Job offer below the going rate: your options for a Skilled Worker visa

Last reviewed 1 October 2026

What is the minimum salary for my job?

The minimum is whichever is higher: £41,700 a year, or the going rate for your job's occupation code. GOV.UK says each code has its own going rate. For some jobs the going rate is below the threshold, so the threshold is your minimum. For others it's above.

Your employer chooses the occupation code, so ask which one it will use. Then look up its going rate in GOV.UK's table or on our occupation codes and going rates page. The figures below are as of October 2026 and assume 37.5 hours of work a week.

Software developers must be paid at least the going rate. For data analysts the going rate is below the threshold, so the threshold applies. An offer between a row's two right-hand figures works only if a lower rate applies to you, such as the new entrant rate. The going rate isn't typical pay either: our guide on questions to ask an employer compares it with what people earn in five jobs.

Do my working hours change the minimum?

Yes. The published going rates assume 37.5 hours of work a week. GOV.UK's table says they must be pro-rated, which means scaled, for other working patterns, using the weekly hours your employer states. A longer week raises your going rate and a shorter week lowers it.

The Immigration Rules give the sum: the going rate times your weekly hours, divided by the standard week. Say the table shows £48,000 for your code and your certificate states a 40-hour week. Your going rate is then about 7% higher, £51,200. The general threshold is a separate test, so ask your employer to check both for your hours.

What counts as salary?

Only guaranteed basic pay counts. The Immigration Rules define salary as guaranteed basic gross pay before tax, plus other guaranteed payments taxed in the same way. A bonus is welcome, but it isn't salary for this test, and neither is overtime or shift pay, even when it's guaranteed. Allowances, employer pension contributions and benefits don't count either.

Money you pay to your employer can cut the figure too. The rules subtract deductions from your salary, loan repayments and investments, averaged over the length of your sponsorship. A benefit you freely choose, such as a salary sacrifice scheme, isn't subtracted. So if an employer would take a relocation loan or training costs out of your pay, ask whether your salary still clears the minimum afterwards.

Can I be paid less than the minimum?

Sometimes. GOV.UK lists who can be paid between 70% and 90% of the going rate, as long as the salary is also at least a lower limit. Most of these depend on your situation, not the job. Jobs on the immigration salary list and some healthcare and education jobs have their own rules.

Tell your employer early which row applies to you. It changes your minimum, and for new entrants it limits your certificate of sponsorship: GOV.UK's guidance for sponsors says it can't run longer than 4 years, less any time already spent as a new entrant or on the Graduate visa. See your new entrant minimum for every eligible code on our new entrant salary page. Only ask about a rate that really applies to you.

What can I do if no rule lets me be paid less?

Ask the employer to raise the base salary to the minimum, or to check the hours and code it used. If the employer can't do either, it can't sponsor you in that job, so look at other jobs or another visa route. Don't take a lower salary on a promise that it will rise later.

• Check the sums first. Ask which occupation code, which weekly hours and which salary the employer will put on your certificate. A gap is sometimes down to the hours, or to pay that doesn't count, and not to the code.
• Ask for base pay. A bonus or an allowance won't close the gap, because only guaranteed basic pay counts. Moving that money into base salary will, if the employer agrees.
• See what the employer has sponsored. A company page lists the occupation codes the employer has sponsored, for example Bupa, and a Pro account also shows the salary bands. Our software engineer page shows a role's going rate next to live jobs.
• Widen the search. Another employer may sponsor the same code at a higher salary, and another type of visa may suit you better.
• Don't ask for a different occupation code to get a lower going rate. GOV.UK says the job description has to match what you'll be doing. Its guidance for sponsors makes the employer responsible for choosing the code, and says false or misleading information about a job's salary level can cost the employer its licence.
• Don't accept a lower salary on a promise to raise it later. The same guidance says the Home Office makes regular checks with HMRC that sponsors pay what they said they would. If a worker is paid less and the lower amount wouldn't have qualified, it usually cancels their permission.

What can I say to the employer?

Keep it short and factual. Ask for the figures before you ask for more money. Copy the wording and change what's in brackets.

To check the figures:

Thanks for the offer. Before I accept, could you confirm three things for my certificate of sponsorship: the occupation code you'll use, my weekly hours and the salary that will go on it? I'd like to check the offer against the minimum for that code.

If a lower rate might apply to you:

I'm [on a Graduate visa], so I may qualify for the new entrant rate. Could you check whether it applies to this role and whether the offer meets it?

If the offer is under the minimum:

The minimum for this code is [£X] for [number of hours] hours a week, and the offer is [£Y]. Is there room to raise the base salary to meet it? If not, could we check whether a lower rate applies?

Once the salary works, check your certificate of sponsorship against your offer before you apply. If the employer can't meet the minimum, thank them and move on. Our jobs board lists live jobs at employers on the register of licensed sponsors.