Tier 2 (General) salary levels
UKVI specifies 2 levels of minimum salary level at which employers must advertise the vacancy, namely a ‘new entrance rate’ and an ‘experienced rate’. These rates are published annually by UKVI in their ‘Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Codes and minimum appropriate salary rates’.
New entrant rate
The new entrant rate reflects the fact that people in the early stages of their career are generally paid less than their more experienced counterparts. The new entrant thresholds apply to:
- Graduates switching into Tier 2 (General) within the UK from the student route or Tier 1 (Post-Study Work);
- Graduate recruits where you have used a university “milkround” to satisfy the Resident Labour Market Test;
- Graduates sponsored in the Intra-Company Transfer Graduate Trainee route; and
- Workers making a Tier 2 application who are aged 25 or under on the date they apply.
Experienced rate
In all other cases, including where the migrant is applying for a period of leave which will bring their total stay under any combination of Tier 2 leave, or as a Work Permit holder, beyond three years and one month, the ‘experienced’ rate must be paid. An example would be if they are still under the age of 26, but are applying to extend their stay in Tier 2 to five years, the ‘experienced’ rate must be paid. Another example would be if you assigned a CoS for a period in excess of three years.
