Manufacturing production manager in the UK: your Skilled Worker visa, step by step

What you must be paid

The standard going rate for this occupation code is £55,000 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025) a year. The going rate is the minimum pay the Home Office sets for a specific occupation code.

The salary rule has two parts. Part one is the threshold that applies to you: £41,700 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025) for most applicants, or £33,400 where the occupation is on the Immigration Salary List or another reduced-threshold rule covers you. Part two is the going rate. You must clear both. The higher figure governs.

Worked for a production manager in manufacturing: the going rate is £55,000 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025). That is above £41,700. So £55,000 binds. An offer at £41,700 clears part one. It fails part two. It would not support an application under this code.

This occupation is not on the Immigration Salary List. The lower going rate of £40,000 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025) only matters if another reduced-threshold rule applies to you.

Registration and licensing

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

That is a genuine advantage. There is no exam, no scrutiny fee and no professional register between you and a sponsored role. The salary rule is the only gate.

Which job titles this code covers

Occupation code 1121 is a single-title code. The Home Office lists it as:

• Production managers and directors in manufacturing

Your sponsor chooses the occupation code. It must honestly reflect the work you will do. The duties count, not the title on the offer letter.

A management code, not an engineering code

Code 1121 sits in the managers and directors group of the occupation classification. It is not one of the engineering codes. That distinction matters when a sponsor chooses the code.

The code covers people who manage or direct production in a manufacturing setting. If your job is mainly engineering design work with a manager's title, a different code may reflect the work more honestly. If your job is mainly running a production operation, this code is the natural fit. The sponsor makes that choice. Duties matter more than the title on the offer letter.

The going rate under this code is £55,000 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025). The lower going rate is £40,000. The lower rate sits below the general threshold of £41,700. Ask your sponsor which threshold governs before relying on the lower rate.

Rules change. Figures were checked against GOV.UK on 21 September 2026.

If this route does not fit: what else is open

Switching inside the UK. People already in the UK on another visa can often switch into Skilled Worker if a licensed sponsor hires them.

Canada Express Entry category-based draws, 2026. IRCC confirmed the 2026 categories on 18 Feb 2026. New categories include researchers and senior managers with Canadian work experience. Candidates in a category can be invited at lower scores than the general pool. A senior manager in manufacturing with Canadian work experience may fall within that new category.

Canada Provincial Nominee Programs. A provincial nomination adds 600 CRS points to an Express Entry profile. CRS is the points score Canada uses to rank candidates.

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 →