Biochemist or biomedical scientist in the UK: your Skilled Worker visa, step by step

What you must be paid

Two figures decide whether a Skilled Worker salary is high enough. The first is the salary threshold that applies to you. The general threshold is £41,700 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025) a year. A reduced threshold of £33,400 applies if the occupation is on the Immigration Salary List (ISL), or if another reduced-threshold rule covers you. The second figure is the going rate for the occupation code. The going rate is the minimum pay the Home Office sets for that specific job. You must clear both figures. The higher of the two governs.

Here is the example worked for code 2113. The standard going rate is £45,900 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025). The general threshold is £41,700. The going rate is the higher figure. So £45,900 is the minimum salary for a sponsored biochemist or biomedical scientist. Code 2113 is not on the ISL. The ISL would not change the answer in any case, because the going rate sits above both thresholds.

The lower going rate for this code is £35,100 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025). That figure is only used where a reduced-threshold rule applies, such as the new entrant rule. Even then the higher of the reduced threshold and £45,900 governs. The salary checker tests your case.

Registration and licensing

The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) protects the title biomedical scientist. It is unlawful to use the title without HCPC registration. The HCPC protects titles, not activities. In practice NHS posts, private employers and visa sponsors all require registration. Treat it as necessary. Applicants trained abroad use the HCPC international application route. The outcome can include a test of competence or a period of adaptation. The HCPC charges a one-off, non-refundable scrutiny fee. It says the timescale varies. For the other titles under this code, check the HCPC's own list of protected titles. Scientific roles that do not use a protected title have no statutory registration or licence to work in the UK.

Which job titles this code covers

Code 2113 covers four gov.uk related titles: biochemists, biomedical scientists, biotechnologists and clinical scientists. Your sponsor chooses the occupation code when it assigns your Certificate of Sponsorship. The code must honestly reflect the work you will do. A laboratory post in industry and one in an NHS trust can both sit under this code.

The one healthcare page with a going rate

Every other healthcare page on this site points to a pay-scale table. Code 2113 is different. It has a fixed going rate of £45,900 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025). That figure applies whether the employer is a hospital laboratory, a university or a biotechnology company. Code 2113 is still eligible for the Health and Care Worker visa. The Health and Care Worker visa is a version of the Skilled Worker visa for eligible health and social care occupations. It has lower application fees than the standard Skilled Worker visa. It has no immigration health surcharge. On other work visas the surcharge is £1,035 (UK Home Office, effective February 6, 2024) per person per year. Rules change, so check both gov.uk pages before you rely on them.

If this route does not fit: what else is open

• Global Talent visa (UK). No sponsor and no job offer is needed. Endorsement routes exist for academia and research, digital technology, and arts and culture.
• New entrant / PhD reduced thresholds (UK). A reduced general threshold can apply to early-career applicants, to people switching from the Student or Graduate routes, and to holders of a relevant PhD. The salary checker tests your case.
• In-country switching (UK). If you are already in the UK on another visa, you can often switch into Skilled Worker when a licensed sponsor hires you.

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