New Entrant Skilled Worker Visa: Salary Rules and Eligibility Explained

Key Takeaways

• New entrant status lets UK sponsors employ early-career Skilled Workers at a reduced salary threshold of £33,400 a year or 70% of the going rate, whichever is higher.
• A new entrant is someone near the start of their career. It does not mean someone making their first Skilled Worker application or entering the UK for the first time.
• Eligibility is decided against a fixed list of conditions in the Immigration Rules. The most common is being under 26 on the date of application.
• The discount cannot be granted if it would take the worker's combined permission as a Skilled Worker, a Graduate and a Tier 2 migrant above 4 years in total. All of that permission counts, not only time on new entrant pay, and time as a Student does not count.
• The cash minimum is never pro-rated for part-time hours. Only the going-rate figure is adjusted for the contracted hours.
• New entrant pay cannot be combined with PhD discounts or the Immigration Salary List. A sponsor must choose one salary option only.
• The new entrant discount does not apply at settlement. To qualify for indefinite leave to remain, most workers must be paid at least £41,700 and the full going rate for the occupation code.

Introduction

Recruiting talented people at the start of their careers is one of the smartest moves an employer can make. Graduates, trainees and young professionals bring fresh skills and long-term potential, yet their salaries rarely match those of seasoned staff. The UK Skilled Worker route recognises this through a concession known as new entrant status, which allows eligible workers to be sponsored at a lower salary threshold.

New entrant status is widely misunderstood. It is not a softer or lighter version of the Skilled Worker route, and it does not relax the rules on skill level, genuine vacancy or sponsor compliance. It simply changes how the salary requirement is applied. Used correctly, it opens the door to graduate-level recruitment. Applied incorrectly, it is one of the most common causes of refusal. For wider context, you can explore our immigration guidance on the WorkPermitCloud blog.

This guide explains who qualifies as a new entrant, the salary thresholds that apply, how the four-year cap works, and the duties sponsors must meet. It draws on the Home Office Skilled Worker caseworker guidance and the current Immigration Rules.

What Is a New Entrant Skilled Worker?

The Skilled Worker visa is the main UK immigration route for overseas nationals who hold a confirmed job offer from a licensed sponsor. Applicants must satisfy several requirements at once, covering sponsorship, skill level, salary, English language and maintenance funds. Within this route, certain applicants can be classified as new entrants.

A new entrant is a person the Home Office considers to be near the start of their career and who meets at least one condition set out in Appendix Skilled Worker. The conditions include being under 26 on the date of application, having UK Student or Graduate permission as your most recent permission, holding a postdoctoral position in an eligible research code, working towards a recognised UK professional qualification in a regulated profession, or working towards full registration or chartered status.

It is important to clear up a frequent misunderstanding. New entrant does not describe someone applying for a Skilled Worker visa for the first time, nor someone arriving in the UK for the first time. The label is about career stage and the specific qualifying conditions, not about immigration history. Someone could be on their second or third Skilled Worker application and still qualify, while a first-time applicant aged 30 with no recent UK Student or Graduate permission would not, unless one of the professional or postdoctoral conditions applied.

Why New Entrant Status Matters: Reduced Salary Thresholds

The whole point of new entrant status is the salary concession. Instead of meeting the full Skilled Worker salary threshold, qualifying applicants can rely on a lower figure. This sits within the points-based system, where salary is a tradeable characteristic that can be met in different ways depending on the applicant's circumstances.

New entrants rely on tradeable points Option E or Option J. Option E applies to most RQF 6+ roles assessed under the standard going rate. Option J applies only to a Health and Care ASHE salary job on the Health and Care visa, or to a worker first granted Skilled Worker permission before 4 April 2024 who has held it continuously since and applies before 4 April 2030. In each case the job must be listed in Appendix Skilled Occupations, and the applicant must meet at least one new entrant condition.

The table below compares the standard Skilled Worker threshold with the two new entrant options, based on the rates in force from 22 July 2025.

