Can you get a Skilled Worker visa as a musician?
Yes. You can get a UK Skilled Worker visa as a musician (SOC 3415) if you meet the requirements below.
What you need
You must have:
- a job offer from a UK employer that's allowed to sponsor visas (check the sponsor list)
- a "certificate of sponsorship" from that employer: a reference number with details of your job
- a salary of at least £41,700 a year
- English at level B2: you can usually prove it with an approved test or a degree taught in English (ways to prove it)
- £1,270 in savings, unless your employer covers your first month or you've been in the UK for 12 months or more
You can be paid less than £41,700 in some cases:
- £33,400 a year if you’re a new entrant
- £37,500 a year because the job is on the Immigration Salary List
You're a new entrant if, for example, you're under 26, recently finished studying in the UK, or are working towards a professional qualification. Check who counts as a new entrant.
Check the date. This job comes off the Immigration Salary List on 31 December 2026.
How much it costs
| Visa fee | £628 for up to 3 years £1,235 for more than 3 years |
|---|---|
| Healthcare surcharge | usually £1,035 a year |
| Savings to show (if needed) | £1,270 |
For example, a 3-year visa from outside the UK costs £628 plus £3,105 for the healthcare surcharge: £3,733 in total. Your partner and children pay too if they come with you. The lower fee applies because the job is on the Immigration Salary List. Full fees.
How long it takes
- You'll usually get a decision within 3 weeks if you apply from outside the UK.
- It's usually 8 weeks if you apply from inside the UK.
- Your visa can last up to 5 years. You can extend it.
- After 5 years you may be able to apply to settle in the UK.
How to apply
- Get a job offer from a licensed sponsor and ask for this job's occupation code (3415).
- Get your certificate of sponsorship reference number from your employer.
- Prove your English and get your documents ready (documents list).
- Apply online on GOV.UK: apply from outside the UK. You'll pay the fee and the healthcare surcharge.
- Prove your identity, using the ID Check app or at a visa application centre.
Things to check
- Do make sure the job description matches the work you'll actually do. The occupation code must fit the job.
- Do check your employer is on the licensed sponsor list.
- Don't apply before you have a certificate of sponsorship. You need a confirmed job offer first.
- Don't count overtime, bonuses or allowances. Only guaranteed basic pay counts towards the salary.
- Don't change job or employer without updating your visa.
Based on the UK Immigration Rules and the Skilled Worker visa guide on GOV.UK. This is a summary, not advice about your own situation.
The rules in detail
SOC 2020 code 3415 (Musicians) is Higher Skilled (RQF level 6 or above) and is listed in Table 1 of Appendix Skilled OccupationsT1 · 29 Oct 26 with a going rate of £37,500 a year (£19.23 an hour). Under points option A the salary must also be at least £41,700 a year.
Source: Appendix Skilled Occupations and eligible occupations and codes, GOV.UK.| Occupation | Musicians |
|---|---|
| Skilled Worker eligibility | Higher Skilled |
| Going rate | £37,500 a year (£19.23 an hour)T1 |
| Appendix table(s) | Table 1, Table 2 |
| Immigration Salary List | Yes, until 31 December 2026Only skilled orchestral musicians who are leaders, principals, sub-principals or numbered string positions, and who meet the standard required by internationally recognised UK orchestras. The orchestra must be a full member of the Association of British Orchestras. (all UK) |
| Temporary Shortage List | No |
| Eligible for PhD points | No |
| Equivalent SOC 2010 code(s) | 3415 |
| SOC 2020 group | 34 Culture, media and sports occupations › 341 Artistic, literary and media occupations |
Going rates for 3415 in Appendix Skilled Occupations
A code can appear in more than one table. Each table applies to different applicants. Rates are per year for a 37.5-hour week and must be pro-rated for other hours.
| Table and who it applies to | Going rate | 90% | 80% | 70% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Table 1The main table for Skilled Worker applications. Going rates are based on median earnings (ASHE). | £37,500 £19.23/hr | n/a | n/a | £33,400 £17.13/hr |
| Table 2Rates based on 25th-percentile earnings. Used for Health and Care ASHE salary jobs, and for people granted Skilled Worker permission before 4 April 2024 who have held it continuously and apply before 4 April 2030. Also the rates for Global Business Mobility and Scale-up. | £30,100 £15.44/hr | n/a | n/a | £25,000 £12.82/hr |
Salary thresholds that apply to 3415
Under Appendix Skilled Worker, the salary must equal or exceed both the general threshold and the going-rate figure for the points option used. This table puts the two figures side by side for each option. It does not say which option applies to any person. See salary thresholds for the conditions on each option.
