The UK has changed its work and study visas more in the last year than in the previous five, and the changes land in stages: a Statement of Changes in July 2025, the May 2025 immigration white paper, and a further Statement of Changes on 14 October 2025 that set 2027 dates. We re-verified the full UK program set on 2026-06-21 against gov.uk — Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, Student, Graduate, Global Talent, Youth Mobility, the Standard Visitor and the family/partner route. Three changes matter most if you are planning a move.
Skilled Worker: the salary floor jumped to £41,700
From 22 July 2025 the general salary threshold for a new Skilled Worker application rose to £41,700 a year — or the going rate for the occupation, whichever is higher — up from £38,700 (which itself had replaced £26,200 in April 2024). The skill level for most new applicants also sits at degree level (RQF 6).
- You need a job offer from a licensed sponsor in an eligible occupation, paid at least the higher of £41,700 and the occupation’s going rate.
- The visa is granted for up to 5 years before it must be extended — not a short-stay stamp.
- New entrants (e.g. switching from the Graduate route or under 26) get lower salary discounts but are capped at a combined 4 years on the route.
The verified validity, the salary rule and the full refusal-reason list are on the UK Skilled Worker visa page.
Graduate route: 2 years now, 18 months from 2027
The Graduate (post-study work) visa currently gives 2 years to stay and work after a UK degree — 3 years after a PhD. The Statement of Changes of 14 October 2025 cuts the standard grant to 18 months for applications made on or after 1 January 2027; the PhD grant stays at 3 years.
- Apply before 1 January 2027 and you still get the full 2 years; apply on or after that date and most graduates get 18 months.
- The Graduate route is non-extendable — to stay longer you switch into another route, typically Skilled Worker.
- It can only be applied for from inside the UK, while you still hold Student permission.
We list the current 2-year stay, the 2027 reduction and the refusal reasons on the UK Graduate visa page.
Health and Care Worker: the overseas care door closed
From 22 July 2025 the UK stopped overseas recruitment into care-worker and senior-care-worker roles (occupation codes SOC 6135 and 6136). People already in the UK on an eligible visa can still switch into these roles until 22 July 2028, and clinical/medical professional routes (doctors, nurses) remain open.
- No new out-of-country applications for care-worker / senior-care-worker roles since 22 July 2025.
- In-country switching into those roles is allowed until 22 July 2028, subject to the employment conditions.
- The Health and Care Worker visa itself is still granted for up to 5 years for eligible roles.
See the UK Health and Care Worker visa page for the verified terms and refusal reasons.
And the rest of the set
We also re-verified the routes travellers search most: the Student visa (granted for the course length, up to 5 years at degree level), the Standard Visitor visa (up to 6 months per visit, with long-term 2/5/10-year versions for repeat visits), Global Talent (up to 5 years, endorsement-based) and the Youth Mobility Scheme (2 years, or up to 3 for Australia, Canada and New Zealand nationals). The family/partner route keeps its £29,000 minimum-income requirement and a 33-month initial grant.
How we keep this honest
This post accompanies a data correction. Every UK program on our site had been showing a 90-day maximum stay — a machine default carried over from short-stay visas — for what are in fact multi-year work, study and family routes (and a 6-month visitor visa). We corrected each to its verified validity, set the entry and extension flags, recorded the source and date, and added the refusal reasons, on 2026-06-21, as part of a fresh verification of the UK’s inbound visa programs against gov.uk. Our full method is in the Editorial & Data Standards.