Bricklayer in the UK: your Skilled Worker visa, step by step

Bricklaying is named on both sides of the Atlantic

Two immigration systems single out this trade in 2026. In the UK, code 5313 sits on the Immigration Salary List. In Canada, IRCC's 2026 Express Entry trades category names bricklayers under NOC code 72320. The Canadian list was last modified on 22 June 2026. Being named matters because candidates in a category can be invited at lower scores than the general pool. The eligibility test for the trades category is 12 months of full-time bricklaying experience within the past three years. Part-time experience counts if it adds up to the same total. Neither listing is permanent. Both governments revise their lists, so check the current version before you commit money to an application.

The salary sums for code 5313

A Skilled Worker salary has to pass two separate tests. Test one is the threshold for your situation. Most applicants face £41,700 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025). An applicant whose occupation is on the Immigration Salary List faces £33,400 instead. Test two is the going rate for the occupation code. Whichever of the two figures is higher is the one your offer has to reach.

For a bricklayer both numbers land in the same place. The ISL listing puts the threshold at £33,400 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025). The going rate matches that figure. An offer of £33,400 passes both tests. Anything below that figure fails both.

The lower going rate of £25,600 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025) appears on the gov.uk table for a narrow purpose. It is the figure used when a separate reduced-threshold rule applies, such as the new entrant rule. It does not replace the £33,400 threshold on its own.

No licence stands between you and the job

UK law sets no statutory registration for bricklayers. There is no licence and no protected title. Trade bodies exist, and some employers value membership. Membership is not a condition of working. It is not an immigration requirement either.

One code, one title

The Home Office lists a single related title under code 5313: bricklayers. That makes this one of the simplest codes to match. The sponsor picks the occupation code on the Certificate of Sponsorship. The code has to describe the work honestly. A job that mixes bricklaying with blockwork and pointing still fits here. A job that is mostly plastering or roofing belongs under a different code with a different going rate.

Other routes worth knowing

• Canada Express Entry, trades category. Bricklayers (NOC 72320) are on the 2026 list. You need 12 months of full-time experience in the trade within the past three years. IRCC confirmed the categories on 18 February 2026.
• Canada Provincial Nominee Programs. A nomination adds 600 points to a CRS (Comprehensive Ranking System) score. Skilled-trades streams exist in many provinces.
• Switching inside the UK. A bricklayer already in the UK on another visa can often move into Skilled Worker once a licensed sponsor offers a job.

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