salary threshold that applies to certain salary options that is rising from £23,200 per annum, or £11.90 per hour to £25,000 per annum, or £12.82 per hour. 

This change is to ensure the sponsorship salary thresholds remain in line with the increase to the National Living Wage in April 2025. There will also be consequential changes to the relevant ‘going rates’ for specific occupations in health care and education professions. The Government’s aim is that this measure will “end the reliance on overseas recruitment” and reduce the UK’s immigration levels.

• Sponsors of care workers and senior care workers will be required to recruit from the existing pool of overseas workers from within the United Kingdom, seeking new employment, before sponsoring new recruits from overseas or other immigration routes. 

This change is focused on requiring employers to prioritize recruitment of international care workers who are already in the Britain, before recruiting from overseas. The Home Office will require confirmation from the relevant regional partnerships, that recruitment has been attempted before a visa is approved. 

• For applicants who are considered as a ‘new entrant’ under the immigration rules thus claiming a salary reduction based on training towards a recognized professional qualification, this must be a UK qualification. 
• Changes that relate to deductions from skilled worker salaries to mitigate against sponsorship costs being passed to employees. This change has been highlighted as a mechanism to prevent the unintended loophole whereby employees could effectively pay towards their own salary by investing in the sponsoring organisation. 

Such changes add to the increased enforcement action taken by the Home Office against sponsors that presented a significant surge in sponsor licence suspensions (245%) and revocations (396%) last year, highlighting a growing enforcement focus that is likely to continue over the course of this year, particularly in the care sector.

For further information or assistance to navigate these upcoming changes to the Immigration Rules, please contact our Employment, Pensions & Immigration team.