£35,000 Minimum Salary UK Visa Roles: Full List of Sponsoring Employers

The £35,000 salary threshold sits at a strategically important position in the UK Skilled Worker visa framework. It falls above the new entrant and Immigration Salary List reduced rate of £30,960, places the holder into a salary band where most healthcare, education, and selected engineering roles are fully compliant with their relevant going rates, and represents the approximate starting point of the NHS Band 6 pay range — one of the most extensively sponsored salary levels in the UK’s international recruitment market.

In 2026, there are hundreds of UK employers with active Home Office sponsor licences offering roles at or above £35,000 that are genuinely and actively open to internationally sponsored applicants. This guide identifies who they are, which occupational categories they sponsor at this salary level, how the £35,000 salary interacts with the Skilled Worker visa going rate framework, and how to find and approach them directly and effectively.

How £35,000 Works Within the Skilled Worker Visa Salary Framework

Understanding where £35,000 sits relative to the three salary thresholds that govern Skilled Worker visa eligibility determines which occupations it qualifies for and under what conditions.

The practical conclusion is that £35,000 qualifies for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship in three specific circumstances: where the applicant is a new entrant (under 26, Graduate visa switcher, or qualifying PhD holder), where the role appears on the Immigration Salary List with an 80% going rate at or below £35,000, or where the role is paid under a national pay scale — most commonly the NHS Agenda for Change or national teacher pay scales — that the Home Office explicitly accepts as the relevant going rate comparator.

Applicants who do not fall into any of these categories and are not new entrants cannot be sponsored at £35,000 for most standard Skilled Worker occupations where the full going rate exceeds this figure. The employers and occupations listed in this guide are specifically those where £35,000 qualifies — either through ISL listing, national pay scale assessment, or new entrant status.

Occupations Where £35,000 Fully Qualifies for Skilled Worker Sponsorship

Healthcare and NHS — National Pay Scale Roles

NHS roles assessed under the Agenda for Change pay scale are exempt from the general minimum threshold and the going rate framework that applies to other occupations. Instead, the Home Office compares the offered salary against the relevant Agenda for Change band. NHS Band 6 starts at £35,392 — putting NHS-employed professionals at the bottom of Band 6 within the qualifying range for Skilled Worker sponsorship without any ISL or new entrant provisions being required.

Adult Social Care — Care Worker and Senior Care Worker

Care workers (SOC 6145) and senior care workers (SOC 6146) have going rates specifically set for these occupations — currently £23,200 for SOC 6145 — that are well below £35,000. An offer of £35,000 for a care worker or senior care worker exceeds the going rate substantially and satisfies all Skilled Worker visa salary requirements without any additional conditions. The employer must be CQC-registered (in England) and must hold a current Home Office Worker sponsor licence.

Education — National Teacher Pay Scale Roles

Qualified teachers employed in state-maintained schools in England are paid under the national teacher pay scales, which the Home Office accepts as the applicable going rate for sponsorship purposes. The main pay scale for qualified teachers in England ranges from £31,650 (outside London) to £38,766 (inner London), and the upper pay scale reaches £49,084. An offer of £35,000 falls within the national main scale for most regions — placing it comfortably within the going rate band for state school teacher sponsorship in areas outside inner London.

Engineering — ISL-Listed Roles

Civil, mechanical, electrical, and chemical engineers are all listed on the Immigration Salary List with a 100% going rate of £40,000 and an ISL rate (80%) of £32,000. An offer of £35,000 exceeds the ISL rate and qualifies for sponsorship when the applicant has new entrant status — and for standard applicants, £35,000 falls between the ISL rate (£32,000) and the full going rate (£40,000), meaning it qualifies for sponsorship only with new entrant status or where the employer confirms it meets the applicable minimum for the candidate’s circumstances.

Architecture, Planning, and Quantity Surveying

Architects, town planners, and quantity surveyors all have going rates at or below £38,700 — meaning a £35,000 offer is within the ISL reduced rate range (which at 80% of the going rate for these roles falls between £30,960 and £31,000). Sponsorship at £35,000 for these occupations is possible for new entrant applicants without additional conditions, and for standard applicants who qualify for the ISL reduced rate through the specific listing of their occupation.

Technology — New Entrant Route

The full going rate for software developers, data scientists, and cybersecurity specialists is £45,000, with the ISL rate at £36,000. A £35,000 offer falls below both these thresholds for standard applicants — but qualifies fully under new entrant status, which is available to applicants under 26, those switching from a Student or Graduate visa, and qualifying PhD holders. For this reason, £35,000 technology roles are most relevant for recent international graduates in the UK on a Graduate visa who are seeking their first Skilled Worker sponsorship.

UK Employers Actively Sponsoring at £35,000 and Above

NHS Trusts — Healthcare (Band 5–6 and Above)

Every NHS Trust in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland holds an active Worker sponsor licence and is cap-exempt — meaning they can assign Certificates of Sponsorship year-round without any annual quota constraint. NHS Trusts represent the single largest source of Skilled Worker visa sponsorship activity in the UK at and above the £35,000 salary level. All of the following Trusts are actively recruiting internationally trained healthcare professionals in Band 5 and Band 6 roles that pay from £28,407 to £42,618 — with most international recruitment focused on Band 6 roles and above where salaries consistently reach or exceed £35,392.

