KSh 7m minimum salary: List of jobs Kenyans can apply for UK skilled worker visa

This story has significance for readers across Kenya and beyond.

- The UK government updated its Skilled Worker visa-eligible occupations list on 22 July 2025, removing around 180 job types

- Care workers, hospitality staff, and construction roles are among the occupations cut from the sponsorship route for new applicants

- The minimum salary threshold for new visa holders has also risen, with employers now required to pay at least £41,700 annually

The UK government has released an updated list of occupations eligible for the Skilled Worker visa, effective from 22 July 2025, marking one of the most sweeping reforms to the country's skilled immigration framework in recent years.

The revised guidance classifies hundreds of job titles by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code, assigning each one a status of "Higher Skilled", "Medium Skilled", or "Ineligible" for sponsorship purposes.

What Changed on 22 July 2025

The most consequential shift is the raising of the minimum skill threshold. Previously set at RQF Level 3, roughly equivalent to A-levels, the requirement has now moved to RQF Level 6, which corresponds to graduate or degree-level qualifications.

As a result, approximately 180 occupations have been removed from eligibility, with the Home Office confirming at least 111 distinct job types are no longer accessible through this route.

Care workers and senior care workers, classified under SOC codes 6135 and 6136, are among the most prominent removals. Employers in health and social care, hospitality, logistics, and construction will no longer be able to sponsor new overseas workers in these roles.

Alongside the skill level change, the minimum general salary for new Skilled Worker visa holders has increased from £38,700 to £41,700 per year (about KSh 7.2 million), with the corresponding hourly rate rising from £15.88 to £17.13.

Which Jobs Remain Eligible

The updated list still covers a broad range of sectors. In healthcare, doctors, surgeons, psychiatrists, pharmacists, dentists, midwives, and registered nurses all qualify as higher-skilled roles, with dental nurses and pharmaceutical technicians listed at the medium-skilled level.

Technology roles, including software developers, IT directors, cybersecurity professionals, and data architects, continue to be eligible as higher-skilled occupations.

Civil, mechanical, electrical, aerospace, and production engineers are similarly listed, along with engineering project managers.

Teachers across primary, secondary, further, and higher education remain on the list, as do head teachers, education advisers, and special needs education professionals.

Musicians, arts producers, and directors are classified as Higher Skilled, while actors, dancers, and designers generally fall under Medium Skilled.

Applicants uncertain about their occupation's eligibility are advised to use the CASCOT coding tool to identify their SOC code before checking the full list, which is published on the GOV.UK website under "Skilled Worker visa: eligible occupations and codes".

How the New Rules Apply

The updated requirements affect new Skilled Worker visa applications where a Certificate of Sponsorship was assigned on or after 22 July 2025.

Workers already holding a Skilled Worker visa before that date may still extend or change roles within the same occupation code, though higher salary thresholds will apply when they do.

The changes do not affect roles listed on the Immigration Salary List, which replaced the former Shortage Occupation List in April 2024, or those appearing on the new Temporary Shortage List.

Source: TUKO.co.ke

Reporting originally appeared via TUKO. Read the full source for additional context.