ILR Salary Requirements for Skilled Workers

Is earning above the headline salary threshold enough to qualify for Skilled Worker settlement?

Owen’s salary was above the headline figure, so he expected the answer to be simple. His contract said 40 hours a week; the going-rate figure he had found used 37.5.

Not necessarily. The settlement rules require the correct general salary figure and the relevant going rate, using the row that applies to your circumstances. Your occupation, hours, permission history and sponsor’s confirmation can all affect the answer.

This guide explains the assessment for an ordinary main-applicant Skilled Worker ILR application. It does not replace checking the current Immigration Rules against your records. Salary figures below reflect the rules checked for this collection in October 2026 and should be checked again for the actual application date.

Use the settlement table rather than the visa points table

The salary options used to obtain or extend Skilled Worker permission are not identical to the settlement provisions. A discount available at an earlier visa stage does not automatically carry through to ILR. In particular, do not assume that a new entrant or qualification-based discount remains available simply because it supported your original permission.

Start with the settlement section of Appendix Skilled Worker, including SW 24.3 and the connected salary provisions. Our Skilled Worker ILR preparation guide explains the wider application. The salary assessment is one part of that application, alongside qualifying residence, sponsorship and suitability.

Write down why a particular settlement row applies before using its figures. “This was my visa threshold” is not enough. You need a route through the current settlement provisions that matches the facts and the relevant grant history.

Check both parts of the applicable row

The starting selector is the settlement table in SW 24.3, read with its connected conditions. Figures checked in October 2026 are:

This is a selector for further checking, not a choice of discounts. The £25,000 figure cannot be used simply because a job is in healthcare. The grant history, occupation and exact provision decide which row is available. The previous visa’s new-entrant concession does not automatically continue at settlement.

Write down the row, the condition establishing it, the occupation table and the hours-adjusted rate. The required pay must satisfy both applicable tests. Owen’s illustration below assumes the general row; it does not claim that a particular real occupation has a £48,000 going rate.

Establish whether transitional provisions apply

Some applicants with continuous Skilled Worker permission granted under the rules in place before 4 April 2024 can fall within transitional provisions for applications before 4 April 2030. The exact conditions need checking, including the continuity of permission and the interaction with the settlement table.

Health and Care ASHE salary jobs can also engage connected provisions. A person working in healthcare should not assume that every occupation uses the same salary method. Some specified health and education roles use separate tables or pay scales.

Gather the earlier grant decisions and sponsorship details. Do not infer the relevant date from when you first joined an employer. Our ILR application date guide explains why permission history and employment history must be separated. If the transitional condition is established, keep the evidence explaining it with the calculation. That makes the reason for using a particular table clear.

Confirm the occupation code and the actual duties

The occupation code should reflect the sponsored job. A familiar job title is not enough to identify the right going rate. Two people called managers may perform substantially different roles and fall within different occupations.

Compare the current duties, sponsorship record and employer’s information. If the role has materially changed, that can raise permission and sponsor compliance questions as well as salary questions. A new label in the settlement letter should not be used to bypass a higher going rate.

Use the current occupation tables and any relevant transitional table. Where an older SOC code appears in the history, check how it connects to the current code. Our ILR evidence guide explains how to keep the documents supporting a conclusion together. The aim is an accurate assessment of the real job, supported by the employer’s records.

Adjust the going rate for contracted hours correctly

Many going rates are expressed using a 37.5-hour working week and require adjustment for the applicant’s weekly hours. The general salary threshold and the going rate are distinct tests. A part-time working pattern does not mean you can automatically reduce every threshold proportionately.

Here is a fictional illustration using assumed figures rather than a particular occupation. Suppose the relevant full going rate is £48,000 for 37.5 hours and the contract is for 40 hours. The proportionate going-rate figure is £51,200. If the general threshold were £41,700, a £45,000 salary would clear that general figure but still fall below the adjusted going rate.

Check the actual salary calculation rules, including any limits on the hours that can count and occupation-specific provisions. The illustration shows why hours matter. It does not establish the threshold for your occupation or confirm eligibility from a gross salary alone.

Owen initially has a £45,000 basic salary. Under these assumed figures, the shortfall against the adjusted going rate is £6,200, even though his pay exceeds £41,700. The next step is an accurate employment discussion and a fresh assessment, not asking HR to confirm that £45,000 meets a rule it does not meet.

If a genuine pay change is made, the revised contract, required pay evidence and sponsor confirmation must support the new current and continuing position. Owen does not count a discretionary bonus to erase the shortfall. He leaves the application unsubmitted until eligibility and evidence can actually be established.

Establish which pay the Rules allow you to count

The Immigration Rules define which payments can be counted. A total remuneration package may include items that do not count towards the salary requirement. Do not add discretionary bonuses, overtime, benefits or allowances without checking the applicable provision.

Compare the contract, payslips and sponsor confirmation. A net bank credit will usually be lower than gross pay because of deductions. That difference can be ordinary, but the underlying gross figure and payment history should still be clear. A one-off transfer is not necessarily evidence of a continuing salary.

If there has been a genuine pay increase, establish when it took effect and how it is documented. The required evidence needs to support the current and continuing position. Ask payroll to explain an unusual difference before submission, rather than leave the decision-maker to reconstruct it from several inconsistent figures.

Parental leave, sickness and other recognised absences from work can affect the pay shown in recent records. The settlement rules contain provisions addressing certain authorised absences and the salary on return. They should be applied to the actual circumstances and evidence.

Do not assume that any reduced-pay month causes refusal, or that every unpaid absence is protected. Identify the reason, dates, relevant provision and employer confirmation. Where the history raises a compliance issue, obtain advice before relying on an ordinary salary calculation.

Salary is also separate from residence. Time spent outside the UK during work leave still needs the appropriate ILR absence assessment. An absence may be acceptable for one requirement and still need examination under another. Keep the two assessments connected through the facts, while allowing each to answer its own legal question.

Connect the calculation with current sponsor evidence

The latest sponsor must remain approved at decision. It must confirm that it needs you for the foreseeable future and that you are paid, and will be paid, at the required level. The letter needs to reflect a checked employment position.

Give the employer accurate details of the assessment required. Confirm the job, hours and salary, and resolve differences with the underlying records. The sponsor should not simply repeat a threshold supplied by an applicant without confirming the employment facts.

If redundancy, resignation or a sponsor problem arises while preparing or awaiting a decision, the situation needs prompt advice. An earlier letter may no longer describe the position. Paying for a faster ILR decision service cannot remove the continuing sponsorship requirement or turn a changed job into the one described in the application.

For a useful salary assessment, have the latest and relevant earlier grants, occupation information, contract, hours, payslips and proposed sponsor confirmation available. Identify any recent change before the calculation is finalised. You should be able to explain which settlement row and going-rate table apply and why.

Knightsbridge’s ILR service assists with suitable ordinary settlement applications. A Case Assessment can identify whether your matter fits our service and what evidence is needed for the next stage.

The objective is a supported salary conclusion that agrees with the actual sponsored employment. That gives you and your employer a practical basis for preparing the application, rather than relying on a headline threshold that may not be the relevant figure.

Owen’s calculation gives him a concrete question to resolve with his employer. That is progress, although it is not an approval outcome. The assessment has identified the controlling figure and the records that would need to change before an ordinary application could proceed.

Related reading: Skilled Worker dependant ILR guide; English language evidence check; Life in the UK requirement; travel while an ILR application is pending; British citizenship after ILR.