New entrant salary threshold for UK Skilled Worker visas

If you are a recent graduate, under 26, or switching from a Student or Graduate visa, you count as a new entrant and your sponsor can pay you 70% of the standard going rate for your occupation. Your salary must still be at least £33,400 a year (instead of the standard £41,700). The table below works that minimum out for all 153 eligible SOC codes.

Who counts as a new entrant?

One criterion is enough. Tick anything that applies when your sponsor assigns your Certificate of Sponsorship to see the reduced salary you would need.

New Entrant Rate Checker

Tick any criteria that apply to you. One is enough to qualify for the reduced rate.

Under 26 years old

You must be under 26 on the date your Certificate of Sponsorship is assigned.

Recent UK graduate (within 2 years)

Your most recent visa was a Student visa for a UK bachelor's, master's, PhD or PGCE, and it expired (or you completed the course) within the last 2 years.

Currently studying for a UK PhD

You are on a Student visa and have completed at least 12 months of a UK PhD.

Switching from a Student or Graduate Route visa

You are applying to switch from a Student visa or Graduate Route visa to the Skilled Worker route.

✓ You qualify for the New Entrant Rate: your salary only needs to reach 70% of the going rate (minimum £33,400/year).

Hold a PhD relevant to the job? A separate PhD discount may apply instead, and it doesn't require you to be a new entrant. See the PhD salary discounts.

Find your occupation

Search by job title or SOC code to calculate your exact New Entrant threshold.

SOC 2136 IT quality and testing professionals

Your New Entrant threshold£33,400/yr

70% of the going rate for this occupation code.

Standard minimum£41,700

Saving vs full rate£8,300/yr

70% of the going rate falls below the £33,400 floor, so the minimum applies.

The New Entrant Rate applies for a maximum of 4 years total across all Skilled Worker visas. Confirm your going rate and eligibility with your sponsor before applying.

See the full table of new entrant rates by occupation →

How the discount is calculated

Your minimum salary as a new entrant is whichever of these is higher: 70% of the going rate for your occupation code, or the £33,400 new entrant threshold. The Home Office publishes the exact 70% figure per occupation (computed from unrounded survey data), and the table below uses those published figures. A lower track exists for the listed Health & Care occupations and for workers sponsored continuously since before 4 April 2024 — 70% of the occupation's lower going rate, with a £25,000 threshold. Switch tracks above the table to compare.

Example: Programmers and software development professionals (SOC 2134) has a standard minimum of £54,700 a year. The new entrant minimum is £38,300 — that is the least a sponsor can pay a qualifying graduate in this occupation.

The discount lasts a maximum of 4 years in total. When you extend or switch after that, your salary must meet the standard rate, so it is worth checking early whether your role's standard going rate is realistic for you.

Have a PhD? You may get a bigger discount

The new entrant rate rewards being early in your career. Holding a PhD is a separate route, and it does not require you to be a new entrant: a mid-career applicant with a relevant PhD still qualifies.

A PhD relevant to the job: 90% of the going rate, and at least £37,500 a year.
A STEM PhD relevant to the job: 80% of the going rate, and at least £33,400 a year.

If more than one route fits you, you use whichever gives the lowest minimum. The 70% new entrant rate is the most generous, so a PhD holder who is also a new entrant would use that. The PhD discounts matter most when you are not a new entrant. On the Health & Care / pre-2024 track the same routes drop to £28,200 (90%) and £25,000 (80%).

New entrant rates by occupation

Standard minimum vs new entrant minimum for every eligible occupation code. Click an occupation for salary benchmarks, visa rules and live sponsored jobs.

Doctors, nurses and other NHS clinical roles aren't listed: their pay is set by national pay scales, not a going rate, so the new entrant discount doesn't apply to them.

Showing 153 of 153 eligible occupation codes.


