TL;DR: The HC 1691 explanatory memorandum describes time-limited Skilled Worker arrangements aimed at prison officer recruitment pressures. The memorandum states that a lower transitional £31,300 salary threshold and 25th percentile going rate apply (subject to routine ASHE updates) until 31 December 2027, with 31 December 2026 referenced as an end date for certain skills threshold flexibilities for switchers from other routes. It states that certificates of sponsorship can be issued under the offer until those end dates for use in applications, that sponsorship may be for up to three years rather than the usual five, that the arrangements do not apply to entry clearance, and that dependants already in the UK may extend while new dependants may not enter under these arrangements.
The memorandum stresses that the measures are conditional and do not guarantee a route to settlement.
Public and private prison providers
The memorandum states that the arrangements apply to prison officers in public and privately run prisons.
How this sits alongside other Skilled Worker changes in HC 1691
The same instrument introduces other Skilled Worker amendments with different commencement dates — for example pay-period salary compliance described as taking effect on 8 April 2026 in the implementation section. Sponsors should read Appendix Skilled Worker as amended for each commencement date rather than assuming a single uniform rule set across the whole route.
Official source
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statement-of-changes-to-the-immigration-rules-hc-1619-5-march-2026