Solicitor or lawyer 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.

For code 2412 the standard going rate is £51,600 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025). The general threshold is £41,700. The going rate is higher, so £51,600 binds.

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. Code 2412 is not on it, so the reduced threshold does not apply through the ISL.

The lower going rate of £39,000 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025) is used only where a reduced-threshold rule covers you, such as the new entrant rule. Most applicants use the standard rate.

Registration and licensing

Solicitors are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). A practising certificate is required to practise as a solicitor. Practising without one is a criminal offence under the Solicitors Act 1974.

Qualified foreign lawyers use the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) route. It has two parts, SQE1 and SQE2. There is no two-year qualifying work experience requirement for qualified foreign lawyers. An exemption from SQE2 is possible. Character and suitability checks also apply. The SRA fees for this route are not stated on the pages we checked, so we do not give them here.

Which job titles this code covers

Code 2412 covers commercial, criminal, family and property solicitors and lawyers. Your sponsor chooses the occupation code on your Certificate of Sponsorship. The code must honestly reflect the work you will do.

Two gates, in the right order

This page has two separate tests. The visa test is about salary and sponsorship. The professional test is about the practising certificate. Passing one does not pass the other.

A law firm can sponsor you for a Skilled Worker visa at £51,600 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025) or more. That gives you the right to work in the UK for that sponsor. It does not give you the right to practise as a solicitor. For that you need the SRA practising certificate. Without it, doing solicitor work is a criminal offence.

Before you accept an offer, ask the sponsor two questions. Does the role require a practising certificate from day one? If so, how does the timing of your SQE route fit the start date? The sponsor must also be satisfied that code 2412 still honestly describes the work.

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 £39,000 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025) is the figure used for this code in that case.

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. Law 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 →