UK Global Talent and Skilled Worker visas for tech workers in 2026
UK tech visas in 2026: the £41,700 Skilled Worker floor, going rates for developers, B2 English, and how the £766 Global Talent route and settlement work.
Ishaan Vardhan22 Oct 2026 · 10 min read
Tech workers have two main routes into the UK in 2026. The Skilled Worker visa needs a licensed employer, a “higher skilled” role and pay of at least £41,700 or the job’s going rate, whichever is higher. The Global Talent visa needs no job offer or salary, but you must win an endorsement as a leader or potential leader in digital technology. Which one fits depends on whether you have an offer in hand or a track record you can prove.
This is general information, not immigration advice. Check the current rules on gov.uk or with a regulated UK immigration adviser before you apply.
Key takeaways
- Skilled Worker: the general salary floor is £41,700, or the occupation’s going rate if higher. For software developers (SOC code 2134) the going rate is £54,700.
- New entrants such as under-26s and recent graduates can be paid 70% to 90% of the going rate, with a floor of £33,400.
- New Skilled Worker applicants need English at B2. People who held the visa before 8 January 2026 and are extending need B1.
- Global Talent costs £766 per person, plus the £1,035-a-year health surcharge. Digital technology applicants are assessed by Tech Nation, and leaders can settle after three years.
- Settlement rules are being tightened. From 26 March 2027 most work routes, including Skilled Worker and Global Talent, will need B2 English at the settlement stage.
The Skilled Worker visa: the main route for tech hires
A Skilled Worker visa lets you work in the UK for an approved employer, known as a sponsor. To qualify you need a certificate of sponsorship (CoS) from that employer, a job on the list of eligible occupations, and at least the minimum salary for the role, according to GOV.UK. You must have the job offer before you apply. The visa lasts up to five years at a time and can be extended. GOV.UK currently says that after five years you may be able to apply for indefinite leave to remain (ILR), the UK term for permanent settlement.
Since 22 July 2025, new applicants generally need a job coded as “higher skilled.” Roles listed as “medium skilled” qualify only if they appear on the immigration salary list or the temporary shortage list. Some people extending a visa first granted before that date are also covered by transitional rules. Mainstream tech codes, covering programmers, IT business analysts, architects, data engineers, cyber security professionals and DevOps engineers, appear in Table 1 of Appendix Skilled Occupations. That table lists jobs skilled to degree level (RQF 6).
What you must be paid in 2026
The standard rule is the higher of £41,700 a year or the going rate for your occupation code. Going rates come from Appendix Skilled Occupations, last updated on 11 November 2025, according to GOV.UK. For the main tech codes, the standard going rates are:
| SOC code and job | Standard going rate a year |
|---|---|
| 2131 IT project managers | £58,200 |
| 2132 IT managers (including software development managers) | £55,000 |
| 2433 Actuaries, economists and statisticians (including statistical data scientists) | £55,100 |
| 2133 IT business analysts, architects and systems designers (including data engineers) | £54,900 |
| 2134 Programmers and software development professionals | £54,700 |
| 2139 IT professionals n.e.c. (including DevOps engineers) | £52,300 |
| 2135 Cyber security professionals | £48,500 |
| 2136 IT quality and testing professionals | £41,200 (so the £41,700 floor applies) |
When you can be paid less
You can be paid 70% to 90% of the going rate, but never less than £33,400, if you are under 26, studying, a recent graduate or in professional training. The same applies if you hold a STEM PhD relevant to the job or are in a postdoctoral position. A relevant PhD in another subject requires at least £37,500. For a new-entrant software developer, 70% of the going rate is £38,300, according to GOV.UK.
