Starting on April 4, 2024, the United Kingdom will be imposing higher wage criteria on workers who wish to enter the nation under the Skilled Worker route. The minimum wage requirement is likely to skyrocket from £26,200 to £38,700, as previously indicated, along with a rise in going rates.
The precise date of implementation has now been announced in a ministerial statement.
When Home Secretary James Cleverly presented the revisions to the House of Commons in December, he disclosed that the new income requirement for those requesting working visas is £38,700, a significant rise from the previous £26,000. He stated that the government hopes to reduce net yearly immigration by 300,000 over the next several years, though no specific timeline was given.
The 20% pay decrease that businesses are allowed to give workers in jobs on the list of shortage occupations is also going to be eliminated by the government.
Every qualified skilled worker position falls under a certain “occupation code,” and each has a going rate—a minimum pay—assigned to it. Pay must satisfy the minimum salary requirement as well as the market rate for the position; it is currently based on the 25th percentile of the Office for National Statistics Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) 2021.