• University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
• Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
• King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (London)
• Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
• Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (London)
• Barts Health NHS Trust (London)
• Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust (London)
• Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
• Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
• NHS Scotland (NHS Lothian, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, NHS Grampian, NHS Highland)
• NHS Wales (Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, Swansea Bay University Health Board)
• Northern Ireland HSC Trusts (Belfast, Northern, Southern, South Eastern, Western HSC Trusts)

Private Healthcare and Care Groups

• HC-One (Nationwide): UK’s largest care home operator, sponsoring care workers at going rate minimum (£23,200) and senior carers and registered nurses at salaries from £28,000 to £40,000. At the £35,000 level, HC-One sponsors registered nurses and care home managers — with registered nurse salaries at HC-One typically ranging from £32,000 to £40,000 depending on location and specialisation
• Barchester Healthcare (Nationwide): Over 200 care homes and mental health hospitals. Barchester sponsors care workers, senior carers, and registered nurses — with registered nurse salaries at £35,000 and above for Band 6-equivalent private sector clinical roles
• Care UK (Nationwide): Sponsors personal support workers and registered nurses — with care worker roles typically below £35,000 and senior care and nursing roles at £35,000 and above
• Anchor Hanover (Nationwide): England’s largest not-for-profit care provider with sponsorship activity for care workers and senior carers from £28,000 upward, with management and nursing roles at £35,000 and above
• Bupa UK (Multiple locations): Private healthcare group sponsoring registered nurses, physiotherapists, and specialist clinicians at salaries from £35,000 and above — with many roles in its hospital and care network paying at or above NHS Band 6 equivalents
• Nuffield Health (Multiple locations): Sponsors physiotherapists, radiographers, and specialist nurses at salaries from £35,000 in its private hospital and fitness and wellbeing centres
• Priory Group (Multiple locations): UK’s largest independent mental health and behavioural care provider, sponsoring mental health nurses and healthcare support workers at salaries from £32,000 to £42,000
• Cera Care (Nationwide): Technology-enabled home care provider sponsoring community care workers and registered nurses at salaries from £28,000, with supervisory and clinical roles reaching £35,000 and above
• Helping Hands Home Care (Nationwide): National home care provider with an active Skilled Worker sponsorship programme for overseas carers and registered nurses at salaries from £28,000 to £38,000

Education — Multi-Academy Trusts and Schools

• Ark Schools (London and nationwide): Large multi-academy trust with active international teacher recruitment for secondary mathematics, science, and computer science teachers. Starting salaries on the national main scale — from £31,650 outside London and £38,766 in inner London — with £35,000 falling within the qualifying range for most locations
• United Learning (Nationwide): One of the largest multi-academy trust groups in England with established international teacher recruitment for shortage subject secondary teachers at national main scale salaries including the £35,000 band
• Harris Federation (London): Large London multi-academy trust with active international secondary teacher recruitment — London area salaries with outer London weighting of £34,514 to £41,843 place many roles within or above the £35,000 target band
• Outwood Grange Academies Trust (Yorkshire): Regional multi-academy trust with established international teacher recruitment for STEM teachers at national main scale salaries including the £35,000 range
• AET (Academies Enterprise Trust) (Nationwide): Large multi-academy trust with secondary teacher recruitment across shortage subjects at national main scale salaries
• Local authority maintained schools (all English regions): Thousands of local authority-maintained secondary schools hold individual sponsor licences and recruit internationally for shortage subjects. Teachers in their third to fifth year of teaching on the national main scale typically reach or exceed £35,000 in most English regions outside inner London

Engineering Consultancies and Contractors (for New Entrant Applicants)

• Atkins (AtkinsRéalis UK): Active Skilled Worker sponsor for civil, structural, and environmental engineers — with graduate and early-career engineers typically earning £32,000 to £38,000. New entrant applicants at £35,000 fully qualify for Skilled Worker sponsorship
• Mott MacDonald: Global engineering consultancy with graduate and early-career civil and environmental engineering roles at £32,000 to £40,000 — with £35,000 qualifying under new entrant provisions
• Arup: International engineering design firm with graduate roles from £35,000 to £42,000 for structural, civil, and MEP engineers — with £35,000 accessible under new entrant provisions for recent graduates switching from a UK Student or Graduate visa
• Jacobs Engineering UK: Civil and environmental engineering consultancy with graduate and early-career roles from £34,000 to £40,000 qualifying under new entrant provisions
• WSP UK: Engineering consultancy with graduate roles from £33,000 to £40,000 eligible under new entrant Skilled Worker sponsorship
• Balfour Beatty: Infrastructure contractor with early-career project engineer roles from £33,000 to £40,000 eligible under new entrant provisions