Actuaries, economists and statisticians 2433	£55,100	£38,600
Advertising accounts managers and creative directors 2494	£46,000	£33,400*
Advertising and marketing associate professionals 3554	£41,700	£33,400*
Aerospace engineers 2126	£52,400	£36,700
Agricultural and fishing trades not elsewhere classified. 5119	£33,400	£33,400*
Air-conditioning and refrigeration installers and repairers 5225	£41,700	£33,400*
Aircraft pilots and air traffic controllers 3511	£80,400	£56,300
Animal care services occupations not elsewhere classified 6129	£33,400	£33,400*
Architects 2451	£47,600	£33,400*
Archivists, conservators and curators 2472	£41,700	£33,400*
Artists 3411	£38,200	£33,400*
Arts officers, producers and directors 3416	£38,100	£33,400*
Authors, writers and translators 3412	£41,700	£33,400*
Barristers and judges 2411	£59,400	£41,600
Biochemists and biomedical scientists 2113	£45,900	£33,400*
Biological scientists 2112	£40,300	£33,400*
Boat and ship builders and repairers 5235	£33,700	£33,400*
Book-keepers, payroll managers and wages clerks 4122	£41,700	£33,400*
Bricklayers 5313	£33,400	£33,400*
Brokers 3531	£52,400	£36,700
Building and civil engineering technicians 3114	£41,700	£33,400*
Business and financial project management professionals 2440	£56,500	£39,500
Business and related research professionals 2434	£41,700	£33,400*
Business associate professionals not elsewhere classified. 3549	£41,700	£33,400*
Business sales executives 3552	£41,700	£33,400*
Business, research and administrative professionals not elsewhere classified. 2439	£56,600	£39,600
CAD, drawing and architectural technicians 3120	£41,700	£33,400*
Carpenters and joiners 5316	£33,400	£33,400*
Charitable organisation managers and directors 1135	£44,300	£33,400*
Chartered and certified accountants 2421	£49,200	£34,500
Chartered architectural technologists, planning officers and consultants 2452	£41,700	£33,400*
Chartered surveyors 2454	£43,800	£33,400*
Chemical scientists 2111	£39,900	£33,400*
Chief executives and senior officials 1111	£88,100	£61,600
Civil engineers 2121	£50,400	£35,200
Clothing, fashion and accessories designers 3422	£41,700	£33,400*
Computer system and equipment installers and servicers 5244	£41,700	£33,400*
Conservation professionals 2151	£41,700	£33,400*
Construction and building trades not elsewhere classified. 5319	£33,400	£33,400*
Construction and building trades supervisors 5330	£41,800	£33,400*
Construction project managers and related professionals 2455	£44,300	£33,400*
Credit controllers 4121	£41,700	£33,400*
Cyber security professionals 2135	£48,500	£34,000
Dancers and choreographers 3414	£33,400	£33,400*
Data analysts 3544	£41,700	£33,400*
Database administrators and web content technicians 3133	£41,700	£33,400*
Design occupations not elsewhere classified. 3429	£41,700	£33,400*
Directors in consultancy services 1258	£70,100	£49,100
Directors in logistics, warehousing and transport 1140	£81,400	£57,000
Education advisers and school inspectors 2323	£42,200	£33,400*
Education managers 2322	£43,900	£33,400*
Electrical and electronic trades not elsewhere classified. 5249	£45,800	£33,400*
Electrical and electronics technicians 3112	£41,700	£33,400*
Electrical engineers 2123	£58,700	£41,100
Electricians and electrical fitters 5241	£41,700	£33,400*
Electronics engineers 2124	£52,000	£36,400
Energy plant operatives 8133	£41,700	£33,400*
Engineering professionals not elsewhere classified. 2129	£46,100	£33,400*
Engineering project managers and project engineers 2127	£51,900	£36,300
Engineering technicians 3113	£42,500	£33,400*
Environment professionals 2152	£41,700	£33,400*
Environmental health professionals 2483	£41,700	£33,400*
Estimators, valuers and assessors 3541	£41,700	£33,400*
Finance and investment analysts and advisers 2422	£45,800	£33,400*
Financial accounts managers 3534	£44,700	£33,400*
Financial administrative occupations not elsewhere classified. 4129	£41,700	£33,400*
Financial and accounting technicians 3533	£48,700	£34,100
Financial managers and directors 1131	£75,100	£52,600
Floorers and wall tilers 5322	£41,700	£33,400*
Functional managers and directors not elsewhere classified. 1139	£74,700	£52,300
Graphic and multimedia designers 2142	£33,400	£33,400*
Health services and public health managers and directors 1171	£50,300	£35,200
Higher education teaching professionals 2311	£52,600	£36,800
Human resource managers and directors 1136	£52,900	£37,100
Human resources and industrial relations officers 3571	£41,700	£33,400*
Information technology directors 1137	£86,000	£60,200
