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UK announces 2027 visa changes for skilled workers, international graduates
The UK plans changes for 2027 to Skilled Worker salary thresholds, the High Potential Individual visa and Graduate visa.
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The UK government has announced a series of immigration changes for 2027, including revised Skilled Worker salary thresholds, an expanded High Potential Individual visa and a longer Graduate visa for eligible international students, as it seeks to attract highly skilled overseas talent.
The measures were outlined in the UK Budget 2026, presented by HM Treasury on October 28. The government said it wants to create a more business-friendly migration system for high-skilled workers while maintaining tighter controls on low- and medium-skilled migration.
The changes are expected to affect employers recruiting overseas workers, international graduates and sponsored employees who lose their jobs.
Skilled Worker salary thresholds to change in spring 2027
One of the key announcements concerns salary requirements under the Skilled Worker route. From spring 2027, occupation-specific minimum salary thresholds are expected to move from the median wage to the 25th percentile of occupational earnings.
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The general salary threshold will also be updated using 2026 earnings data. The changes follow recommendations from the Migration Advisory Committee and are intended to make salary requirements more reflective of labor-market conditions across the UK.
The reforms will also change existing salary discounts. The separate concessions available to students, recent graduates and people undertaking professional training will be replaced by a single New Entrant discount. The existing salary discount for PhD holders will be removed.
The government has yet to provide all the implementation details, including the final salary figures.
High Potential Individual visa to cover more universities
The High Potential Individual (HPI) visa route will be expanded to include graduates with eligible qualifications from the world's top 150 universities. The government also plans to increase the route's overall cap proportionately.
The expansion is intended to attract graduates from leading institutions to work in the UK. Further details on the qualifying universities and the revised cap are awaited.
The Graduate visa route will also have a two-year duration for graduates of universities that meet the government's high-compliance criteria and demonstrate strong labor-market outcomes.
The provision is significant for international students because the general reduction in the Graduate route to 18 months is due to apply to applications submitted from January 1, 2027. The two-year provision will apply only to graduates from qualifying institutions, with the government yet to publish the eligibility criteria.
Longer job-search period for some sponsored workers
The government also plans to work towards allowing certain highly skilled sponsored workers whose employment ends to receive a curtailment period of up to six months.
This would give eligible workers additional time to find another employer willing to sponsor them, rather than having to leave the UK immediately after their sponsorship ends. The measure is expected to be developed during 2027.
Separately, the government plans further expansion of the Global Talent visa's endorsed funder pathway in spring 2027. UK Research and Innovation will work with regional organizations to identify additional research and development-intensive businesses in key Industrial Strategy sectors that could sponsor overseas talent through the route.
The Budget does not set out a complete implementation timetable for all the immigration measures. Further guidance is expected as the government develops the changes.
