It will come as no surprise given recent headlines that the UK’s approach to skilled migration continues to evolve. The Migration Advisory Committee’s (MAC) recent review of salary thresholds for sponsored work routes (accessible here) is the latest chapter in a longer story about how the government is intent on balancing immigration control with economic competitiveness. For creative industries including Film & TV and digital media, as well as betting & gaming, sports and technology, the stakes are particularly high given these sectors are deeply international, rely on specialist talent, and often operate with pay structures that do not neatly fit traditional corporate models.

Rethinking salary thresholds in a nuanced labour market

The MAC’s review focuses on whether current salary thresholds for sponsored work routes (such as the Skilled Worker route) are set at the right level to attract talent while protecting the domestic labour market. Broadly, the MAC has been examining whether sector-specific variations should be refined or reduced. The current general threshold stands at £41,700 for Skilled Workers, with occupation-specific thresholds set at the median of that occupation. The MAC proposes reducing occupation-specific thresholds to the 25th percentile whilst maintaining the general threshold (with £48,400 noted as a possible alternative level), estimating this would bring lifetime fiscal benefits worth £660 million in net present value terms without affecting the domestic labour market. However, from a general business perspective, salary thresholds are a blunt policy lever. Higher thresholds can reduce net migration and ensure migrants are filling genuinely skilled, well-paid roles, but they also risk excluding mid-level specialists, early-career talent and niche experts whose market value is high but whose salaries fall below a national benchmark.

For creative industries, this tension is amplified. A game developer with specialist engine expertise, a VFX artist with rare technical skills or a sports data scientist working in performance analytics may be highly valuable to a UK employer, but their salary might not meet a uniform threshold designed around traditional corporate or professional services roles. The MAC’s data highlights this challenge: graphic and multimedia designers face a median occupation-specific threshold of £31,700, yet 95% of the UK’s domestic workforce in this role earn below the proposed general threshold of £48,400. Similarly, arts officers, producers and directors (with a median threshold of £38,100) and web design professionals (median £43,800) see 75% and 65% of their respective UK domestic workforces falling below these benchmarks. Managers and directors in the creative industries – notwithstanding being designated as critical to the Industrial Strategy – have a median threshold of £44,900, with 55% of domestic workers earning less than £48,400. The MAC’s recommendations are therefore part of a broader debate about whether immigration policy can realistically reflect the diversity of modern labour markets.

International and regional disparities

Film & TV, tech, betting and gaming, and sports are also inherently global industries. Production crews, engineers, analysts and creatives often move between jurisdictions, and projects scale up and down (sometimes very) quickly. Salary structures reflect this: freelance contracts, project-based pay, and international benchmarks do not always align with UK median earnings, and certainly not over the typical course of a year. If salary thresholds are pushed higher or simplified, these sectors could face increased friction in hiring overseas talent. Production companies may struggle to bring in specialist crew for long-form productions, publishing studios could find it harder to recruit niche developers, and sports organisations may encounter barriers to hiring “behind-the-scenes” international analysts or technical staff. Betting and gaming businesses – already heavily regulated – could see additional constraints on accessing global tech and compliance talent. By way of example, the MAC’s analysis shows that in practice web design professionals only saw 110 visas granted from October 2024 to September 2025, while graphic and multimedia designers accounted for a healthier 340 visas. However, these numbers could decline sharply if thresholds rise. The MAC also found that from a regional perspective, lower-paying areas such as Wales and the North-East of England would struggle even more if thresholds were increased above their current level. Notably, the MAC recommends abolishing the PhD salary discount entirely, a change that could affect research-intensive creative technology and sports science roles that often attract doctoral-level candidates.

On the flip side, there is an argument that higher thresholds could professionalise roles and encourage businesses to invest more in domestic talent pipelines, as confirmed in a recent Parliamentary policy forum. Employers might respond by increasing salaries, improving training, or reshaping roles to justify sponsorship. For sectors often criticised for long hours and project volatility, this could be a catalyst for better working conditions and clearer career structures. There is also a broader strategic question: will the UK remain an attractive destination for global talent compared to more flexible immigration systems in other creative hubs? If thresholds are perceived as too rigid, talent may gravitate toward jurisdictions that better accommodate project-based and hybrid career paths. The MAC’s engagement revealed that both employers and trade unions expressed concern that higher thresholds could create pay disparities between sponsored and non-sponsored workers performing the same roles. Trade union representatives specifically noted that women were disproportionately affected by threshold increases due to both lower average pay and caring responsibilities, a consideration particularly relevant to the creative sectors where female representation varies significantly.

Ultimately, the impact will depend on how the government implements the recommendations, whether it preserves sector-specific flexibility, recognises non-traditional career paths, and balances economic competitiveness with political priorities. For businesses and workers alike, the next 18 months will be less about headlines and more about adapting to a system that continues to evolve in real time.

Our employment and immigration lawyers will continue to track developments closely. We will issue further updates as implementation plans are announced and highlight where we think the changes may have a particular impact on the media, technology and sports sectors. In the meantime, our specialists are here to help if you have any questions.