Full list of occupations eligible for UK Skilled Worker visa

The United Kingdom, UK has published its full list of occupations eligible for the Skilled Worker visa, providing details of the jobs that overseas workers can take up under the country’s sponsored work route.

The official list, published by the UK Home Office on GOV.UK, contains occupation codes, job types, related job titles and information on whether each occupation qualifies as higher skilled, medium skilled or ineligible.

The list uses the UK’s Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) 2020 system.

According to the Home Office, applicants must first identify the four-digit occupation code for their job before checking whether it is eligible for a Skilled Worker visa.

Among the occupations listed as higher skilled are chief executives and senior officials, production managers and directors in manufacturing, construction and mining and energy, mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, electronics engineers, production and process engineers, aerospace engineers, registered nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, optometrists, dental practitioners, medical radiographers, paramedics and podiatrists.

The list also includes a range of medium-skilled occupations, including farmers, horticultural trades, gardeners and landscape gardeners, groundsmen and greenkeepers, agricultural and fishing trades, sheet metal workers, welders, pipe fitters and metal-working technicians.

Some healthcare-related roles classified as medium skilled are also included, such as nursing auxiliaries and assistants, ambulance staff excluding paramedics, dental nurses, houseparents and residential wardens, care workers and home carers, and senior care workers.

However, the Home Office says medium-skilled occupations are subject to additional conditions.

Under the current Skilled Worker rules, people seeking to enter the UK for a medium-skilled job generally need the occupation to be included on the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List, subject to the relevant rules.

Care workers and home carers, for example, are listed as medium skilled and are subject to specific conditions.

The government also makes clear that having an occupation on the eligible list does not automatically guarantee a visa.

Applicants must have a job with a UK employer approved by the Home Office and must meet the applicable salary requirements.

The standard minimum salary is currently £41,700 a year, or the going rate for the occupation, whichever is higher. Different salary rules can apply in certain circumstances, including for some healthcare and education occupations.

Full list of eligible occupations

The Home Office’s official occupation table is arranged by occupation code and contains the full list of jobs and their eligibility status.

Some of the occupations included are:

Management and professional roles

• Chief executives and senior officials
• Production managers and directors in manufacturing
• Production managers and directors in construction
• Production managers and directors in mining and energy
• Mechanical engineers
• Electrical engineers
• Electronics engineers
• Production and process engineers
• Aerospace engineers

Healthcare roles

• Registered nurses
• Registered nurse practitioners
• Registered mental health nurses
• Registered children’s nurses
• Other registered nursing professionals
• Veterinarians
• Pharmacists
• Optometrists
• Dental practitioners
• Medical radiographers
• Paramedics
• Podiatrists

Agriculture and skilled trades

• Farmers
• Horticultural trades
• Gardeners and landscape gardeners
• Groundsmen and greenkeepers
• Agricultural and fishing trades
• Sheet metal workers
• Welding trades
• Pipe fitters
• Tool makers and tool fitters
• Metal-working production and maintenance fitters

Care and support

• Nursing auxiliaries and assistants
• Ambulance staff, excluding paramedics
• Dental nurses
• Houseparents and residential wardens
• Care workers and home carers
• Senior care workers

The government advises applicants who cannot find their exact job title to search for similar job titles or, preferably, identify the correct occupation code because different jobs can fall under different codes.

The Home Office’s latest Appendix Skilled Occupations, updated on August 3, 2026, provides the formal occupation codes and going rates that apply under the Immigration Rules.

The government also warns that eligibility depends on the actual duties of the job, not simply the job title.

Foreign workers seeking a Skilled Worker visa must therefore check their occupation code, salary, employer sponsorship and any additional conditions attached to their occupation before applying.

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