Further changes to work visa sponsorship: Key dates for employers

The government continues to implement changes to the UK’s work visa routes, with significant cost increases and stricter English language requirements taking effect over the coming months. These changes will impact sponsorship strategies and recruitment budgets, making early planning essential to minimise costs and disruption.

Immigration Skills Charge to rise by 32%

The Immigration Skills Charge (ISC) is a fee sponsors pay each time a certificate of sponsorship is assigned to a worker, either for a new hire or to extend an existing worker’s visa. The ISC will increase by 32% on 16 December 2025.

Currently, the ISC is £364 per year of sponsorship for small businesses and charities, and £1000 per year for medium or large businesses. The 32% increase will result in the following changes to the ISC rates:

	Small/charitable sponsor		Medium/large sponsor
Date certificate assigned	Pre-16 December	From 16 December	Pre-16 December	From 16 December
First 12 months	£364	£480	£1,000	£1,320
Each additional six months	£182	£240	£500	£660

From 16 December 2025, sponsoring a Skilled Worker for five years will cost medium/large employers £6,600 in ISC alone. Combined with visa fees and the Immigration Health Surcharge, total sponsorship costs are becoming increasingly prohibitive for many organisations.

Employers can assign Certificates of Sponsorship up to three months before an employee’s start date. This means employers can act now to secure current ISC rates for workers starting as late as 15 March 2026.

The ISC is paid when assigning the Certificate of Sponsorship, not when the worker applies for their visa. Employers planning early 2026 recruitment should consider accelerating sponsorship timelines to avoid the increased charges.

English language standards to increase

From 8 January 2026 the English language requirement for new Skilled Worker applicants will rise from B1 level English (intermediate) to B2 level (advanced). This is the same level of English proficiency that is required from those applying to study at a UK university.

This change will particularly affect sectors recruiting from regions where English language education is less developed. Employers should build additional time into recruitment processes to allow candidates to improve their English or retake language tests. Some organisations may need to consider offering language support as part of recruitment packages to secure the talent that they need.

The changes do not affect the Global Mobility visa work routes and those existing Skilled Worker visa holders extending their permission will not need to meet the higher standard.

Graduate route to be shortened

The Graduate visa, which allows international students to work in the UK after completing their studies, will shorten from 24 to 18 months for most graduates from 1 January 2027.

This reduction gives employers less time to assess graduate talent and complete sponsorship processes for those they wish to retain. Organisations recruiting from university talent pools should review their graduate programmes to ensure conversion to sponsored employment can happen within the shorter timeframe.

Contact us for advice

Please reach out to our expert Immigration team or your usual Shepherd and Wedderburn contact if you would like to discuss how these changes will affect your organisation’s sponsorship arrangements and recruitment planning.

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