Carpenter or joiner in the UK: your Skilled Worker visa, step by step

Site carpenters, bench joiners and fitters

Code 5316 lists three related titles. Carpenters work mostly on site: first fix, second fix, roof structures and formwork. Joiners typically make doors, windows and staircases in a workshop. Bedroom and kitchen fitters install manufactured units. All three share one code and one going rate. The sponsor chooses the code when it issues the Certificate of Sponsorship. The description has to match what you will really do. A kitchen fitter whose work is mainly plumbing and electrics should question whether 5316 is the honest code.

Two lists, both name this trade

In the UK, the Immigration Salary List includes code 5316. The list was updated on 11 November 2025. In Canada, the 2026 Express Entry trades category names carpenters (NOC 72310) and separately names cabinetmakers (NOC 72311). IRCC last modified the Canadian list on 22 June 2026. IRCC's eligibility rule is 12 months of full-time experience in the occupation within the past three years, or an equal amount of part-time work. A candidate in the category can be invited at a lower score than the general pool. Both lists are reviewed by their governments. Treat each as current until the official page says otherwise.

What a sponsor has to pay

The Home Office applies two salary tests. The first is the threshold that fits your circumstances: £41,700 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025) in general, or £33,400 if the occupation is on the Immigration Salary List or another reduced-threshold rule covers you. The second is the going rate for the occupation code. The offer has to pass both. Where the two figures differ, the higher one applies.

A joiner sponsored by a joinery firm in Leeds is a clean case. The going rate for code 5316 is £33,400 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025). The ISL listing gives a threshold of £33,400. There is no difference between the two, so £33,400 is the minimum.

The £27,800 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025) lower going rate is for applicants who fall under a reduced-threshold rule, such as new entrant. It is not a general alternative to £33,400.

Certificates and cards

No statutory registration or licence exists for carpenters or joiners in the UK. No title is protected. Trade bodies and card schemes exist, and site managers sometimes ask for a card. That is an employer practice. It is not a legal requirement and it is not part of the visa test.

If you need another route

• Canada Express Entry, trades category. Carpenters (NOC 72310) and cabinetmakers (NOC 72311) are named for 2026. Eligibility rests on 12 months of full-time experience within the past three years.
• Canada Provincial Nominee Programs. A nomination is worth 600 CRS points, where CRS is the score used to rank Express Entry candidates. Provinces run their own skilled-trades streams.
• In-country switching. A carpenter already in the UK on another visa can often switch to Skilled Worker once a licensed sponsor hires them.

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