Higher Skilled occupations

The 121 SOC 2020 codes that GOV.UK lists as Higher Skilled for the Skilled Worker visa.

Rules checked against GOV.UK: 6 November 2026

121 jobs are "Higher Skilled". These are graduate-level jobs (RQF level 6 or above), and employers can sponsor new workers for all of them on a Skilled Worker visa. You usually need a salary of at least £41,700 or the job's going rate, whichever is higher.

What Table 1 says

These SOC 2020 occupation codes are considered to be skilled to Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) level 6 or above, and are eligible for the Skilled Worker route. This table relates to points options A-E set out in Appendix Skilled Worker.

Table 1 going rates are per year for a 37.5-hour week. Under points option A the salary must equal or exceed both the going rate and the general threshold: see salary thresholds.

All Higher Skilled codes

121 codes
Higher Skilled SOC 2020 codes
CodeOccupationEligibilityGoing rateLists
1111 Chief executives and senior officials Higher Skilled £88,100 (Table 1)
1121 Production managers and directors in manufacturing Higher Skilled £55,000 (Table 1)
1122 Production managers and directors in construction Higher Skilled £53,400 (Table 1)
1123 Production managers and directors in mining and energy Higher Skilled £54,000 (Table 1)
1131 Financial managers and directors Higher Skilled £75,100 (Table 1)
1132 Marketing, sales and advertising directors Higher Skilled £87,300 (Table 1)
1133 Public relations and communications directors Higher Skilled £77,200 (Table 1)
1134 Purchasing managers and directors Higher Skilled £54,700 (Table 1)
1135 Charitable organisation managers and directors Higher Skilled £44,300 (Table 1)
1136 Human resource managers and directors Higher Skilled £52,900 (Table 1)
1137 Information technology directors Higher Skilled £86,000 (Table 1)
1139 Functional managers and directors not elsewhere classified Higher Skilled £74,700 (Table 1)
1140 Directors in logistics, warehousing and transport Higher Skilled £81,400 (Table 1)
1162 Senior police officers Higher Skilled £64,000 (Table 1)
1163 Senior officers in fire, ambulance, prison and related services Higher Skilled £61,600 (Table 1)
1171 Health services and public health managers and directors Higher Skilled £50,300 (Table 1)
1172 Social services managers and directors Higher Skilled £43,000 (Table 1)
1241 Managers in transport and distribution Higher Skilled £44,900 (Table 1)
1254 Waste disposal and environmental services managers Higher Skilled £48,300 (Table 1)
1255 Managers and directors in the creative industries Higher Skilled £44,900 (Table 1)
2111 Chemical scientists Higher Skilled £39,900 (Table 1) ISL
2112 Biological scientists Higher Skilled £40,300 (Table 1) ISL
2113 Biochemists and biomedical scientists Higher Skilled £45,900 (Table 1)
2114 Physical scientists Higher Skilled £54,600 (Table 1)
2115 Social and humanities scientists Higher Skilled £40,400 (Table 1) ISL
2119 Natural and social science professionals not elsewhere classified Higher Skilled £41,500 (Table 1)
2121 Civil engineers Higher Skilled £50,400 (Table 1)
2122 Mechanical engineers Higher Skilled £46,800 (Table 1)
2123 Electrical engineers Higher Skilled £58,700 (Table 1)
2124 Electronics engineers Higher Skilled £52,000 (Table 1)
2125 Production and process engineers Higher Skilled £45,000 (Table 1)
2126 Aerospace engineers Higher Skilled £52,400 (Table 1)
2127 Engineering project managers and project engineers Higher Skilled £51,900 (Table 1)
2129 Engineering professionals not elsewhere classified Higher Skilled £46,100 (Table 1)
2131 IT project managers Higher Skilled £58,200 (Table 1)
2132 IT managers Higher Skilled £55,000 (Table 1)
2133 IT business analysts, architects and systems designers Higher Skilled £54,900 (Table 1)
2134 Programmers and software development professionals Higher Skilled £54,700 (Table 1)
2135 Cyber security professionals Higher Skilled £48,500 (Table 1)
2136 IT quality and testing professionals Higher Skilled £41,200 (Table 1)
2137 IT network professionals Higher Skilled £45,600 (Table 1)
2139 Information technology professionals not elsewhere classified Higher Skilled £52,300 (Table 1)
2141 Web design professionals Higher Skilled £43,800 (Table 1)
2142 Graphic and multimedia designers Higher Skilled £33,400 (Table 1) ISL
2151 Conservation professionals Higher Skilled £36,000 (Table 1)
2152 Environment professionals Higher Skilled £37,200 (Table 1)
2161 Research and development (r&d) managers Higher Skilled £54,400 (Table 1)
2162 Other researchers, unspecified discipline Higher Skilled £43,600 (Table 1)
2211 Generalist medical practitioners Higher Skilled Pay scale
2212 Specialist medical practitioners Higher Skilled Pay scale
2221 Physiotherapists Higher Skilled Pay scale
2222 Occupational therapists Higher Skilled Pay scale
