Coinciding with today’s rule changes, the Home Office has released version 6.0 of its Skilled Worker caseworker guidance, incorporating the uplifted occupation ‘going-rate’ salaries that were first signalled in March. For many SOC codes the benchmark rises by 6–9 %, reflecting 2025 median pay data and the government’s policy to peg thresholds to the 50th percentile of earnings. Notable jumps include Software Developers (SOC 2136) from £55,300 to £60,200 and Mechanical Engineers (SOC 2122) from £41,400 to £45,100. Health and care roles retain a transitional discount but see the baseline move to £31,100. Employers renewing visas must meet the new rates unless a worker benefits from transitional protection (CoS issued before 1 April 2026). Sponsors must also confirm that any future pay reviews will keep the salary above threshold, effectively requiring forward-looking budget allocations. The guidance clarifies the interaction with the Temporary Shortage List (TSL) – introduced in March – confirming that the 20 % salary discount applies only to the *general* threshold, not to the going-rate, closing what some advisers viewed as a loophole. Failure to comply will trigger automatic visa curtailment and potential downgrading of the sponsor licence. HR and mobility teams should run an urgent audit of sponsored staff whose anniversaries fall after today. Early-career programmers and laboratory technicians appear most at risk of falling below the new floor. Where salary uplifts are impossible, employers may need to plan managed departures or explore re-grading roles to RQF Level 6 alternatives. The MAC will open its annual consultation on the TSL in September with implementation expected in January 2027, meaning today’s figures could remain in force for at least 17 months. Companies hiring overseas talent into the UK should therefore factor the higher salary costs into 2027 workforce planning.
