Am I still eligible for the 70% “new entrant” rate when extending my Skilled Worker visa

Post:

  • Finished a UK degree (Undergrad) → switched straight from Student Visa to Skilled Worker.
  • Current Skilled Worker visa: Sep last year → Sep next year.
  • Total UK stay is 4+ years, but only 1 year under Skilled Worker.
  • GOV.UK says you can be a “new entrant” if your most recent permission was Student and you completed a UK bachelor’s/master’s/PhD/etc.
  • Also says you can only be a new entrant for up to 4 years total (Skilled Worker/Tier 2/Graduate), not counting student time.

My question:
Since I’ve only used 1 year of Skilled Worker time, can I still be sponsored again as a new entrant (and qualify for the 70% going rate) if I extend next year?

TL;DR:
Only 1 year of my Skilled Worker visa is used so far. Student time doesn’t count toward the 4-year cap. Am I still eligible for the new entrant 70% salary rate for my next Skilled Worker application?

Posted Nov 14, 2025, 6:56 PM UTC

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