Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the guidance entitled Skilled Worker visa: minimum salary if you’re under 26, studying, training or in a postdoctoral role, last updated on 22 July 2025, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of increasing the salary threshold for the skilled worker visa for people under the age of 26 on (a) young professionals, (b) regional employers and (c) graduate visa holders seeking to transition to skilled worker status.

As set out in the Immigration White Paper ‘Restoring Control over the Immigration System’, published on 12 May, this Government’s approach is to link migration policy and visa controls to skills and labour market policies, so that immigration is not used as an alternative to training or tackling workforce problems in the UK.

It is our intention to publish an Impact Assessment at the earliest opportunity. A technical annex (www.gov.uk/government/publications/restoring-control-over-the-immigration-system-white-paper/restoring-control-over-the-immigration-system-technical-annex) was published alongside the Immigration White Paper setting out the impact of some of the key policy changes.

The Graduate route is designed to allow UK graduates time to work, or look for work, for a set period after completing their studies. It does not guarantee progression to the Skilled Worker route, for which an individual would need to find higher skilled, higher salaried employment after graduation and meet the requirements in place at the time they make their Skilled Worker application.

On 2 July we asked the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to advise on future salary requirements for Skilled Worker visas. We expect the MAC to respond around the end of the year.