16/05/2026
The headline salary threshold gets all the attention. But it isn't what stops most Skilled Worker applications.
The going rate is.
Every Skilled Worker role has two salary tests, and the application has to clear both:
The general minimum threshold
The "going rate" specific to that occupation code
The going rate is set by SOC code, and it is often higher than the headline figure. A software developer, for example, sits well above the general floor. Get the SOC code wrong — or pitch the salary at the threshold rather than the role-specific rate — and the application fails on a technicality, even when the candidate is excellent and the employer is fully licensed.
Three places we routinely see this go wrong:
→ The SOC code on the Certificate of Sponsorship doesn't match what the person actually does day-to-day. Caseworkers compare the job description to the SOC handbook, not the code on the form.
→ The salary clears the general minimum but falls short of the going rate for that occupation. Refusal.
→ The role qualifies for a reduction (new entrant, PhD-relevant, immigration salary list) but the application doesn't claim it properly — costing the candidate thousands, or losing the route entirely.
For HR teams: getting this right at the CoS stage is far cheaper than fixing a refusal afterwards. For applicants: ask your sponsor which SOC code they've assigned, and check the going rate for that code before you submit.
If you'd like a second pair of qualified eyes on a Skilled Worker application — yours or a candidate's — we offer a free 15-minute call.