Architecture and Construction Management

• Foster + Partners (London): One of the world’s most recognised architectural practices, sponsoring qualified architects from £38,000 to £55,000. Newly qualified Part III architects at £35,000 may qualify under new entrant provisions when switching from a UK Student or Graduate visa
• Zaha Hadid Architects (London): International architectural practice with a history of sponsoring internationally trained architects — Part I and Part II graduates at £35,000 eligible under new entrant Skilled Worker route when switching from UK Graduate visa
• BDP (Multiple UK locations): Architecture, design, and engineering practice with sponsor licence and active international architect recruitment, with qualified Part III architects at salaries from £36,000 to £48,000
• Gleeds (Multiple UK locations): Global property and construction consultancy with Skilled Worker sponsorship for quantity surveyors from £35,000 — qualifying straightforwardly as the going rate for quantity surveyors (£38,700) is exceeded at the ISL reduced rate (£30,960) by a £35,000 offer
• Turner & Townsend (Multiple UK locations): Global project management and cost consultancy with Skilled Worker sponsorship for quantity surveyors and project managers at salaries from £36,000 to £55,000

How to Find £35,000+ Roles With Skilled Worker Sponsorship

NHS Jobs (jobs.nhs.uk)

The official NHS recruitment portal is the most reliable source for sponsored healthcare roles at £35,000 and above. All NHS Trusts accept international applications and every NHS Trust holds a valid sponsor licence. Filter for Band 6 and above to surface roles consistently starting at £35,392. All Band 6 and above roles are open to Skilled Worker sponsored applicants — no further verification of sponsorship availability is required.

Home Office Register of Licensed Sponsors

Download the current weekly register at gov.uk/government/publications/register-of-licensed-sponsors-workers and filter by keywords relevant to your target sector and location. Cross-reference with active job postings on Reed, Indeed UK, LinkedIn, and employer careers portals to identify which registered sponsors are actively advertising at £35,000 and above in your field.

Reed.co.uk and Totaljobs.com

Both platforms allow simultaneous filtering for visa sponsorship availability and minimum salary. Setting a £35,000 salary minimum with the visa sponsorship filter and your target occupation and location produces a manageable list of current sponsored postings across healthcare, education, engineering, and architecture.

Teaching Vacancies (teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk)

The Department for Education’s official teacher recruitment service lists vacancies from state-maintained schools across England. All school employers on this platform are registered with the DfE and most hold Skilled Worker sponsor licences — enabling filter by subject and region to find shortage subject teaching roles at national main scale salaries from £31,650 upward.

Social Care Job Boards (carehome.co.uk, indeed.co.uk)

For adult social care sponsorship, carehome.co.uk aggregates roles from care home operators and domiciliary care providers across England and Wales. Filtering for registered nurse or senior care manager roles and verifying the employer’s sponsor licence status and CQC registration on the respective government databases before applying is essential for this sector given the higher prevalence of non-compliant employers in international care recruitment than in NHS or education hiring.

The Red Flag Check: Verifying Employers Before Applying

With over 100,000 organisations on the Home Office sponsor register, the volume of potential sponsors creates significant variation in employer quality, operational legitimacy, and the reliability of the sponsorship process. Before applying to any employer at the £35,000 salary level — particularly in care and hospitality, where the prevalence of non-compliant employers is higher — confirm the following:

• Current register listing: Download and check the most recent weekly register — not a version from several weeks ago. Licences can be suspended or revoked at any time
• Worker licence type: Confirm the employer holds a Worker licence (not only a Temporary Worker licence) — care and education employers sometimes hold only Temporary Worker licences that do not authorise Skilled Worker visa CoS assignment
• CQC registration for care employers: Verify at cqc.org.uk — required for all care employers sponsoring overseas workers in England. Check the current inspection rating and confirm the employer is not rated Inadequate
• Companies House active status: Verify the organisation is active and has filed its most recent confirmation statement and accounts — dissolved or struck-off companies cannot legally employ anyone, let alone sponsor internationally
• No request for payment: Any employer requesting payment for sponsorship, visa processing, or recruitment is acting in violation of Home Office regulations. The Immigration Skills Charge — £364/year for small employers and charities, £1,000/year for larger employers — is the employer’s legal obligation and cannot be passed to the worker

Conclusion

Roles paying £35,000 with Skilled Worker visa sponsorship are available and actively accessible in 2026 — concentrated in NHS healthcare (Band 5 and above), adult social care (registered nurses and senior care managers), state school teaching (secondary shortage subjects at national main scale), engineering (for new entrant applicants), and architecture and quantity surveying (for qualifying applicants). The Home Office framework is specific about when £35,000 qualifies for sponsorship — it does not satisfy the general minimum threshold of £38,700, but it fully satisfies national pay scale comparisons for NHS and teaching roles, the going rate for care worker and senior care worker occupations, and the ISL reduced rate and new entrant thresholds for engineering and architecture.

By targeting the NHS for healthcare, multi-academy trusts and local authority schools for teaching, established care groups for senior care roles, and engineering consultancies for new entrant engineering positions — and verifying every employer through the register, CQC database, and Companies House before investing application effort — internationally trained professionals can access genuine, compliant Skilled Worker sponsorship at £35,000 and above through the most productive channels the 2026 UK sponsorship market offers.