The UK Skilled Worker visa remains one of the main immigration routes for overseas professionals seeking employment with licensed sponsors across the UK.
One of its most valuable provisions is the new entrant skilled worker visa salary concession, which allows eligible applicants to qualify for sponsorship on a lower salary than experienced workers, provided they meet specific requirements set out in the UK Immigration Rules.
The new entrant visa UK is designed to help employers recruit talented graduates, young professionals and individuals beginning their careers in eligible skilled occupations. By allowing a reduced salary threshold for qualifying applicants, the route helps businesses address recruitment needs while enabling overseas workers to gain valuable experience in the UK labour market.
Understanding the new entrant salary threshold is crucial for both sponsoring employers and prospective employees to ensure compliance with the Immigration Rules and to navigate the application process effectively.
What Is New Entrant Skilled Worker Visa?
The term New Entrant refers to a category of applicants under the UK Skilled Worker visa route who may benefit from reduced salary requirements during the early stages of their professional careers.
In practice, there is no separate immigration category called a “New Entrant Visa.” Instead, New Entrant is a salary concession within the Skilled Worker visa route that allows eligible applicants to be sponsored at a lower salary than experienced workers, provided all other Immigration Rules are satisfied.
This concession helps employers recruit promising talent while giving graduates and early-career professionals an opportunity to establish themselves in skilled employment within the UK.
What is the New Entrant Rule in UK?
Under the current Skilled Worker visa rules, New Entrants generally benefit from:
- a reduced minimum salary requirement compared with experienced workers;
- a salary that can normally be 70% of the applicable skilled worker going rate for the occupation, provided the minimum salary threshold is also met;
- eligibility based on specific criteria set out in Appendix Skilled Worker of the Immigration Rules; and
- New Entrant status for a maximum cumulative period of four years, after which the applicant must normally satisfy the standard Skilled Worker salary requirements for future applications.
New Entrant Visa UK Requirements
It is important to understand that New Entrant status does not reduce any other UK skilled worker visa requirements. Applicants must still:
- have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) issued by a licensed UK sponsor;
- satisfy the skill level requirements for their occupation;
- meet the English language requirement;
- receive sponsorship for an eligible role on the Skilled Worker visa occupation list; and
- satisfy all other relevant Immigration Rules.
Axis Solicitors provides comprehensive advice and support to individuals navigating the entrant skilled worker application process, ensuring understanding of rights and obligations under the immigration rules, and skilled worker visa rules.
Who Qualifies for New Entrant Status?
To qualify for ‘new entrant’ status for the Skilled Worker visa and benefit from reduced new entrant skilled worker salary thresholds, applicants must meet at least one of the set criteria at the time of application.
As per UK Immigration Rules, these new entrant criteria include:
- Age Requirement: Be under 26 years old at the time of the Skilled Worker visa application.
- Postdoctoral Role: Be sponsored for a postdoctoral position in a specific scientific or research-based field.
- Working Towards Professional Qualification: Be working towards a recognised UK professional qualification or chartered status directly related to the sponsored job.
- Recent UK Graduate: Have recently completed a relevant UK degree (Bachelor’s, Master’s, PhD, PGCE, or PGDE) while holding a Tier 4 (General) or Student visa. Application timeframe after completion is typically limited.
Axis Solicitors can help determine if these criteria for ‘new entrant’ status under the Skilled Worker visa are met.
What is New Entrant in CoS?
A Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) is the electronic record assigned by a licensed sponsor to support a Skilled Worker visa application. Where an applicant qualifies for New Entrant salary concessions, the sponsoring employer must correctly indicate this when assigning the Certificate of Sponsorship and ensure that the salary offered complies with the applicable Immigration Rules.
Incorrectly claiming New Entrant status or selecting the wrong occupation code may result in delays, requests for further information, or refusal of the visa application.
Who Does Not Qualify as a New Entrant?
Many applicants assume that simply being new to the UK job market automatically makes them eligible for New Entrant visa. This is not the case.
You will not usually qualify solely because:
- you have recently accepted your first UK job;
- you are changing employers;
- you hold a Master’s degree or another qualification;
- you are applying for your first Skilled Worker visa; or
- your employer wishes to pay a lower salary.
Instead, you must fall within one of the specific eligibility categories recognised by the Immigration Rules. If you do not, your sponsor will normally need to meet the standard Skilled Worker salary requirements.
Standard Salary Requirements vs. New Entrant Salary Thresholds
To fully grasp the advantages of the ‘new entrant’ provisions for the skilled worker visa, it’s vital to differentiate standard salary requirements from the reduced thresholds. Appendix Skilled Worker outlines a detailed system of salary requirements based on the job’s Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code, the applicant’s experience, and other factors.
Under the standard skilled worker visa route, two primary salary benchmarks exist:
- The General Minimum Salary Threshold: This is a base salary figure all sponsored workers must earn, regardless of occupation, subject to regular review within the skilled worker visa framework. Current levels aim to ensure meaningful economic contribution and prevent exploitative wages.
- The ‘Going Rate’ for the Occupation: Employers must ensure the offered salary meets at least the ‘going rate’ for the job’s SOC code, as well as the general minimum salary threshold (whichever is higher, barring specific skilled worker visa exemptions). These rates are regularly updated.
Axis Solicitors offers expert guidance in navigating these intricate salary rules and determining the correct thresholds for new entrant skilled worker visa applications.
Current Rates for New Entrant Salary Threshold
For most Skilled Worker visa applications made under the current rules, a New Entrant must normally be paid both:
- at least £33,400 per year, and
- at least 70% of the standard going rate for the relevant SOC 2020 occupation code.
