UK Work Visa Salary Requirements Explained for Nigerian Applicants

Salary is the part that decides your application

The main UK work route is the Skilled Worker visa. To qualify you need a job offer from an employer that holds a Home Office sponsor licence, a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) from that employer, a job at the required skill level, proof of English, and pay that meets the salary rules.

Sponsorship and skill level get all the attention in adverts, but salary is where many applications collapse. The Home Office checks the number on your CoS against published thresholds, and there is no discretion if it falls short.

So before you resign, borrow money or pay an "agent", treat the salary figure as the first test your offer must pass.

You have to clear two numbers, not one

Skilled Worker salary rules work on two separate tests. The first is the general salary threshold — a flat minimum that applies across the route. The second is the going rate for your specific job, published per occupation code in the Immigration Rules.

You must meet both, which in practice means you must meet whichever is higher. If the general threshold is lower than your occupation's going rate, the going rate becomes your real minimum, and vice versa.

Example of the logic: if the general threshold is £41,700 and the going rate for your occupation code is £46,000, your offer needs to be at least £46,000 in guaranteed basic pay. Being £500 short is still short.

Where the figures stood, and why you must check again

Rules changed sharply in 2025. From 22 July 2025 the general threshold for most new Skilled Worker applicants rose to £41,700, the new entrant threshold to around £33,400, and the required skill level went back up to degree level (RQF 6) for new applicants. Overseas recruitment of care workers and senior care workers was also closed from that date.

Some health and social care roles sit on lower salary floors and are assessed against national pay scales rather than ordinary going rates. Going rates themselves are also updated when pay data is refreshed.

These numbers move, sometimes more than once a year. Use the figures above as a sense of scale only, then confirm the current thresholds and your occupation's going rate on GOV.UK and in Appendix Skilled Occupations of the Immigration Rules on the day you apply — not from an advert, a WhatsApp group or an article.

When a lower salary is allowed

The rules allow some applicants to qualify on reduced pay, usually a percentage of the going rate plus a lower general threshold. New entrants are the biggest group: typically people under 26 at the date of application, recent UK graduates switching from a Student visa, postdoctoral researchers, or those working towards a recognised professional or chartered qualification. New entrant rates are time-limited, generally up to four years on the route.

Other discounts apply if you hold a PhD relevant to the job, with a bigger reduction for a PhD in a STEM subject. Jobs paid on national pay scales, such as NHS Agenda for Change roles and school teaching posts, are measured against those scales instead.

Shortage lists exist too, but they have changed. A time-limited Temporary Shortage List was introduced in 2025 for certain jobs below degree level, with extra restrictions such as limits on bringing dependants. Check whether your occupation appears on the current list and what conditions come with it.

What counts as "salary" — and what does not

The Home Office looks at guaranteed gross basic pay from your sponsor, before tax. Overtime, bonuses, tips, commission, shift premiums that are not guaranteed, allowances, relocation payments, free accommodation and employer pension contributions generally do not count towards the threshold.

Hours matter as well. Going rates are set against a standard working week and pro-rated for your actual hours, and only up to 48 hours a week can be used in the calculation — working 60 hours does not inflate your qualifying salary.

This is why part-time offers rarely work. Even if the pro-rated going rate is met, you still have to actually earn the full cash general threshold, which a part-time wage usually cannot reach.

How to check an offer in under half an hour

First, search the employer on the GOV.UK register of licensed sponsors and confirm they hold a Worker/Skilled Worker licence. No licence means no visa, whatever the job advert says.

Second, ask the employer in writing for three things: the SOC occupation code they will use, the gross annual basic salary, and the contracted weekly hours. A genuine sponsor can answer this easily.

Third, look up the going rate for that code, compare it to the current general threshold, and take the higher figure. If the offer is below it, the application is heading for refusal — and visa fees are largely non-refundable, so that check is the cheapest hour you will ever spend.

The other costs Nigerian applicants should budget for

Salary is not the only money question. You will normally pay a visa application fee that varies with the length of the visa, the Immigration Health Surcharge (around £1,035 per year per adult at recent rates), and a tuberculosis test at a Home Office-approved clinic in Nigeria, which is mandatory for applicants coming from here for longer than six months.

You also need to show maintenance funds — commonly £1,270 held for 28 consecutive days — unless your sponsor certifies maintenance on your CoS. Dependants need their own fees, health surcharge and funds.

Your employer, not you, pays the Certificate of Sponsorship fee and the Immigration Skills Charge, and sponsors are not permitted to pass certain sponsorship costs on to workers. Fees change regularly, so confirm every amount on GOV.UK before you transfer anything.

Red flags: nobody can sell you a visa

If someone on social media offers to "sell" a Certificate of Sponsorship, guarantee approval, or asks for several thousand pounds to arrange a job, treat it as a scam. Sponsorship is issued by a licensed employer for a real vacancy, and no agent, consultant or page admin can promise a Home Office decision.

Be just as careful with an employer who agrees to show a higher salary on paper than you will actually be paid. That exposes you to refusal, visa cancellation and a future ban, and it has cost sponsors their licences.

Apply through the official GOV.UK service. If you want help, use a regulated adviser, keep every payment receipt, and never hand over your passport or BVN details to a stranger online.

Quick checklist before you commit

One: employer appears on the official sponsor register. Two: you have the SOC code, salary and hours in writing. Three: the salary meets both the current general threshold and the going rate for that code. Four: your job is at the required skill level for new applicants.

Five: you can prove English at the level the rules currently require — this has been tightened in recent policy changes, so verify the exact level for your route. Six: you have funds for fees, the health surcharge, the TB test and maintenance.

If any line fails, fix it before you apply rather than hoping the Home Office looks past it. Rules on this route have changed several times since 2024, so always verify against GOV.UK on the day.

Common questions

This article is general information, not immigration advice; UK salary thresholds, fees and rules change often, so verify everything on GOV.UK or with a regulated adviser before applying.