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

Why £41,700 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025) rather than £34,200

Skilled Worker pay is judged against two numbers at once. Number one is the threshold. It is £41,700 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025) unless the occupation is on the Immigration Salary List or another reduced-threshold rule applies, in which case it is £33,400. Number two is the going rate for the occupation code. Your salary has to beat both. The higher number is the one that binds.

For plastering the going rate is £34,200 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025). Plasterers are not on the ISL. The threshold therefore stays at £41,700. Because £41,700 is above £34,200 the offer has to reach £41,700. An offer that only clears the going rate still falls short of the threshold.

The lower going rate of £29,500 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025) is used only where a reduced-threshold rule, such as new entrant, applies. It has no effect on the ordinary £41,700 requirement.

Dry liners and decorative plasterers

Two related titles are listed under code 5321. Plasterers (wall and decorative) covers solid plastering, skimming and ornamental work. Dry liners fix plasterboard systems rather than apply wet plaster. Both sit under the same code and share the £34,200 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025) going rate. The sponsor assigns the code on the Certificate of Sponsorship. The description of duties has to be truthful. A dry liner whose real job is mostly carpentry or ceiling fixing should check that 5321 is the honest choice.

No register, no licence

Plastering is unregulated in UK law. There is no statutory registration and no protected title. Trade bodies exist and some contractors value their cards. That is a matter for the employer. It is neither a legal condition of working nor an immigration requirement.

Canada does not name plasterers for 2026

IRCC's 2026 Express Entry trades category was last modified on 22 June 2026. It names 25 occupations, including painters and decorators, carpenters and concrete finishers. Plasterers are not named. The list contains an "other technical trades" entry, but this page does not treat plasterers as covered by it. Check the current list on canada.ca before you build a plan around a category draw. Provincial Nominee Programs are a different door and are not tied to the federal category list.

What else is open

• New entrant reduced threshold. Early-career plasterers, or people switching from the Student or Graduate routes, may qualify for a reduced general threshold. This page does not state the reduced figure.
• In-country switching. A plasterer already in the UK on another visa can often switch into Skilled Worker if a licensed sponsor hires them.
• Canada Provincial Nominee Programs. A nomination adds 600 CRS points. Provinces commonly run streams for skilled trades.

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