How to find your SOC code

If you already have a job offer, GOV.UK says you can ask your employer for your 4-digit occupation code. If you do not know it, you can search for your job in the CASCOT occupation coding tool. The rules say your sponsor must choose an appropriate SOC 2020 code for the job (SW 6.2).

Where do I get my SOC code?

GOV.UK’s “your job” page says: “Before you can find out if your job is eligible, you need to know its 4-digit occupation code.” It adds: “If you already have a job offer, ask your employer for your occupation code.”

Your employer is your sponsor. Your sponsor chooses the SOC 2020 code (SW 6.2 of Appendix Skilled Worker). The code is one of the details you give when you apply. See Skilled Worker visa documents.

How do I look up a SOC code?

The sources mention three ways.

The CASCOT tool. GOV.UK says: “If you do not know your code, you can search for your job in the CASCOT occupation coding tool.” ONS lists CASCOT (Computer Assisted Structured Coding Tool) as the SOC coding tool on its SOC 2020 page. GOV.UK links to the SOC 2020 classification in the tool at cascotweb.warwick.ac.uk. GOV.UK adds that “Not every job title is included. If you cannot find your exact job title, try searching for similar jobs.”

GOV.UK’s table of eligible occupations. GOV.UK publishes Skilled Worker visa: eligible occupations and codes. It is sorted by occupation code, with the smallest numbers first. It lists related job titles for each code. You may be able to use your web browser to search the page. GOV.UK also says: “If you cannot find your job on the list, try looking for similar job titles or the occupation code instead. Use full words, such as ‘laboratory’ rather than ‘lab’.”

This site. The search box on the home page matches a job title or a four-digit code against the SOC 2020 codes that GOV.UK lists. It links to the page for each code. The full list is at SOC codes. The search shows what a code lists. It does not say which code fits a particular job.

How do I check if a SOC code is eligible?

GOV.UK lists every SOC code as Higher Skilled, Medium Skilled or Ineligible. Its “your job” page says:

• If the code is “higher skilled”, you can apply for the visa.
• If the code is “medium skilled”, you can apply if your job is on the immigration salary list or the temporary shortage list. You can also apply if your job is prison officer (code 3314) and you are extending or switching to the visa.
• You can also apply if you are extending your visa and got your first certificate of sponsorship before 22 July 2025.

See the pages for higher skilled, medium skilled and ineligible occupations. To learn what each code means, see what is a SOC code.

Does the code have to match my job?

Yes. GOV.UK’s “your job” page says: “Make sure the job description matches what you’ll be doing. Some similar jobs have different codes, for example in construction. Bricklayers, roofers and carpenters are eligible for a Skilled Worker visa, but construction labourers are not.”

The rules say your sponsor must choose an appropriate SOC 2020 code (SW 6.2). The person deciding your application must not have reasonable grounds to believe the sponsor chose a less appropriate code for any of these reasons:

• (a) the most appropriate code is not eligible under the Skilled Worker route
• (b) the most appropriate code has a higher going rate than the proposed salary
• (c) the most appropriate code is not on the Immigration Salary List, and the applicant is claiming points for a job on that list
• (d) the most appropriate code is not listed as “eligible for PhD points” in Table 1 of Appendix Skilled Occupations, and the applicant is claiming points for an educational qualification

To help with this, the person deciding may look at (SW 6.3):

• whether the sponsor has shown a genuine need for the job as described
• whether the applicant has the skills, qualifications and experience needed for the job as described
• the sponsor’s record of following the immigration rules, including paying its sponsored workers properly
• any extra information from the sponsor

There is also a separate rule on genuineness. You must genuinely intend, and be able, to do the role you are sponsored for (SW 14A.1).

What does the caseworker guidance say about choosing between codes?

The Home Office publishes Skilled Worker caseworker guidance for its staff. Section 9.1 says:

• The duties of a job may mean more than one SOC code is plausible. “Sponsors should choose the code which most closely fits, or which contains the duties the applicant will spend the most time doing.”
• “If a decision as to which is the most appropriate SOC code is finely balanced, sponsors should normally be given the benefit of doubt, unless there is a reason not to.”
• A sponsor may have chosen a less appropriate code by accidental error or on purpose. Staff should ask for more information if they have concerns. This gives the sponsor a chance to correct any accidental error.
• Staff may consider whether a sponsor chose a less appropriate code for one of these reasons: to make a job that is not at the right skill level look more skilled, to pay a lower going rate, to qualify for tradeable points for a job on the Immigration Salary List, or to qualify for tradeable points for a relevant PhD qualification.
• “The SOC2020 coding system is a live document and is subject to change.” Applications are assessed against the most up-to-date coding, using the CASCOT tool.
• Concerns about an exaggerated or incorrect code may lead to a compliance visit to the sponsor. Staff may consider inviting the applicant to interview if they think the applicant knows the job is not at the right skill level and is helping to misrepresent it.

If SW 6.2 is not met, the application does not get the 20 mandatory points for a job at the right skill level (SW 6.4). See tradeable points for how the points fit together.