Both conditions must be met for a new entrant visa UK. It is not sufficient to satisfy only one of these salary requirements.
Example: If 70% of the going rate for your occupation is £36,000, your salary must be at least £36,000, even though this exceeds the general New Entrant salary threshold of £33,400.
Likewise, if 70% of the going rate is £31,000, your salary must still be at least £33,400, because the general minimum salary threshold also applies. For better financial planning, check out the skilled worker visa fees applicable in 2026.
The Importance of Accurate SOC Code Identification for New Entrant Salaries
Accurate identification of the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code is fundamental when determining the correct new entrant skilled worker salary. The SOC code dictates job eligibility for sponsorship under the skilled worker visa occupation list and forms the basis for the ‘going rate’, against which reduced new entrant skilled worker salary thresholds are calculated.
Sponsoring employers are responsible for selecting the most appropriate SOC code reflecting the job’s duties, responsibilities, and skill level, requiring careful analysis of the job description and the ONS SOC code framework.
The Home Office uses this framework to assess role eligibility under Appendix Skilled Worker and determine relevant salary expectations for both standard and new entrant skilled worker salary applications. Incorrect SOC code assignment can cause significant delays and application rejection.
Several factors highlight the importance of accurate SOC code identification for new entrant skilled worker visa, including:
- Compliance with Immigration Rules: Offering a salary below the required threshold based on the correct SOC code can lead to skilled worker visa refusal. For a new entrant skilled worker, this means ensuring the reduced salary is a permissible percentage of the correct ‘going rate’ and above the specific minimum salary floor for new entrants associated with that SOC code. Discrepancies can be flagged by the Home Office.
- Fair Compensation: While ‘new entrant’ provisions allow reduced salaries, employers must still ensure fair compensation for the role and the individual’s skills, even within reduced thresholds. Accurate SOC code identification helps benchmark the salary against appropriate industry standards for a skilled worker visa new entrant, ensuring fair wages for new entrants.
- Sponsor Licence Obligations: Sponsoring employers must comply with all Immigration Rules, including paying sponsored workers appropriately based on the relevant SOC code and ‘new entrant’ provisions, if applicable. Incorrect SOC code usage can breach sponsor licence conditions, potentially leading to sanctions or revocation.
- Future Visa Extensions and Settlement: When a new entrant skilled worker applies for extensions or ILR, the salary must meet prevailing requirements based on the correct SOC code and may no longer be subject to ‘new entrant’ reductions. Accurate initial SOC code assignment ensures consistent salary progression and future immigration applications. Inconsistencies can raise Home Office concerns.
The Duration of the New Entrant Salary Provisions
While ‘new entrant’ provisions offer a valuable pathway for recent graduates and younger professionals to enter the UK workforce under a skilled worker visa with reduced salary thresholds, this status and its associated benefits are not indefinite. Appendix Skilled Worker and the immigration rules new entrant sections clearly define the maximum period for which an individual can be classified as a ‘new entrant’ for salary purposes.
Key aspects regarding the duration of the new entrant skilled worker salary provisions include:
- Cumulative Limit: The four-year period is cumulative. Time held under a skilled worker visa as a new entrant, even across multiple grants or employers, counts towards this total.
- Trigger for Standard Salary: After four cumulative years as a new entrant skilled worker, subsequent applications for further leave to remain under the skilled worker visa require the applicant to be paid the full standard salary for their occupation, based on the ‘going rate’ and the general minimum salary threshold at that time.
- Impact on ILR: When a former new entrant becomes eligible for a skilled worker visa ILR after five years of continuous lawful residence, their salary at the time of application must meet the full standard salary requirements for their occupation. ‘New entrant’ salary reductions do not apply in ILR requirements for skilled worker visa.
- Employer Planning: Understanding the four-year limit on new entrant skilled worker salary provisions is vital for employer workforce planning and budgeting, requiring consideration of long-term salary progression.
- Employee Career Development: Individuals on a skilled worker visa under ‘new entrant’ provisions should proactively focus on professional development to ensure salary progression towards the standard ‘going rate’ within this timeframe.
Record Keeping: Accurate records of time spent under ‘new entrant’ status are essential for both employers and employees to ensure compliance with the four-year limit.
How Long Does New Entrant Status Last?
New entrant status is valid for up to four years. This includes any time you may have spent on other relevant visa routes, such as:
- Tier 2 (General)
- Graduate route
- Skilled Worker visa
For example, if you have already spent one year on the Graduate route and are now applying for a five-year Skilled Worker visa, you would only have three years remaining as a new entrant. After the four-year period, you would need to meet the standard salary requirements if you wish to extend your visa.
Need Advice on a New Entrant Skilled Worker Visa?
Whether you’re an employer looking to sponsor overseas talent or an individual applying for a New Entrant visa, obtaining the right legal advice can help you avoid costly mistakes and delays.
At Axis Solicitors, our UK immigration lawyers advise businesses and individuals on every stage of the Skilled Worker visa process, including:
- Assessing eligibility under the New Entrant rules.
- Checking salary thresholds and occupation codes.
- Skilled Worker visa applications and extensions.
- Sponsor licence applications and compliance.
- Settlement (Indefinite Leave to Remain) for Skilled Workers.
- Challenging visa refusals where appropriate.
Our team provides practical, tailored advice based on the latest UK Immigration Rules to help you prepare a strong application and remain compliant with Home Office requirements. Contact Axis Solicitors today to discuss your Skilled Worker visa or sponsor licence requirements.
