The UK videogames sector depends on highly specialised talent from around the world; our Immigration team observed first-hand how international skills and workforce mobility sit at the heart of this industry’s growth.
Why is this?
On a broader level, there’s been an escalation in UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) compliance audits and consequential worker sponsor licence revocations over the last 18 months, which when combined with tighter eligibility requirements under sponsored routes, have posed greater challenges around attracting and retaining top talent in the UK.
But this does not have to be a “game over” moment for videogames studios. With the right forward planning, studios can continue to access the global talent they need.
Influences on immigration in the videogames sector
- Increased skill level – as of July 2025, the skill level for eligible roles under the Skilled Worker visa route was increased from RQF3 (A-level) to RQF6 (degree-level) causing a reduction of around 180 eligible occupations. In some cases, transitional provisions and temporary sponsorship for roles below RQF6 are available.
- Increased salary requirement – caused by a series of threshold changes since April 2024. Over the course of 2-years the general salary threshold has increased from £26,200 to £41,700.
- No more shortage occupation list – as of April 2024 this was abolished for new applicants. While historically many Skilled Worker hopefuls in technical roles (software engineers etc) could benefit from both a lower salary threshold and a reduction in fees, this no longer applies.
- Changes to Right to Work checks – from 1 October 2026, the obligation to carry out right to work checks will expand beyond traditional employees to a much wider range of working arrangements. This is on top of the already comprehensive right to work check process for both sponsored and non-sponsored workers within a traditional employment arrangement.
What should studios do?
- Internal talent assessments – assess their existing talent and pipeline hires against the updated requirements to identify whether current or future roles are likely to meet the applicable thresholds or be impacted by the Right to Work changes.
- Familiarise themselves with tradeable options – applicants under the Skilled Worker route require 70 points to be eligible for sponsorship and 20 of these are awarded for meeting the salary requirement. There are now 11 options for how this can be met with some offering a reduction in the increased salary requirement:
- transitional provisions – lower general salary threshold (£31,300) and a lower going rate;
- new entrant – reduced general salary threshold (£33,400) and 30% reduction of the going rate;
- PhD / STEM – reduced general salary threshold (£33,400 – £37,500) and a 10%-20% reduction in the going rate.
- Consider non-sponsored routes – can any incoming, current or proposed UK hires qualify under a non–sponsored route to avoid the need for meeting the tightened sponsorship eligibility requirements. It also reduces the compliance burden and provides greater flexibility for movement within the business – options include:
- Youth Mobility Scheme allows young people (18-30, in some cases 35) from specific countries to come to the UK for two to three years on a temporary visa during which time they can work in any role. The UK government is currently in negotiation to expand this scheme to those based in the EU.
- High Potential Individual allows individuals to work in the UK in any role for between 2-3 years. An applicant must have been awarded a qualification by an eligible university in the last five years. This list has recently been doubled to include graduates from all universities ranked in the world’s top 100.
- Personal routes the UK also offers a variety of routes based on an individual’s personal circumstances including (but not limited to): family visa, ancestry visa and dependant
For studios competing globally, a robust immigration strategy can help unlock growth, support compliance and keep international talent within reach. Read about how Lee & Thompson’s dedicated Immigration team can assist you here.
