Every Skilled Worker job has a 4-digit occupation code, also called a SOC code. GOV.UK says you need to know the code before you can find out if the job is eligible for the visa. If you already have a job offer, GOV.UK says to ask your employer for the code. Without one, you can look the job up by title (GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa, your job).
Checked against GOV.UK on 21 October 2026
Each step links to the GOV.UK page it comes from. Codes and rates change. Where this page and GOV.UK differ, GOV.UK is right. This page gives information, not advice on your case.
Find the code for a job title
Search the coding tool
GOV.UK links to the CASCOT occupation coding tool from its Skilled Worker job page. You search it by job title.
Try similar titles
GOV.UK says not every job title is included. If the exact title is not there, search for similar jobs. In the GOV.UK table, use full words, such as 'laboratory' rather than 'lab'.
Match the duties as well as the title
The job description has to match what you will do. GOV.UK says some similar jobs have different codes. In construction, bricklayers, roofers and carpenters are eligible for a Skilled Worker visa, but construction labourers are not.
An example from the GOV.UK table: business development managers are a related job title under code 3556, 'Sales accounts and business development managers', which the table lists as Higher Skilled. GOV.UK also notes that occupation codes changed on 4 April 2024, so a code used before then may be different now.
Check if the code is eligible
Look up the code in the GOV.UK table of eligible occupations and codes. The table is very large and sorted by code, smallest first, so a browser's find function on the page helps. Every SOC code in it is listed as Higher Skilled, Medium Skilled or Ineligible.
| What the table says | What GOV.UK says |
|---|---|
| Higher Skilled | You can apply for a Skilled Worker visa in this job. |
| Medium Skilled | You can apply if the job is on the immigration salary list or the temporary shortage list, or you are a prison officer (code 3314) extending or switching, or you are extending and got your first certificate of sponsorship before 22 July 2025. |
| Ineligible | The table marks the code as not eligible for the Skilled Worker visa. |
Check the going rate for the code
Each occupation code has its own annual going rate, listed in the GOV.UK going rates table. The usual minimum salary is £41,700 a year or the going rate, whichever is higher. GOV.UK gives an example: a salary of £42,000 with a going rate of £45,000 does not meet the usual salary requirement. Some healthcare and education jobs use national pay scales instead.
Care workers (code 6135) and senior care workers (code 6136) working in England need an employer registered with the Care Quality Commission. Our occupation pages list the codes, and our Skilled Worker guide covers the other requirements.
Sources
- GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa, your job
- GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa eligible occupations and codes
- GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa going rates for eligible occupations
Questions about these rules?
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