UK Autumn Budget 2026: Skilled Worker salary, Graduate visa length and HPI changes

What the Autumn Budget 2026 changed for UK immigration

On 28 October 2026, John Healy unveiled the new budget. Lewis Silkin's 5 November 2026 analysis summarises the immigration commitments in that budget. The announced items cover Skilled Worker salary rules, the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage, the High Potential Individual route, the Graduate route, Global Talent and the tax treatment of two employer payments.

Several changes have fixed dates. Others have a stated season or year but no precise commencement date. The practical split is between changes readers can date and changes that still depend on definitions or lists not included in the budget summary.

Key dates in the Autumn Budget 2026

28 October 2026: the Budget was published, and the tax treatment for ISC and CoS payments applies to payments made on or after this date.
1 January 2027: the Graduate visa period for bachelor's and master's applicants is due to fall to 18 months for applications made on or after this date.
Spring 2027: Skilled Worker salary changes take effect and additional Global Talent host businesses should be recognised.
1 April 2027: the new National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates apply.

Skilled Worker salary thresholds from Spring 2027

Occupation-specific minimum salary thresholds will be reduced from the median to the 25th percentile of wages for eligible occupations.
The general salary threshold will be uprated based on 2026 wage data.
Salary thresholds will be updated annually using the latest ONS wage inflation data from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE).
New entrant discounts will be rolled into a single figure for people studying, recently graduated, or in professional training.
The PhD discount will be removed.

The move to the 25th percentile changes the occupation-specific side; the general threshold is being uprated at the same time. The budget coverage does not publish the revised occupation list or the new general threshold figure. New entrants still have a discount, but it is consolidated into one figure rather than separate discounts.

Wage floors from 1 April 2027

The National Living Wage will rise by 3.9% to £13.21 per hour on 1 April 2027. The National Minimum Wage will rise by 3.9% to £11.27 per hour for 18- to 20-year-olds. It will rise by 3.9% to £8.31 per hour for 16- and 17-year-olds and eligible apprentices. The new rates will need to be applied to sponsored workers from 1 April 2027, because the sponsored role must comply with National Minimum Wage requirements.

For employers, the hourly floor is one test. The Skilled Worker salary threshold is another. Payroll and sponsorship reviews should therefore use both the hourly rate and the annual salary.

Graduate visa: two years for some, 18 months for others

The budget announces a two-year Graduate visa for people who graduate from high-compliance universities where there are strong labour market outcomes. That would maintain the status quo for some university graduates, because the length for bachelor's and master's students is due to be reduced from two years to 18 months for applications made on or after 1 January 2027. Lewis Silkin notes that the budget states no exact timeframe for the high-compliance measure. Its analysis says implementation by 31 December 2026 seems likely to avoid inconsistencies in permission length for students from the targeted universities.

The budget summary does not name the high-compliance universities, define 'strong labour market outcomes', or publish the criteria for either term. Until those definitions appear, graduates cannot tell from the budget alone whether their university will fall inside the two-year group. The 1 January 2027 date for the general reduction is clear; the high-compliance exception has no confirmed start date or criteria in the summary. The budget summary also does not address the three-year doctoral period in current guidance.

HPI expansion: top 150 universities, ranking unresolved

The HPI route will be expanded to applicants with eligible qualifications from the top 150 global universities. That is a significant increase from the 82 institutions currently recognised. The annual cap of 8,000 applications will rise proportionately. The budget does not specify which rankings will be used to determine the expanded list.

Home Office caseworker guidance published for staff on 3 August 2026 says the annual cap runs between 1 November and 31 October. It also says HPI is not a route to settlement. The expansion is therefore announced, but the ranking method and the revised list are not. Applicants cannot confirm eligibility from the budget summary alone.

Global Talent and employer payments

UK Research and Innovation will work with organisations across UK regions to identify additional R&D-intensive businesses in Industrial Strategy priority sectors. Those businesses could act as host organisations on the endorsed funder pathway of the Global Talent route. They should be recognised by Spring 2027. The summary does not name the businesses or set out the selection criteria.

The budget also addresses employer payments. The Finance Bill 2026-27 will include provisions confirming that an employer's payment of the Immigration Skills Charge or a Certificate of Sponsorship fee is not treated as a taxable benefit in kind. The change applies to payments made on or after 28 October 2026. This is a tax-treatment confirmation; the summary does not announce new ISC or CoS fee amounts.

Curtailment for highest-skilled workers

The government has promised the 'highest skilled workers' a visa curtailment period of up to six months, with implementation in 2027. The budget statement suggests the duration will vary depending on how long the individual worked in their previous highly paid job. The summary does not define 'highest skilled workers' or give an exact start date in 2027.

Lewis Silkin says the change may benefit some individuals but may also introduce significant complexity. For workers, the length of curtailment affects how much time they have before permission ends after a change in employment. The eligibility test will determine who gets the longer period.

What remains unspecified

The definition of high-compliance universities and strong labour market outcomes, plus the university list.
The ranking method for the top 150 HPI list.
The definition of highest skilled workers and the exact 2027 start for the six-month curtailment period.
The names of additional Global Talent host businesses and the selection criteria.

These gaps matter because each one controls who qualifies or when a change begins. The dates that are fixed are 28 October 2026, 1 January 2027, Spring 2027 and 1 April 2027.

Questions readers are asking

What changes to Skilled Worker salary thresholds from Spring 2027?

Occupation-specific thresholds move from the median to the 25th percentile, the general threshold is uprated on 2026 wage data, annual ASHE-linked updates begin, new entrant discounts are merged into one figure, and the PhD discount is removed. The revised occupation list and the new general threshold figure are not in the budget summary. New entrants keep a discount, but in a single figure.

When do the new wage rates start, and how do they affect sponsored workers?

The rates apply from 1 April 2027. The National Living Wage rises by 3.9% to £13.21 per hour. The 18- to 20-year-old National Minimum Wage rises by 3.9% to £11.27 per hour. The 16- and 17-year-old and eligible apprentice rate rises by 3.9% to £8.31 per hour. Sponsored workers must also meet the Skilled Worker salary threshold.

How will the HPI expansion work?

The route will cover eligible qualifications from the top 150 global universities, up from 82 currently recognised. The 8,000 annual cap will rise proportionately. The budget does not say which rankings will define the top 150. The current cap period runs from 1 November to 31 October.

What are the Graduate visa dates?

PhD or doctoral graduates can stay for three years under current guidance. The budget adds a two-year route for graduates of high-compliance universities with strong labour market outcomes. It does not give an exact start date for that exception.

Which universities will qualify for the two-year Graduate visa?

The budget summary does not name them. It does not define high-compliance universities or strong labour market outcomes. It also does not publish the criteria for either term. Readers cannot identify qualifying universities from the budget summary alone.

Did the budget change the Immigration Skills Charge or Certificate of Sponsorship fee?

The Finance Bill 2026-27 will confirm that employer payments of the ISC or a CoS fee are not taxable benefits in kind. This applies to payments made on or after 28 October 2026. The summary does not announce new fee amounts.

Source note

Lewis Silkin, 'Immigration changes announced in Autumn 2026 budget', 5 November 2026.
GOV.UK, 'Budget 2026 (HTML)', 28 October 2026.
GOV.UK, 'High Potential Individual caseworker guidance', published for Home Office staff on 3 August 2026.
GOV.UK, 'Student visa: Overview', guidance page.