| Option | Condition | General threshold | Going-rate figure | Higher of the two |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Standard | £41,700 | £37,500 (100%) | £41,700 |
| B | The applicant has a PhD in a subject relevant to the job | £37,500 | Not applicable | – |
| C | The applicant has a PhD in a STEM subject relevant to the job | £33,400 | Not applicable | – |
| D | The applicant is being sponsored for a job on the Immigration Salary List | £33,400 | £37,500 (100%) | £37,500 |
| E | The applicant is a new entrant at the start of their career | £33,400 | £33,400 (70%) | £33,400 |
| Option | Condition | General threshold | Going-rate figure | Higher of the two |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F | Standard | £31,300 | £30,100 (100%) | £31,300 |
| G | The applicant has a PhD in a subject relevant to the job | £28,200 | Not applicable | – |
| H | The applicant has a PhD in a STEM subject relevant to the job | £25,000 | Not applicable | – |
| I | The applicant is being sponsored for a job on the Immigration Salary List | £25,000 | £30,100 (100%) | £30,100 |
| J | The applicant is a new entrant at the start of their career | £25,000 | £25,000 (70%) | £25,000 |
Rule changes that named 3415
- HC 997: Skilled Worker changes laid on 1 July 2025 (1 July 2025)
Job titles under SOC 3415
GOV.UK lists these related job titles:
- Composers and musical arrangers
- Music conductors
- Instrumentalists
- Musicians not elsewhere classified
More job titles from the ONS SOC 2020 index (6)
- Composer
- Musician
- Organist
- Pianist
- Song writer
- Violinist
What the job involves
Musicians write, arrange, orchestrate, conduct and perform musical compositions.
Typical tasks
- Conceives and writes original music
- Tunes instrument and studies and rehearses score
- Plays instrument as a soloist or as a member of a group or orchestra
- Scores music for different combinations of voices and instruments to produce desired effect
- Auditions and selects performers and rehearses and conducts them in the performance of the composition
Typical entry routes and qualifications
There are no formal academic entry requirements although many possess a degree and/or diploma. Entry to a degree or graduate diploma course requires A levels/H grades. Entrants to the performers’ diploma course generally possess GCSEs/S grades and associated board graded examination passes in their chosen instrument(s) and will be required to audition.
Description: ONS SOC 2020 Volume 1.
Questions about SOC 3415
Can you get a Skilled Worker visa as a musician?
Yes. You can get a UK Skilled Worker visa as a musician (SOC 3415) if you meet the requirements: a job offer from a licensed sponsor, a certificate of sponsorship, the minimum salary, and English at level B2. SOC 2020 code 3415 (Musicians) is Higher Skilled (RQF level 6 or above) and is listed in Table 1 of Appendix Skilled Occupations with a going rate of £37,500 a year (£19.23 an hour). Under points option A the salary must also be at least £41,700 a year.
What is SOC code 3415?
3415 is the SOC 2020 code for Musicians. Musicians write, arrange, orchestrate, conduct and perform musical compositions.
What is the going rate for SOC code 3415?
Table 1 of Appendix Skilled Occupations gives a going rate of £37,500 a year (£19.23 an hour) for 3415, based on a 37.5-hour week. It must be pro-rated for other working hours.
Is 3415 on the Immigration Salary List?
Yes. Only skilled orchestral musicians who are leaders, principals, sub-principals or numbered string positions, and who meet the standard required by internationally recognised UK orchestras. The orchestra must be a full member of the Association of British Orchestras. in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland. The list states a removal date of 31 December 2026.
What job titles use SOC code 3415?
GOV.UK lists: Composers and musical arrangers, Music conductors, Instrumentalists, Musicians not elsewhere classified.
Sources
- Skilled Worker visa: eligible occupations and codes (GOV.UK, updated 29 April 2026)
- Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Occupations (GOV.UK, updated 29 October 2026)
- Immigration Rules Appendix Immigration Salary List (GOV.UK, updated 29 October 2026)
- Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Worker (GOV.UK, updated 29 October 2026)
- ONS SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions of unit groups
Compiled by SWC Editorial Team from the sources above. An information summary, not immigration advice. Report an error on this page.