2223 Speech and language therapists Higher Skilled Pay scale
2224 Psychotherapists and cognitive behaviour therapists Higher Skilled Pay scale
2225 Clinical psychologists Higher Skilled Pay scale
2226 Other psychologists Higher Skilled Pay scale
2229 Therapy professionals not elsewhere classified Higher Skilled Pay scale
2231 Midwifery nurses Higher Skilled Pay scale
2232 Registered community nurses Higher Skilled Pay scale
2233 Registered specialist nurses Higher Skilled Pay scale
2234 Registered nurse practitioners Higher Skilled Pay scale
2235 Registered mental health nurses Higher Skilled Pay scale
2236 Registered children’s nurses Higher Skilled Pay scale
2237 Other registered nursing professionals Higher Skilled Pay scale
2240 Veterinarians Higher Skilled £49,500 (Table 1)
2251 Pharmacists Higher Skilled Pay scale
2252 Optometrists Higher Skilled Pay scale
2253 Dental practitioners Higher Skilled Pay scale
2254 Medical radiographers Higher Skilled Pay scale
2255 Paramedics Higher Skilled Pay scale
2256 Podiatrists Higher Skilled Pay scale
2259 Other health professionals not elsewhere classified Higher Skilled Pay scale
2311 Higher education teaching professionals Higher Skilled £52,600 (Table 1)
2312 Further education teaching professionals Higher Skilled Pay scale
2313 Secondary education teaching professionals Higher Skilled Pay scale
2314 Primary education teaching professionals Higher Skilled Pay scale
2315 Nursery education teaching professionals Higher Skilled Pay scale
2316 Special and additional needs education teaching professionals Higher Skilled Pay scale
2317 Teachers of english as a foreign language Higher Skilled £36,200 (Table 1)
2319 Teaching professionals not elsewhere classified Higher Skilled £33,400 (Table 1)
2321 Head teachers and principals Higher Skilled Pay scale
2322 Education managers Higher Skilled £43,900 (Table 1)
2323 Education advisers and school inspectors Higher Skilled £42,200 (Table 1)
2329 Other educational professionals not elsewhere classified Higher Skilled £40,600 (Table 1)
2411 Barristers and judges Higher Skilled £59,400 (Table 1)
2412 Solicitors and lawyers Higher Skilled £51,600 (Table 1)
2419 Legal professionals not elsewhere classified Higher Skilled £33,400 (Table 1)
2421 Chartered and certified accountants Higher Skilled £49,200 (Table 1)
2422 Finance and investment analysts and advisers Higher Skilled £45,800 (Table 1)
2423 Taxation experts Higher Skilled £48,500 (Table 1)
2431 Management consultants and business analysts Higher Skilled £50,200 (Table 1)
2432 Marketing and commercial managers Higher Skilled £50,100 (Table 1)
2433 Actuaries, economists and statisticians Higher Skilled £55,100 (Table 1)
2434 Business and related research professionals Higher Skilled £38,800 (Table 1)
2435 Professional/chartered company secretaries Higher Skilled £58,200 (Table 1)
2439 Business, research and administrative professionals not elsewhere classified Higher Skilled £56,600 (Table 1)
2440 Business and financial project management professionals Higher Skilled £56,500 (Table 1)
2451 Architects Higher Skilled £47,600 (Table 1)
2452 Chartered architectural technologists, planning officers and consultants Higher Skilled £35,800 (Table 1)
2453 Quantity surveyors Higher Skilled £48,600 (Table 1)
2454 Chartered surveyors Higher Skilled £43,800 (Table 1)
2455 Construction project managers and related professionals Higher Skilled £44,300 (Table 1)
2461 Social workers Higher Skilled Pay scale
2462 Probation officers Higher Skilled £35,700 (Table 1)
2464 Youth work professionals Higher Skilled £38,000 (Table 1)
2469 Welfare professionals not elsewhere classified Higher Skilled £39,700 (Table 1)
2471 Librarians Higher Skilled £34,800 (Table 1)
2472 Archivists, conservators and curators Higher Skilled £33,400 (Table 1)
2481 Quality control and planning engineers Higher Skilled £41,300 (Table 1)
2482 Quality assurance and regulatory professionals Higher Skilled £48,200 (Table 1)
2483 Environmental health professionals Higher Skilled £40,900 (Table 1)
2491 Newspaper, periodical and broadcast editors Higher Skilled £39,600 (Table 1)
2492 Newspaper and periodical broadcast journalists and reporters Higher Skilled £34,000 (Table 1)
2493 Public relations professionals Higher Skilled £37,000 (Table 1)
2494 Advertising accounts managers and creative directors Higher Skilled £46,000 (Table 1)
3415 Musicians Higher Skilled £37,500 (Table 1) ISL
3416 Arts officers, producers and directors Higher Skilled £38,100 (Table 1) ISL
3511 Aircraft pilots and air traffic controllers Higher Skilled £80,400 (Table 1)
3531 Brokers Higher Skilled £52,400 (Table 1)
3534 Financial accounts managers Higher Skilled £44,700 (Table 1)
3556 Sales accounts and business development managers Higher Skilled £55,200 (Table 1)

Sources

Compiled by SWC Editorial Team from the sources above. An information summary, not immigration advice.