UK Skilled Worker visa rules, by job
To get a UK Skilled Worker visa you need a licensed employer to sponsor you for a job on the eligible occupation list, and a salary that clears two tests at once: the general threshold of £41,700 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025) (or £33,400 where a reduced-threshold rule applies) and the going rate published for your specific occupation. The higher of the two figures governs. Some jobs (healthcare and school teaching) use national pay scales instead of a going rate.
How to read the job pages
Every job page below gives the same five things, drawn from the Home Office's own tables and checked weekly: the occupation code your sponsor will use, the standard and lower going rates (or the pay scale), whether the job is on the Immigration Salary List, whether it qualifies for the Health and Care Worker visa, and what registration or licensing the profession actually requires, which is where most guidance online is wrong.
Two rules decide most cases. First, if a job's going rate is below £41,700 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025) and the job is not on the Immigration Salary List, the £41,700 threshold is what you must be paid, however low the published rate looks. Chefs, plasterers, HR officers and data analysts all fall here. Second, if the job is on the Immigration Salary List, the reduced £33,400 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025) threshold applies and the going rate becomes the binding figure, which is why bricklayers, carpenters, roofers and biological scientists are among the most workable routes on the list.
One closure to know about. Care workers and senior care workers cannot be sponsored from overseas since July 2025; people already in the UK can still switch and extend. The social care category explains what is open instead.
Our assessment checks you against every open UK and Canadian route in about three minutes and shows your score, where you stand and the first thing that would raise it. No card needed for that. Seeing every route in full needs a plan.
Healthcare
Healthcare jobs use NHS pay bands, not standard going rates. What you must be paid, which registration you need, and the surcharge you do not pay.
- Biochemists and biomedical scientistsFrom £33,400 a year
- Clinical psychologistsNational pay scale
- Generalist medical practitionersNational pay scale
- Medical radiographersNational pay scale
- Midwifery nursesNational pay scale
- Occupational therapistsNational pay scale
- PhysiotherapistsNational pay scale
- Registered nursesNational pay scale
- Specialist medical practitionersNational pay scale
Social care
Overseas care worker sponsorship closed in July 2025. Care and health workers are still recruited to the UK and Canada by other routes. See what fits you.
Construction and skilled trades
Six construction trades are on the Immigration Salary List, which allows a lower salary. The rates by trade, and what registration is actually required.
- BricklayersFrom £33,400 a year
- Carpenters and joinersFrom £33,400 a year
- Electricians and electrical fittersFrom £33,400 a year
- PlasterersCannot be sponsored
- Plumbers and heating and ventilating installers and repairersFrom £33,400 a year
- Roofers, roof tilers and slatersFrom £33,400 a year
- Sheet metal workersCannot be sponsored
- Stonemasons and related tradesFrom £33,400 a year
- Vehicle technicians, mechanics and electriciansFrom £33,400 a year
- Welding tradesFrom £33,400 a year
IT and technology
What software developers, analysts and cyber security professionals must be paid for a UK work visa. No registration required; salary is the only gate.
Engineering and manufacturing
What civil, mechanical, electrical and electronics engineers must be paid for a UK work visa. Engineering Council registration is voluntary, not required.
Education
School teaching uses national pay scales, not going rates. When QTS is legally required, when it is not, and how the four UK nations differ.
Science and research
Biological scientists and lab technicians are on the Immigration Salary List, allowing a lower salary. Rates by field, plus the no-sponsor route.
Business, finance and law
Salary rates for accountants, consultants, lawyers and architects. Law and architecture are legally gated. Finance, HR and marketing are not.
- Actuaries, economists and statisticiansFrom £38,570 a year
- ArchitectsFrom £33,400 a year
- Barristers and judgesFrom £41,580 a year
- Chartered and certified accountantsFrom £34,440 a year
- Chartered architectural technologists, planning officers and consultantsFrom £33,400 a year
- Chief executives and senior officialsFrom £61,670 a year
- Human resources and industrial relations officersFrom £33,400 a year
- Management consultants and business analystsFrom £35,140 a year
- Marketing and commercial managersFrom £35,070 a year
- Solicitors and lawyersFrom £36,120 a year
Creative and hospitality
Chefs have one of the lowest salary rates on the route. Artists and arts officers are on the Immigration Salary List. Pay rules and the no-sponsor route.
This is an estimate from the official rules as we last checked them. It is general information, not legal advice. Always confirm on canada.ca or gov.uk before you apply.
Rules last checked on September 14, 2026.