Skilled Worker applications fall 40 percent in year to April 2026
21 May 2026
If you are on a Skilled Worker visa, the latest Home Office figures show demand for your route continues to fall sharply. Statistics published on 14 May 2026 cover the year ending (YE) April 2026.
There were 33,100 main applicant applications for the Skilled Worker route in YE April 2026. That is a "40% decrease from YE April 2025." Dependant applications also fell, with 42,200 submitted in the same period, an "18% decrease compared to the previous year (51,700)."
The Home Office says the falls followed "policy changes that came into effect towards the end of July 2025." These raised the skill level requirement to RQF level 6 or above and increased the minimum salary from £38,700 to £41,700. An English language requirement raised from B1 to B2 also applied from 8 January 2026.
These figures are provisional and will be revised in the quarterly Immigration System Statistics release. If you are planning to apply or extend on the Skilled Worker route, check that your job and salary still meet the current thresholds before submitting your application.
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