Only pay for the first 48 hours a week counts towards the £33,400 or £25,000 figure, but the going rate test uses all contracted hours. Our guide to Skilled Worker eligibility and salary rules sets out every salary option from A to K, with the going rate tables and transitional rules.

One firm rule catches many sponsors out. The new entrant discount cannot be combined with other salary tradeables such as PhD discounts or the Immigration Salary List. A sponsor must choose a single option that genuinely fits the role, the occupation code and the worker's circumstances. Attempting to stack concessions is a frequent reason for refusal.

Note that the new entrant discount does not apply to care workers (6135) or senior care workers (6136), whether they are sponsored on the Health and Care visa or a standard Skilled Worker visa. These roles have their own salary rules. You can read more in our Skilled Worker and sponsor compliance guides.

Who Qualifies? New Entrant Eligibility Criteria

New entrant status is not a discretionary label and it is not based on a general impression of someone's career stage. Eligibility depends on meeting one clearly defined condition, assessed strictly against the facts as they stand on the date of application. Caseworkers do not blend conditions or give partial credit. Being almost under 26, or working in a profession that happens to be regulated, is not enough on its own.

The conditions operate as alternatives. The application works best when the sponsor and applicant identify the single condition they are relying on early, then build the evidence around it. The table below summarises the qualifying routes set out in the caseworker guidance.

Each condition is assessed on its own terms. Age depends solely on being under 26 on the application date. Student and Graduate eligibility depends on the type of qualification and the timing relative to previous permission. Professional-registration eligibility applies only where the profession is genuinely regulated in the UK and the role forms part of a structured training pathway. The official Skilled Worker visa overview on GOV.UK sets out the wider eligibility picture.

How New Entrant Salary Is Calculated

Salary assessment is where most new entrant applications succeed or fail. The figure is not judged on the headline annual salary alone. It must satisfy both the cash minimum and the going-rate percentage at the same time, and the calculation depends on the contracted weekly hours.

The going rate and the 70% test

The going rate is the occupation-specific salary listed in Appendix Skilled Occupations for each SOC 2020 code, usually based on a 37.5-hour week unless stated otherwise. A new entrant under Option E must be paid at least £33,400 a year and at least 70% of that going rate. Sponsors should always use the going rate in force on the date the Certificate of Sponsorship is assigned, as the figures are updated periodically.

Part-time roles and weekly hours

Assuming the cash threshold can be reduced for part-time work is a frequent and costly error. Where a contract is for fewer hours than the standard week, the sponsor pro-rates the published going rate to reflect those hours. The cash minimum, however, does not change. A new entrant working 30 hours a week must still earn at least £33,400 a year, while also meeting 70% of the pro-rated going rate. The annual minimum is met in full regardless of hours.

Which payments count

Only guaranteed gross salary paid through PAYE counts towards the threshold. The figure declared on the CoS should reflect base salary only. Allowances, including London weighting, do not count, and nor do bonuses, overtime, commission or other variable payments, even where they are guaranteed. The salary must be consistent across the CoS, the employment contract and any supporting evidence, because discrepancies are routinely identified during caseworker review and can lead to refusal or later compliance action.

The Four-Year Cap: How Long New Entrant Status Lasts

New entrant status is strictly time-limited. A person cannot be granted new entrant salary points if doing so would take their combined permission as a Skilled Worker, a Graduate and a Tier 2 migrant above four years in total, whether or not the time was continuous. This is an absolute cap, not a per-application limit. It counts all of that permission, including Skilled Worker time not paid at the new entrant rate. Time as a Student does not count.

The Home Office assesses the cap by looking at the start and end dates of all previous grants of permission. Time spent with a different sponsor, or in a different role, still counts. There is no grace period once the four years are used up.

Worked example

Suppose a worker is granted a two-year Skilled Worker visa using the new entrant threshold. They later change employer and receive a further grant of 18 months, still on new entrant pay. At that point they have used three years and six months of the four-year allowance. If the sponsor then assigns a CoS for a further two-year extension at the reduced salary, the application would be refused on salary grounds, because the new grant would push the total beyond four years. The application could still proceed, but only at the full experienced-worker salary or another correctly evidenced option.

