Mechanical engineer in the UK: your Skilled Worker visa, step by step

Which engineers the code takes in

Three related titles are listed under code 2122. Automotive engineers work in vehicle design and manufacturing. Marine engineers and naval architects are grouped together and cover ship systems and hull design. Mechanical design engineers cover product and machine design across industries. A naval architect in a shipyard and a design engineer in a factory are the same occupation for visa purposes. The sponsor decides the code. The duties on the Certificate of Sponsorship have to support it. An engineer whose work is mainly electrical or production management may belong under a different code with a different rate.

Naval architects and marine engineers: a note

Naval architecture is a distinct profession with its own degree route. The Home Office does not give it a separate code. It shares 2122 with marine engineers and with every other mechanical title. The £46,800 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025) going rate applies to a naval architect as it does to an automotive engineer. Shipbuilders, marine consultancies and vehicle manufacturers can all be sponsors if they hold a licence.

The going-rate figure

A sponsored salary has to satisfy two conditions. Condition A is the threshold: £41,700 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025) for the general population of applicants, £33,400 for those whose occupation is on the Immigration Salary List or who fall under another reduced-threshold rule. Condition B is the going rate for the code. Both conditions apply together. The bigger number is the one that matters.

Worked for a mechanical design engineer: the going rate is £46,800 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025). The threshold is £41,700. Condition B is the bigger number. An offer must reach £46,800. Code 2122 is not on the ISL, but with a going rate above £41,700 the ISL would not have changed the answer.

The lower going rate of £38,400 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025) comes into play only where a reduced-threshold rule, such as new entrant or PhD, covers the applicant.

Protected titles, voluntary register

In the UK, engineering registration is voluntary. The law does not prevent an unregistered person from working as a mechanical engineer. The Engineering Council protects four titles, CEng, IEng, EngTech and ICTTech, which only registrants may use. Assessment runs through a licensed professional engineering institution. It is open regardless of nationality, with no separate international assessment. Several countries have mutual recognition agreements with the UK register. If a job advert says "CEng preferred", that is the employer's preference and not a visa rule.

Beyond this route

• New entrant and PhD reduced thresholds. A reduced general threshold can apply to early-career engineers, to people switching from Student or Graduate routes, and to relevant PhD holders. No reduced figure appears here.
• Global Talent visa. Neither a sponsor nor a job offer is required. Endorsement routes include academia and research and digital technology. Fees and timescales are not given here.
• In-country switching. A mechanical engineer already in the UK on another visa can often switch into Skilled Worker when a licensed sponsor hires them.

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