Can you get a Skilled Worker visa as a personal assistant or other secretary?
Usually no. New applicants cannot get a UK Skilled Worker visa as a personal assistant or other secretary (SOC 4215). It is only open to people who already had a Skilled Worker visa before 22 July 2025 and have kept it without a break.
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
- 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
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 4215 (Personal assistants and other secretaries) is Medium Skilled (RQF level 3–5). It is listed in Table 1a of Appendix Skilled OccupationsT1a · 29 Oct 26: only for people granted Skilled Worker permission under the rules before 22 July 2025 who have held it continuously since, unless the job is on the Immigration Salary List (option D) or the Temporary Shortage List.
Source: Appendix Skilled Occupations and eligible occupations and codes, GOV.UK.| Occupation | Personal assistants and other secretaries |
|---|---|
| Skilled Worker eligibility | Medium Skilled |
| Going rate | £33,400 a year (£17.13 an hour)T1a |
| Appendix table(s) | Table 1a, Table 2aa |
| Immigration Salary List | No |
| Temporary Shortage List | No |
| Eligible for PhD points | No |
| Equivalent SOC 2010 code(s) | 4215 |
| SOC 2020 group | 42 Secretarial and related occupations › 421 Secretarial and related occupations |
Going rates for 4215 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 1aOnly for people granted Skilled Worker permission under the rules before 22 July 2025 who have held it continuously since, unless the job is on the Immigration Salary List (option D) or the Temporary Shortage List. | £33,400 £17.13/hr | n/a | n/a | £33,400 £17.13/hr |
| Table 2aaFor applicants using options F–J who were granted Skilled Worker permission before 22 July 2025 and have held it continuously, unless option I (Immigration Salary List) or the Temporary Shortage List applies. Not eligible for Global Business Mobility or Scale-up. | £27,400 £14.05/hr | n/a | n/a | £25,000 £12.82/hr |
Salary thresholds that apply to 4215
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 | £33,400 (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 (this code is not on the list) | £33,400 | Not applicable | – |
| 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 | £27,400 (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 (this code is not on the list) | £25,000 | Not applicable | – |
| J | The applicant is a new entrant at the start of their career | £25,000 | £25,000 (70%) | £25,000 |
Job titles under SOC 4215
GOV.UK lists these related job titles:
- Farm secretaries
- Personal assistants (excludes care workers)
- Personal assistants and other secretaries not elsewhere classified
More job titles from the ONS SOC 2020 index (5)
- Executive assistant
- PA-secretary
- Personal assistant
- Personal secretary
- Secretary
What the job involves
Personal assistants and other secretaries provide administrative and secretarial support to individuals, departmental or management teams within organisations.
Typical tasks
- Acts as a first point of contact for a manager or team with colleagues and people from outside organisations, fields telephone enquiries, takes and passes on messages
- Arranges appointments, keeps business diary, organises travel arrangements, makes reservations and organises a variety of functions
- Opens, sorts, distributes and files correspondence (in hard copy and electronic) and deals directly with routine correspondence
- Uses appropriate software to produce correspondence, memoranda, reports, presentations and other documents from drafts, handwritten copy or by transcribing dictation
- Arranges and attends meetings, takes minutes and prepares records of proceedings
- Translates documents and liaises with overseas clients and suppliers
Typical entry routes and qualifications
There are no minimum academic requirements, although entry to professional secretarial courses typically requires GCSEs/S grades. NVQs/SVQs are available in Administration at levels 2, 3 and 4.
Description: ONS SOC 2020 Volume 1.
Questions about SOC 4215
Can you get a Skilled Worker visa as a personal assistant or other secretary?
Usually no. New applicants cannot get a UK Skilled Worker visa as a personal assistant or other secretary (SOC 4215). It is only open to people who already had a Skilled Worker visa before 22 July 2025 and have kept it without a break. SOC 2020 code 4215 (Personal assistants and other secretaries) is Medium Skilled (RQF level 3–5). It is listed in Table 1a of Appendix Skilled Occupations: only for people granted Skilled Worker permission under the rules before 22 July 2025 who have held it continuously since, unless the job is on the Immigration Salary List (option D) or the Temporary Shortage List.
What is SOC code 4215?
4215 is the SOC 2020 code for Personal assistants and other secretaries. Personal assistants and other secretaries provide administrative and secretarial support to individuals, departmental or management teams within organisations.
What is the going rate for SOC code 4215?
Table 1a of Appendix Skilled Occupations gives a going rate of £33,400 a year (£17.13 an hour) for 4215, based on a 37.5-hour week. It must be pro-rated for other working hours.
What job titles use SOC code 4215?
GOV.UK lists: Farm secretaries, Personal assistants (excludes care workers), Personal assistants and other secretaries 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 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.