What Happens After New Entrant Leave Ends

Once the four-year period is exhausted, the Skilled Worker route remains available, but only if the application meets the full experienced-worker salary rules or another single tradeable option applies. For most Table 1 roles this means £41,700 and 100% of the standard going rate, subject to the £17.13 hourly floor. For Health and Care roles assessed under the lower going rate, the experienced-worker threshold is £31,300 and 100% of the lower going rate.

The same logic applies to settlement. For indefinite leave to remain, the applicant must meet the salary requirement in force at the time of settlement. The new entrant discount does not apply at settlement, so for most workers that means at least £41,700 and the full going rate for the occupation code, with no 70% reduction. Failing to meet it can delay settlement or lead to refusal, regardless of how long the person has already lived and worked in the UK.

This makes forward planning essential. Employers who intend to retain a worker long term should plan salary progression so the role reaches the full threshold before the new entrant period ends. Where that is not commercially viable, sponsors and workers may need to consider alternative options well in advance. Workers should seek early clarity from their employer about pay progression, particularly where settlement in the UK is the goal.

Employer and Sponsor Duties

Employers sponsoring a new entrant remain subject to the full range of sponsor licence duties. Using a reduced salary threshold adds extra monitoring and record-keeping obligations on top. The guidance on sponsoring a Skilled Worker sets out the wider responsibilities, but the new entrant essentials are summarised below.

Errors in classification, salary setting or time-limit tracking can lead to visa refusals and may affect the sponsor's compliance rating. In more serious cases, the Home Office can downgrade, suspend or revoke a sponsor licence. Accurate application of the new entrant rules is therefore an important part of overall sponsor licence risk management.

Common Mistakes and Refusal Risks

Because new entrant sponsorship involves a deliberate salary concession, it attracts closer scrutiny rather than less. The most frequent problems are practical and avoidable.

• Salary and occupation code errors. Caseworkers test pay against both the cash floor and the pro-rated going rate. If the figure falls even slightly below 70% of the going rate, or the wrong SOC code is chosen, the application must be refused.
• Trying to stack discounts. New entrant pay cannot be combined with PhD or Immigration Salary List reductions. Only one salary option can be relied on.
• Pro-rating the cash minimum. Only the going rate is adjusted for part-time hours. The annual cash threshold always applies in full.
• Overlooking the four-year cap. Earlier Skilled Worker, Tier 2 or Graduate time often surprises sponsors because it has already eaten into the allowance.
• Genuine vacancy doubts. A role paid well below market rate can raise questions about whether the job is genuine and whether it sits at the correct skill level. No points are awarded where the role appears to be a sham or created mainly to obtain permission.
• Document discrepancies. Mismatches between the CoS, the contract and supporting evidence are a routine trigger for refusal and wider compliance concern.

How Can WorkPermitCloud Help?

WorkPermitCloud helps employers and applicants use the new entrant route correctly from the outset. Our specialists confirm which condition you qualify under, check the salary against both the cash minimum and the going rate, track your four-year allowance, and make sure your Certificate of Sponsorship and supporting evidence are watertight. Our UKVI Compliant HR Software also helps sponsors stay compliant as the worker moves towards the full salary threshold. To discuss a new entrant Skilled Worker application, get in touch with our team.

Conclusion

New entrant status is a genuine opportunity for employers to recruit graduate-level and early-career talent without being held back by salary thresholds designed for experienced staff. The trade-off is precision. The route rewards sponsors who identify the right qualifying condition, calculate the salary correctly, and plan around the four-year cap, and it punishes those who treat it as a shortcut.

If you are recruiting an early-career worker, or you already sponsor one and need to plan for the move to full salary, getting the details right from the start protects both the worker and your licence. Browse the WorkPermitCloud blog for further guidance, and speak to our team for tailored advice on your new entrant Skilled Worker application. 

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