Insights

Home Office confirms errors in the going rates for various occupation codes which were inaccurately higher than they should be

Published on 5th September 2024

Changes to the Immigration Rules, which came into effect on 4 April 2024 contained significant errors as they incorrectly stated the going rate for some occupations. This would have led to sponsors believing that potential migrant candidates would not meet the requirements of the skilled worker route when in fact they could have.

On 28 August 2024 the Home Office notified users of the Sponsor Management System of the error contained in the rules and that to address this, the guidance on gov.uk has been updated with the correct, lower rates. Although the Immigration Rules will officially be amended in the autumn to reflect these corrections, employers can already refer to the revised rates provided in the gov.uk guidance when issuing Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) for Skilled Workers. Caseworkers will use these corrected rates to assess applications in the interim period.

The following Home Office guidance related to the Skilled Worker Visa have been updated accordingly:

going rates for eligible occupations

Immigration salary list

jobs that qualify for a PhD salary discount

minimum salary if you are under 26, studying, training, or in a postdoctoral role

Employers and applicants should ensure they are using the updated guidance to avoid issues during the application process.

Any Undefined Certificate of Sponsorship marked as "work in If you have any queries about the going rate requirements for sponsoring workers, please contact Migration Advisory Service.

Online Immigration Status Update (eVisa)

Published on 6th August 2024

This Home Office guidance was updated on 6 August 2024, with the latest announcement that all individuals with a BRP can make an application for a UKVI account therefore you no longer need to wait for an invitation from the Home Office to make an application.

Individuals can use the link here to create a UKVI account to access an eVisa.

If you do not already have an eVisa it is important that you create a UKVI account in advance of 31 December 2024.