Information technology professionals not elsewhere classified. 2139	£52,300	£36,600
Information technology trainers 3573	£41,700	£33,400*
Insurance underwriters 3532	£41,700	£33,400*
IT business analysts, architects and systems designers 2133	£54,900	£38,400
IT managers 2132	£55,000	£38,500
IT network professionals 2137	£45,600	£33,400*
IT operations technicians 3131	£41,700	£33,400*
IT project managers 2131	£58,200	£40,700
IT quality and testing professionals 2136	£41,700	£33,400*
IT user support technicians 3132	£41,700	£33,400*
Laboratory technicians 3111	£33,400	£33,400*
Legal associate professionals 3520	£41,700	£33,400*
Legal professionals not elsewhere classified. 2419	£41,700	£33,400*
Librarians 2471	£41,700	£33,400*
Management consultants and business analysts 2431	£50,200	£35,100
Managers and directors in the creative industries 1255	£44,900	£33,400*
Managers and proprietors in forestry, fishing and related services 1212	£33,400	£33,400*
Managers in logistics 1243	£44,900	£33,400*
Managers in transport and distribution 1241	£44,900	£33,400*
Marketing and commercial managers 2432	£50,100	£35,000
Marketing, sales and advertising directors 1132	£87,300	£61,100
Mechanical engineers 2122	£46,800	£33,400*
Metal working production and maintenance fitters 5223	£41,700	£33,400*
Musicians 3415	£37,500	£33,400*
Natural and social science professionals not elsewhere classified. 2119	£41,700	£33,400*
Newspaper and periodical broadcast journalists and reporters 2492	£41,700	£33,400*
Newspaper, periodical and broadcast editors 2491	£41,700	£33,400*
Other educational professionals not elsewhere classified 2329	£41,700	£33,400*
Other researchers, unspecified discipline 2162	£43,600	£33,400*
Painters and decorators 5323	£41,700	£33,400*
Pensions and insurance clerks and assistants 4132	£41,700	£33,400*
Pharmaceutical technicians 3212	£33,400	£33,400*
Photographers, audio-visual and broadcasting equipment operators 3417	£41,700	£33,400*
Physical scientists 2114	£54,600	£38,200
Pipe fitters 5214	£46,000	£33,400*
Planning, process and production technicians 3116	£41,700	£33,400*
Plumbers and heating and ventilating installers and repairers 5315	£41,700	£33,400*
Probation officers 2462	£41,700	£33,400*
Production and process engineers 2125	£45,000	£33,400*
Production managers and directors in construction 1122	£53,400	£37,400
Production managers and directors in manufacturing 1121	£55,000	£38,500
Production managers and directors in mining and energy 1123	£54,000	£37,800
Professional/chartered company secretaries 2435	£58,200	£40,700
Programmers and software development professionals 2134	£54,700	£38,300
Public relations and communications directors 1133	£77,200	£54,000
Public relations professionals 2493	£41,700	£33,400*
Purchasing managers and directors 1134	£54,700	£38,300
Quality assurance and regulatory professionals 2482	£48,200	£33,800
Quality assurance technicians 3115	£41,700	£33,400*
Quality control and planning engineers 2481	£41,700	£33,400*
Quantity surveyors 2453	£48,600	£34,100
Research and development (r&d) managers 2161	£54,400	£38,100
Residential, day and domiciliary care managers and proprietors 1232	£40,400	£33,400*
Roofers, roof tilers and slaters 5314	£33,400	£33,400*
Sales accounts and business development managers 3556	£55,200	£38,600
Security system installers and repairers 5245	£41,700	£33,400*
Senior officers in fire, ambulance, prison and related services 1163	£61,600	£43,100
Senior police officers 1162	£64,000	£44,800
Ship and hovercraft officers 3512	£58,300	£40,800
Social and humanities scientists 2115	£40,400	£33,400*
Social services managers and directors 1172	£43,000	£33,400*
Solicitors and lawyers 2412	£51,600	£36,100
Steel erectors 5311	£41,700	£33,400*
Stonemasons and related trades 5312	£33,400	£33,400*
Taxation experts 2423	£48,500	£34,000
Teachers of english as a foreign language 2317	£41,700	£33,400*
Teaching professionals not elsewhere classified. 2319	£41,700	£33,400*
Telecoms and related network installers and repairers 5242	£41,700	£33,400*
Vehicle body builders and repairers 5232	£41,700	£33,400*
Vehicle paint technicians 5233	£41,700	£33,400*
Vehicle technicians, mechanics and electricians 5231	£41,700	£33,400*
Veterinarians 2240	£49,500	£34,600
Waste disposal and environmental services managers 1254	£48,300	£33,800
Web design professionals 2141	£43,800	£33,400*
Welding trades 5213	£34,900	£33,400*
Welfare professionals not elsewhere classified. 2469	£41,700	£33,400*
Youth work professionals 2464	£41,700	£33,400*

