UK Government Considers Raising Salary Threshold for Migrant Workers

Amid record high net migration, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch back increasing minimum salary for foreign skilled worker visas.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak allegedly agreed to a four-point migration plan with former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, which included raising the minimum salary threshold for foreign skilled worker visas from £26,000 to £40,000.
Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch has also backed raising the salary threshold for migrant workers, calling the current minimum of £26,000 'too low'.
Official figures show that net migration hit a record high of 745,000 in the year ending December 2022, three times pre-Brexit levels.
Other measures in the proposed plan include closing down the graduate visa route, restricting the number of dependents that legal migrants could bring, and prioritising Russell Group university applicants when evaluating student visa applications.
New Home Secretary James Cleverly is set to announce a review of measures to reduce legal migration, including potentially increasing the minimum salary threshold for skilled workers and a cap on overall care worker numbers.