Skilled Worker Visas: Who Qualifies as a New Entrant in 2025?

The Skilled Worker visa is the UK’s main immigration route for overseas nationals who have a confirmed job offer from an approved sponsor. It enables employers to recruit for roles that meet defined skill and salary thresholds. To qualify, applicants must satisfy requirements including sponsorship, skill level, salary, English language, and financial maintenance.

Within this route, some applicants may benefit from new entrant status, a valuable classification designed to support early-career workers and give employers greater flexibility when recruiting junior or graduate-level talent.

What Is a New Entrant?

A new entrant is not simply someone applying for their first visa. It is a formal classification under Appendix Skilled Worker, which applies to individuals who are considered to be at an early stage in their career. The Home Office sets out several alternative qualifying conditions, and an applicant only needs to meet only one of them to qualify as a new entrant:

• Are under 26 on the date of application;

• Are switching from a UK Student or Graduate visa, provided the course is completed (or within three months of completion);

• Are undertaking a postdoctoral research or higher-education teaching role in specific SOC codes;

• Are working towards professional registration or chartered status in a UK-regulated profession;

• Are being sponsored under a graduate training programme; or

• Have held Student or Graduate permission, such that your total time as a new entrant will not exceed four years.

  
  

Why New Entrant Status Matters

Under the Skilled Worker system, salary is a tradeable characteristic. While all applicants must earn 50 mandatory points (job offer, skill level, English language), the remaining 20 points are earned by meeting one of a number of salary options. New entrant status allows those 20 points to be obtained at a lower salary threshold than the standard “experienced worker” rate.

Standard Salary Threshold (Option A)

• £41,700 or

• 100% of the going rate for the role, whichever is higher.

  
  

New Entrant Salary Thresholds

Option E (Table 1 – RQF 6+ roles):

• £33,400 or

• 70% of the going rate for the SOC 2020 occupation code.

  
  

Option J (Table 2 – Health and Care roles):

• £25,000 

• 70% of the going rate for the SOC 2020 occupation code.

How Long Can Someone Be a New Entrant Under the New Entrant Skilled Worker Visa?

The Home Office imposes a maximum time limit of four years for anyone benefiting from new entrant salary rates. This cap is cumulative, meaning it includes:

·       Any time previously spent under the Skilled Worker route where the new-entrant rate was applied

·       Any time previously spent under the former Tier 2 (General) route, which is now part of the Skilled Worker route

·       Any time spent on the Graduate Route, which automatically counts toward the four-year limit

Once an individual has accumulated four years in total across these categories, they cannot continue to rely on the lower new-entrant salary threshold.

Legal Framework: Paragraph SW 12

Paragraph SW 12 of Appendix Skilled Worker provides the statutory basis for determining who qualifies as a new entrant. The provision sets out several distinct eligibility criteria, often referred to as “limbs”, and importantly, each limb is an alternative route to meeting the definition. In other words, an applicant only needs to satisfy one of the conditions to be classed as a new entrant.

This flexible structure is intentional. It recognises that early-career workers enter the labour market through different pathways, such as university study, graduate programmes, postgraduate research, or professional training. By ensuring there is more than one qualifying route, the rules allow employers to sponsor individuals who show promise and potential, even if their salaries have not yet reached experienced-worker levels.

Practical Examples

Below are some real-world scenarios that demonstrate how new entrant status operates in practice and how we at Lace Law have assisted clients in navigating these rules.

Scenario 1: Under-26 Graduate Moving Into a Skilled Role

A 23-year-old UK university graduate approached us after receiving an offer for a Marketing Executive role. She was aware that the standard Skilled Worker salary threshold could be challenging at the early stage of her career and wanted to know whether she could benefit from the reduced new entrant rate.

As she was under 26 and had recently completed a UK degree, she met more than one of the eligibility criteria. We prepared her Skilled Worker application using the lower salary threshold available under Option E. Her visa was processed quickly, and she received a positive decision within five working days. This allowed both her and her employer to proceed without delay.

Scenario 2: Switching from Student Visa to Skilled Worker

Another applicant contacted us shortly after finishing his UK degree. He was still on his Student visa but had secured a full-time job offer that met the Skilled Worker skill requirements. His main question was whether he could qualify as a new entrant despite not yet having completed the formal graduation process.

Under Paragraph SW 12, Student and Graduate visa holders can qualify for new entrant status for up to two years after their permission, provided the course was at degree level or above and has been completed or is within three months of completion. He met these requirements. We clarified his eligibility, prepared a full Skilled Worker application, and obtained approval without any issues.

Scenario 3: Sponsor Error on the Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS)

A more complex case involved a client on the Graduate Route who had submitted his Skilled Worker application independently. Although he clearly qualified as a new entrant, his sponsoring company had made a critical administrative error: they had not ticked the “new entrant” box on the CoS.

Because the lower salary threshold only applies if the CoS explicitly confirms new entrant status, the Home Office issued a request for clarification. Recognising the potential risk of refusal, the client contacted us for urgent assistance.

We reviewed the CoS, confirmed that all other details were correct, and liaised directly with the sponsor. We guided them through adding a Sponsor Note to the existing CoS, explaining the omission and confirming the client’s eligibility. The Home Office accepted the correction, and the application proceeded successfully.

Why These Scenarios Matter

These examples highlight common situations where new entrant status is relevant:

• Young graduates taking their first skilled role;

• Students transitioning directly into sponsored employment;

• Administrative errors on the CoS that need timely correction;

• Sponsors who may be unsure how to apply the tradeable points system.

  
  

New entrant status under the new entrant skilled worker visa can significantly reduce the required salary threshold, but it must be correctly identified and properly recorded on the CoS. Even small administrative mistakes can lead to delays or refusals, which is why early advice and accurate preparation are essential.

New entrant status makes the Skilled Worker route more accessible for early-career professionals and gives employers the flexibility to recruit promising talent whose salaries have not yet reached experienced-worker levels under the new entrant skilled worker visa. However, the rules around eligibility, going rates, and the four-year limit can be complex.

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If you are unsure whether you (or your prospective employee) qualify as a new entrant, or if you need support with a Skilled Worker application or CoS correction, our team at Lace Law is here to help.