Skilled Worker costs: who pays what
The fees below are listed on GOV.UK as of 4 October 2026.
| Cost | Amount | Paid by |
|---|---|---|
| Visa fee from outside the UK, up to 3 years | £819 | Applicant |
| Visa fee from outside the UK, more than 3 years | £1,618 | Applicant |
| Visa fee from inside the UK, up to 3 years / more than 3 years | £943 / £1,865 | Applicant |
| Immigration salary list jobs, up to 3 years / more than 3 years | £628 / £1,235 | Applicant |
| Immigration Health Surcharge | usually £1,035 a year | Applicant and each dependant |
| Savings to show (unless exempt) | £1,270 held for 28 days | Applicant |
| Sponsor licence | £611 small / £1,682 medium or large | Employer |
| Immigration Skills Charge, first 12 months | £480 small / £1,320 medium or large | Employer |
| Immigration Skills Charge, each further 6 months | £240 / £660 | Employer |
A five-year sponsorship can therefore cost a large employer £6,600 in skills charge alone. The employer must pay it and cannot pass it on to you, according to GOV.UK’s sponsor guidance. Decisions usually take three weeks from outside the UK and eight weeks from inside. You can apply up to three months before your start date.
English language
New applicants must prove English at level B2 on the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). They can do this with a degree taught in English (checked through Ecctis for non-UK degrees), a UK degree or an approved test. If you held a Skilled Worker visa before 8 January 2026 and are extending it, B1 is enough. Nationals of majority English-speaking countries, such as the US, Canada and Australia, are exempt. India is not on the exempt list.
The Global Talent visa for digital technology
The Global Talent visa is for leaders and potential leaders in academia and research, arts and culture, or digital technology. For tech, the Home Office sends endorsement applications to Tech Nation, which GOV.UK names as the endorsing body for digital technology, according to GOV.UK. Your background can be technical, for example as a developer, engineer or data scientist. It can also be on the business side, with commercial, investment or product expertise in a technology company.
There are no language or minimum salary requirements, and you do not need a job offer. You can work as an employee, be self-employed, run a company or change jobs without telling the Home Office. You choose a visa length of up to five years at a time.
Exceptional talent vs exceptional promise
You apply either as a leader (“exceptional talent”) or a potential leader (“exceptional promise”). Exceptional promise applicants usually have less than five years in technology. Both must show they have been recognised by others in the last five years. Both must also meet at least two of these criteria:
- innovation as a founder or senior executive of a product-led digital technology company
- innovation as an employee working on a new digital technology field or concept
- contributions to the sector outside work, such as mentoring or open collaborative projects
- significant technical, commercial or entrepreneurial contributions in a product-led tech company
- research that has been published or endorsed by an expert
The application includes a CV of up to three A4 pages, three recommendation letters and up to 10 pieces of evidence. Each letter must come from an established expert who has known your work for at least 12 months. Tech Nation usually decides within five to eight weeks. You can skip the endorsement entirely if you have won a prize on the Home Office’s eligible prestigious prizes list.
Global Talent costs and settlement
The visa costs £766: £561 when you apply for the endorsement and £205 when you apply for the visa. Each dependant also pays £766, and each person pays the health surcharge of usually £1,035 a year. You can apply for ILR after three years if endorsed as a leader, or five years as a potential leader, according to GOV.UK.
Other routes worth knowing
- High Potential Individual (HPI) visa: for graduates of an eligible global university within the last five years. It lasts two years, or three for a PhD, and does not need a job offer. There is a yearly cap with an application year running from 1 November to 31 October. You cannot extend it, and time on it does not count towards settlement, according to GOV.UK.
- Graduate visa: for people who studied in the UK. It lasts two years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026, and 18 months from 1 January 2027 (three years for PhDs), according to GOV.UK. Many tech workers use it to find a sponsor and then switch to Skilled Worker.
Settlement is getting harder
Two changes affect anyone planning to stay long term. First, the Home Office consulted on an “earned settlement” model from 20 November 2025 to 13 February 2026. It said settlement “will no longer be granted automatically after a fixed period” but would depend on conduct, contribution and integration, according to the consultation page. As of 4 October 2026, the GOV.UK pages for Skilled Worker and Global Talent still give the five-year and three-year timelines. Watch for a formal statement of changes.
Second, the March 2026 statement of changes (HC 1691) raises the English requirement for settlement from B1 to B2 on most work routes, including Skilled Worker and Global Talent. It takes effect on 26 March 2027 and applies to people already on the path to settlement, according to the Home Office’s explanatory memorandum. If your English certificate is at B1, plan to retake it.
