Post by Deborah Udy Okusaga Akanne (@deborah_udy_okusaga)

NHS Band Salaries & Visa Threshold

You are targeting Band 5.
Your employer says they will sponsor you.
What neither of you has checked is whether your Band 5 salary actually qualifies for sponsorship right now.

Here is the problem.

The standard Skilled Worker visa requires a minimum salary of £41,700 per year as of July 2025. Most Band 5 NHS salaries sit between approximately £28,000 and £35,000. That is well below the threshold.

So how are Band 5 nurses, physiotherapists, and other allied health professionals currently being sponsored at all?

Because of the Immigration Salary List. The ISL allows specific occupations in shortage to be sponsored at a lower salary than the standard minimum. Nursing, allied health professions, and certain other healthcare roles are on that list.

The ISL closes in December 2026.

After it closes, the lower salary concession disappears. Band 5 roles that currently qualify under ISL provisions will need to meet the full £41,700 threshold, or employers will need an alternative lawful basis for sponsorship. For many Band 5 NHS posts, this creates a real structural problem.

This is not speculation. It is published UKVI policy with a confirmed timeline.

If you are outside the UK targeting a Band 5 nurse or AHP role, your application needs to progress before December. Band 7 and above roles — approximately £46,000 to £52,000 — sit comfortably above the threshold and are not affected in the same way. Band 6 sits partially above and partially below depending on where you are in the pay scale.

If you want to understand exactly how your target band interacts with the visa salary rules, DM me BAND and I will give you a direct answer.

Post 2 is at 9am. Locum versus substantive NHS work — the honest differences and what it means for your visa that most people are not told.

#NHSBandSalary #nhspayscales #NHSBand5 #NHSBand6 #NHSBand7 #healthandcarevisa #ImmigrationSalaryList #skilledworkervisa #InternationalNurses #SovereignHealthcareAdvisoryGroup #NHSJobs2026 #NHSRecruitment2026 #UKHealthcareJobs #InternationalHealthcareProfessionals #AgendaForChange

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