Skilled Worker Visa: UK may consider easing immigration rules for Nigerians, others

The United Kingdom government is currently considering relaxing certain skilled work visa rules by potentially lowering strict salary thresholds across several immigration routes.

This move comes on the heels of recommendations from the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) aimed at balancing labor shortages with competitive wage standards.

If officially implemented, these proposed adjustments will directly expand employment and migration pathways for skilled professionals from Nigeria, India, and other non-EU countries.

A key recommendation from the MAC is to reduce occupation-specific salary thresholds under the Skilled Worker visa route.

The committee proposes that salary requirements for individual occupations be based on the 25th percentile of earnings instead of the current median salary benchmark.

This would effectively lower the minimum salary employers must offer for many sponsored roles.

However, the MAC recommends retaining the overall salary threshold of £41,700, while also presenting an alternative option of £48,400 for government consideration.

The proposed adjustment could improve access to sponsored roles in sectors such as information technology, engineering, healthcare, construction, and education, where employers continue to face recruitment challenges.

The advisory body also recommended introducing a single salary threshold of £33,400 for new entrants under the Skilled Worker route.

The proposal is aimed at making it easier for younger professionals and recent graduates to enter the UK labour market without requiring employers to meet salary levels typically associated with experienced workers.

In another notable recommendation, the MAC proposed scrapping salary discounts currently available to applicants holding PhD qualifications.

Where postdoctoral salary concessions remain necessary, the committee suggests replacing them with a single threshold of £41,700, applicable for up to four years.

The proposed changes also extend to Global Business Mobility routes used by multinational companies to transfer staff into the UK.

For Senior or Specialist Workers and UK Expansion Workers, the MAC recommends aligning salary requirements with median earnings for each eligible occupation.

Graduate Trainees would be subject to a single salary threshold of £33,400, with occupation-specific salary requirements removed.

The committee also proposed a minimum salary threshold of £30,900 for jobs on the Temporary Shortage List, with employers still required to meet market-rate pay levels.

The development comes after reports that the UK recently increased visa application fees across multiple categories.

Short-term visit visas of up to six months rose from £127 to £135, while two-year visas increased to £506 from £475. Five-year and ten-year visit visas now cost £903 and £1,128 respectively.

The fee adjustments also affected transit, study, and family visa routes as part of broader immigration cost changes.