HR officer in the UK: your Skilled Worker visa, step by step

What you must be paid

The Skilled Worker visa has a two-part salary test. You must clear the salary threshold that applies to you. You must also clear the going rate for your occupation code. The going rate is the minimum annual pay the Home Office sets for that specific job. The higher of the two figures governs.

This page is where that rule bites. For code 3571 the standard going rate is £33,400 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025). The general threshold is £41,700. The threshold is higher, so £41,700 binds. An HR adviser offered £33,400 would meet the going rate but fail the threshold. The application would not succeed on that salary.

This occupation is not on the Immigration Salary List (ISL). The ISL is the list of occupations allowed to use the reduced £33,400 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025) threshold. If code 3571 were on it, the going rate and the reduced threshold would both sit at £33,400. It is not on it. The £41,700 figure therefore stands.

The lower going rate of £27,100 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025) is used only where a reduced-threshold rule covers you, such as the new entrant rule. Even then you would need to clear the reduced general threshold that applies to new entrants.

Registration and licensing

There is no statutory registration or licence to work in human resources in the UK. Professional bodies exist and employers may value membership. None is a legal condition of working. None is an immigration requirement.

Which job titles this code covers

Code 3571 covers human resources advisers, recruitment consultants, and equality and diversity officers. Your sponsor chooses the occupation code on your Certificate of Sponsorship. The code must honestly reflect the work you will do. A senior HR role with management responsibility may sit under a different code with a different going rate.

Why HR is a threshold job, not a going-rate job

For many professional occupations the going rate sits above £41,700 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025). HR is different. The going rate of £33,400 is well below the general threshold. The threshold does the work here.

That has a practical effect on job searches. An HR officer post advertised at £33,400 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025) is a real UK job at a normal UK salary. It is not a sponsorable job at that pay. The employer would need to offer at least £41,700 for the Skilled Worker application to meet the salary rules. Some employers will do that. Many will not.

If this route does not fit: what else is open

New entrant reduced threshold. If you are early in your career, or switching from a Student or Graduate visa, a reduced general threshold can apply. The lower going rate of £27,100 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025) is the figure used for this code in that case. This is the main way a lower-paid HR role becomes sponsorable.

In-country switching. If you are already in the UK on another visa, a licensed sponsor can often hire you into Skilled Worker without you leaving the country.

Canada Express Entry and Provincial Nominee Programs. HR is not a named category in Canada's 2026 category-based draws, but the general pool remains open. A provincial nomination adds 600 CRS points.

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. See where you stand →