Which route should a tech worker choose?
If you have a UK offer at or above the going rate, Skilled Worker is the straightforward choice, and your employer handles most of the paperwork. If you have a strong public record, such as open-source maintainership, a funded startup, published research or recognised product launches, Global Talent is worth the effort. It frees you from a single employer and, as a leader, puts you on a three-year path to settlement. Before you resign, check your exit costs with our notice period buyout calculator, and browse AI and ML roles on our jobs board.
Bottom line
The UK has raised the bar for sponsored workers, with degree-level skill requirements, a £41,700 salary floor and B2 English. Settlement is also moving from automatic to earned. For well-paid software, data and security roles, though, the numbers still work: most going rates for those codes are already above £48,000. For people who can prove impact, Global Talent offers more freedom than any sponsored route, with no employer tie and no salary test.
FAQ
What is the minimum salary for a UK Skilled Worker visa in 2026?
Usually £41,700 a year or the going rate for your occupation, whichever is higher. New entrants can be paid less, down to a floor of £33,400.
How much does the UK Global Talent visa cost?
£766 per person (£561 for the endorsement plus £205 for the visa), plus the Immigration Health Surcharge of usually £1,035 for each year of the visa.
Who endorses Global Talent applications for tech?
GOV.UK says the Home Office sends digital technology endorsement applications to Tech Nation, which usually decides within five to eight weeks.
Do Indian applicants need an English test for the Skilled Worker visa?
Not always. You need B2, which you can prove with a degree taught in English (confirmed through Ecctis), a UK degree or an approved test. India is not on the list of exempt nationalities.
How long until I can settle in the UK?
Under the rules on GOV.UK today, Skilled Workers can apply after five years. Global Talent leaders can apply after three years and potential leaders after five. The government has consulted on an earned-settlement model that could change this.
Sources
- GOV.UK, “Skilled Worker visa”, accessed 4 October 2026
- GOV.UK, “Skilled Worker visa: when you can be paid less”, accessed 4 October 2026
- Home Office, “Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Occupations”, 11 November 2025
- GOV.UK, “UK visa sponsorship for employers: immigration skills charge”, accessed 4 October 2026
- GOV.UK, “Apply for the Global Talent visa”, accessed 4 October 2026
- GOV.UK, “Work in the UK as a leader in digital technology (Global Talent visa)”, accessed 4 October 2026
- GOV.UK, “High Potential Individual (HPI) visa”, accessed 4 October 2026
- GOV.UK, “Graduate visa”, accessed 4 October 2026
- Home Office, “Earned settlement” (consultation), 20 November 2025
- Home Office, “Statement of changes to the Immigration Rules: HC 1691” and explanatory memorandum, 5 March 2026
Featured image: Changes to the UK Immigration Rules are laid before Parliament at Westminster. · Photo: Dietmar Rabich / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
How this article was made: researched and drafted with AI assistance by the 100xFounder editorial desk, using only the sources listed in it; every figure links to its source. Read our editorial policy, or report an error through our corrections policy.
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Sources (10)
- GOV.UK 4 Oct 2026Eligibility, £41,700 floor, B2/B1 English rules, fees, IHS, maintenance, decision times, five-year ILR
- GOV.UK 4 Oct 2026New entrant 70-90% rule, £33,400 floor, PhD rules
- Home Office 11 Nov 2025Going rates for SOC 2131-2139 and 2433; Table 1 RQF 6
- GOV.UK 4 Oct 2026Immigration Skills Charge amounts; sponsor licence fees
- GOV.UK 4 Oct 2026Global Talent fee split, ILR after 3 or 5 years, decision times
- GOV.UK 4 Oct 2026Tech Nation endorsement, criteria, documents, 5-8 week decision
- GOV.UK 4 Oct 2026HPI visa length, cap, application year, no settlement
- GOV.UK 4 Oct 2026Graduate visa 2 years until 31 Dec 2026, 18 months from 1 Jan 2027
- Home Office 20 Nov 2025Earned settlement consultation dates and aim
- Home Office 5 Mar 2026B2 English for settlement from 26 March 2027 across work routes
