ABOUT THIS PAGE
A guide to minimum salary thresholds for skilled workers when a new entrant discount is applied. This discount applies to certain categories of workers, including graduates. This eligibility and salary guidance is for employers, sponsors, and organisations hiring graduates or early career workers.
How the new entrant discount works
Workers who qualify as new entrants can be paid either:
- A reduced salary of £33,400; or
- The reduced going rate for the role
You must pay whichever is higher.
Using the new entrant discount can help you save money for up to four years.
Who can qualify as a new entrant
People aged under 26
Anyone aged under 26 at the date of applying and looking for sponsorship for a Skilled Worker role.
People in postdoctoral positions in certain roles
People working in specific SOC 2020 occupation codes (gov.uk), including:
- 2111 Chemical scientists
- 2112 Biological scientists
- 2113 Biochemists and biomedical scientists
- 2114 Physical scientists
- 2115 Social and humanities scientists
- 2119 Natural and social science professionals not elsewhere classified
- 2162 Other researchers, unspecified discipline
- 2311 Higher education teaching professionals
People working towards a recognised professional qualification
This includes people training to:
- Be a teacher
- Work in healthcare
- Be a legal practitioner
People working towards full professional registration or chartered status
This applies across a wide range of professions. For example:
- Engineers
- Accountants
- Technicians
As part of professional development, they may be working towards chartered status with their regulatory body.
Recent students and graduates
People who either:
- Hold permission as a Student, or have last held Student permission which expired no more than two years before the application (and, if still a Student, must be close to completing their course); or
- Hold permission as a Graduate, or have last held Graduate permission which expired no more than two years before the application.
They must have finished a relevant course or expect to finish within three months.
Example
Someone who switched to a Graduate visa after finishing their studies and found a job with an organisation that has a sponsor licence. They want to stay with the business when their Graduate visa ends. They can only be sponsored on the new entrant discounted salary for up to four years, including time spent on a Graduate visa.