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The impact of the NHS 25/26 pay review on immigration salary thresholds

Read how the NHS pay review announcement will impact immigration policy salary thresholds.

23 May 2025

The announcement of the 2025/26 Agenda for Change pay award will impact the salary thresholds for overseas skilled workers. 

On 22 May, the government announced the 2025/26 pay award for staff under the remits of the NHS Pay Review Body (NHS PRB) and Doctors’ and Dentists’ Review Body (DDRB). 

Staff on Agenda for Change NHS terms and conditions will receive a 3.6 per cent consolidated uplift with all pay uplifts backdated to 1 April 2025.

The new immigration rules, which came into effect on 9 April 2025, mean that Certificates of Sponsorships issued after that date will see the minimum salary threshold for Skilled Workers increase to £25,000 per year (£18.82 per hour) from £23,200 (£11.90). This is the absolute base general threshold and will apply to new visa applications, as well as those who are renewing or extending their visas. 

The announced pay award confirms that entry-level band 3 roles will not be above the £25,000 salary threshold. This means that entry-level band 3 roles that do not receive a High-Cost Area Supplement (HCAS) will not be eligible for international sponsorship, on the basis of not meeting salary threshold. Applicants would need to meet salary threshold at the point at which they are renewing their visa, but they can continue to work if they hold a valid Right to Work.

Following the pay review, band 5 biomedical scientists still won’t meet the salary threshold at the entry step point or the intermediate step point. 

As published in the immigration white paper, band 3 and band 4 roles, such as health care support workers and healthcare assistants, will not meet the new proposed higher skills threshold of RQF 6 (degree level) and above. This means that once in place, band 3 and 4 roles will be out of scope of the immigration system, unless roles are added to the Temporary Shortage List, which is unlikely.  There is currently no set timetable of when these changes will be implemented, however, the government intends to implement changes throughout 2025, 2026, and the rest of its term. 

Learn more about the 2025/26 pay award via our web page. More information on the pay review is available via the GOV.UK website. 

If you have any questions regarding the impact of the pay review on the immigration salary threshold, please contact internationalrecrutment@nhsconfed.org