* 70% of the going rate falls below the £33,400 new entrant threshold, so the threshold applies.

Not sure which figures apply to you?

Part-time hours, switching from a Graduate visa, Health & Care roles, or a sponsorship that started before a rule change can all shift your personal minimum. Our AI assistant answers from the current gov.uk guidance.

Ask AI about your new entrant threshold

Frequently asked questions

What is the new entrant salary threshold?

New entrants to the Skilled Worker route can be paid 70% of their occupation's going rate instead of the full rate, as long as that still comes to at least £33,400 a year. Whichever of the two figures is higher is your minimum.

Who qualifies as a new entrant?

You qualify if at least one of these applies: you are under 26 on the date your Certificate of Sponsorship is assigned, you graduated from a degree-level qualification within the last 2 years, you are currently studying for a recognised PhD, or you are switching from a Student or Graduate Route visa.

How long can I be paid the new entrant rate?

A maximum of 4 years in total across all your Skilled Worker permissions. After that, your salary must meet the standard going rate for your occupation.

Is the new entrant rate always exactly 70% of the going rate?

The discount is always 70% of the going rate, but your salary also has to clear £33,400 a year, so for lower-paid occupations the £33,400 floor is the number that actually binds. Don't confuse this with the Home Office's published "lower going rate" column. That is a separate rate for Health and Care ASHE salary jobs and workers sponsored since before 4 April 2024, not the new entrant rate.

Does the £41,700 general threshold apply to new entrants?

No. New entrants use a reduced general threshold of £33,400 a year instead of the standard £41,700. You must earn at least that threshold and at least 70% of your occupation's going rate.

Is the new entrant rate different on the Health and Care Worker visa?

Only for a specific list of occupations. Ten "Health and Care ASHE salary job" codes (care managers, biomedical scientists, lab technicians, pharmacy technicians and a few others) let a Health and Care Worker visa applicant use lower thresholds, provided they work for an NHS body or a regulated care provider: at least £25,000 a year and 70% of the occupation's lower going rate. The "Health & Care Worker visa" switch above the table shows them. Most NHS clinical roles, like doctors and nurses, use national pay scales instead, where the discount doesn't apply, and every other occupation follows the standard figures.

Is there a new entrant rate for doctors and nurses?

No. Doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, pharmacists and most other NHS clinical roles have their minimum set by national NHS pay scales rather than a going rate, so there's no 70% discount to apply. They're still fully eligible for the Health and Care Worker visa; your minimum is just whatever your pay band pays. That's why these roles aren't in the table above.

I have a PhD. Do I get the new entrant rate?

Studying for a PhD and holding one are treated differently. A current UK PhD student on a Student visa (with at least 12 months completed) counts as a new entrant, so they get the 70% rate. If you already hold a PhD relevant to the job, you use a separate discount instead: 90% of the going rate (minimum £37,500), or 80% for a STEM PhD (minimum £33,400). Those PhD discounts don't require you to be early in your career. If more than one applies, you use whichever gives the lowest minimum.

Can I use the new entrant rate after my Graduate visa?

Yes. Switching from the Graduate Route to the Skilled Worker route is a qualifying criterion, and time spent on the Graduate visa does not stop you qualifying. Remember the 4-year total cap on new entrant rates.

Keep exploring

Rates reflect the current Skilled Worker rules and the Home Office's published going-rate tables. Immigration rules change; always confirm against the current gov.uk guidance before making decisions.