On 5 March 2026, the UK government released a Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rues alongside updated sponsor guidance.

While the changes do not introduce major structural reforms for skilled worker sponsors this time round, there are several important operational adjustments that UK sponsors should review carefully.

For businesses holding a Skilled Worker sponsor licence, these updates affect salary thresholds, compliance duties, recruitment processes and settlement requirements.

Below we outline the key changes and what employers should do next.

Key changes to the Skilled Worker Route

Temporary sponsorship concession for prison officers

Due to staffing shortages across the UK prison estate, the government has introduced a temporary sponsorship concession for prison officers.

Key provisions include:

• Prison officers can be sponsored at RQF Level 3 skill level when switching from another visa route
• The concession runs until 31 December 2027
  Workers already sponsored under the Skilled Worker route can extend under transitional arrangements

Salary threshold

• For prison officers:
  o Lower salary: £31,300
  o Going rate: based on the 25th percentile of earnings.

These thresholds also apply until 31 December 2027.

Sponsorship length
Unlike most Skilled Worker roles, prison officers can only be sponsored for up to 3 years, rather than the usual 5 years.

Dependants

• New dependants cannot accompany prison officer applicants
• Dependents who are already in the UK will be permitted to extend their visas

This restriction is similar to measures previously applied to health and social care worker roles.

New pay reference period rules

A change has been introduced to how sponsored workers are paid. Sponsors must now ensure that sponsors are paid at least monthly. The aim is to ensure UKVI can identify underpayment more quickly and take action where there are concerns.

Where employees are paid more frequently (for example weekly or fortnightly), the Immigration Rules now include provisions for how those payments are assessed against the required annual salary.

What this means for sponsors:
Employers should review:

• payroll processes
• employment contracts
• salary monitoring procedures

to ensure payments clearly meet the annual salary threshold requirements.

Higher English language requirement for settlement

From 26 March 2027, applicants applying for settlement must demonstrate English language ability to level B2.

Currently, many applicants qualify with B1 level English.

This change will particularly affect workers planning long-term residence through the Skilled Worker route, and employers may wish to prepare sponsored employees early.

Sponsor guidance updates

Alongside the rule changes, the Home Office has released updated sponsor guidance. Several changes increase the compliance obligations placed on employers.

New definition of an “Eligible Role”

The updated guidance introduces a new glossary containing definitions used throughout the sponsor guidance. Of particular importance is the definition of “Eligible Role”.

Sponsors are only permitted to sponsor workers in eligible roles, meaning they must ensure that any role for which they assign a Certificate of Sponsorship meets the definition set out by UKVI:

• the role exists at the point the sponsor assigns the Certificate of Sponsorship to the worker, or the sponsor can reasonably anticipate that it will exist by the time the CoS is assigned. The role must exist either:
  o within the sponsor organisation, or
  o within another organisation where the sponsor is permitted to sponsor a worker to work for that organisation other than the sponsor organisation
• the role requires the jobholder to perform the specific duties and responsibilities listed on the CoS, including the number of hours worked each week
• the role meets all Immigration Rules requirements for the relevant route, including the appropriate skill level and salary and salary, and complies at all times with the National Minimum Wage Act (and any regulations made under that Act) and the Working Time Regulations
• the role is appropriate to the organisation, taking into account its business model, business plan and scale

UKVI must also be satisfied that these requirements will continue to be met for the duration, or proposed duration, of sponsorship.

Sponsors must ensure workers understand their employment rights

Part 1 of the updated Sponsor Guidance includes a more detailed requirement for sponsors to ensure that sponsored workers are made aware of their worker rights in the UK.

Previously, the guidance stated that sponsors must comply with UK employment law. Under the updated guidance this has been extended to state:

“this includes ensuring and promoting the workplace-related welfare of workers they sponsor and ensuring workers understand their employment rights”.

This arguably goes much further than simply complying with employment law and places a positive duty on employers to educate sponsored workers on their rights.

This change is supported by updates to Appendix D, which now includes a record keeping requirement for sponsors to retain evidence that they have complied with this duty. Examples of acceptable evidence include:

o copies of written information provided to workers
o records of training or awareness courses delivered to workers

Right to work checks and accuracy of Certificates of Sponsorship

Part 2 of the Sponsor Guidance has also been updated to confirm that sponsors must carry out right to work checks on sponsored workers even where they are not the sponsor’s direct employee.

The guidance also emphasises the importance of ensuring the job description included on the CoS accurately reflects the role the worker will actually be carrying out.

Visa brake affecting Afghan nationals

In addition to the above changes, the government has announced a “visa brake”

Under this measure, any entry clearance applications under the Skilled Worker route from main applicants who are nationals of Afghanistan will be refused. This change will take effect from 26 March 2026.

What sponsors should do now

Although these changes are not major reforms to the Skilled Worker route, they signal continued tightening of sponsor compliance expectations.

Employers should consider:

• reviewing payroll frequency and salary monitoring
• ensuring job descriptions and CoS details are accurate
• introducing worker rights awareness processes
• updating record-keeping procedures
• checking compliance with the new Eligible Role definition

Failure to comply with sponsor duties can lead to licence suspension, downgrading or revocation.