Can you get a Skilled Worker visa as a boat or ship builder or repairer?
Yes, for now. You can get a UK Skilled Worker visa as a boat or ship builder or repairer (SOC 5235) because the job is on a shortage list, until the list’s end date.
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 £33,700 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
Check the date. The Temporary Shortage List only counts if your employer gives you your certificate of sponsorship before 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 (5235).
- 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 5235 (Boat and ship builders and repairers) is Medium Skilled (RQF level 3–5) and is on the Immigration Salary List and the Temporary Shortage List. The Temporary Shortage List applies where the certificate of sponsorship was issued before 31 December 2026. 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 | Boat and ship builders and repairers |
|---|---|
| Skilled Worker eligibility | Medium Skilled |
| Going rate | £33,700 a year (£17.28 an hour)T1a |
| Appendix table(s) | Table 1a, Table 2aa |
| Immigration Salary List | Yes, until 31 December 2026All jobs. (Scotland) |
| Temporary Shortage List | Yes, certificate of sponsorship issued before 31 December 2026Boat and ship builders and repairers |
| Eligible for PhD points | No |
| Equivalent SOC 2010 code(s) | 5236 |
| SOC 2020 group | 52 Skilled metal, electrical and electronic trades › 523 Vehicle trades |
Going rates for 5235 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. | £33,700 £17.28/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. | £29,600 £15.18/hr | n/a | n/a | £25,000 £12.82/hr |
Salary thresholds that apply to 5235
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 | £33,700 (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 | £33,700 (100%) | £33,700 |
| 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 | £29,600 (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 | £29,600 (100%) | £29,600 |
| J | The applicant is a new entrant at the start of their career | £25,000 | £25,000 (70%) | £25,000 |
Rule changes that named 5235
- HC 997: Skilled Worker changes laid on 1 July 2025 (1 July 2025)
Job titles under SOC 5235
GOV.UK lists these related job titles:
- Boat and ship builders and repairers
More job titles from the ONS SOC 2020 index (7)
- Boat builder
- Fitter (boat building)
- Frame turner (ship building)
- Laminator (boat building and repairing)
- Marine engineer
- Ship’s joiner
- Shipwright
What the job involves
Boat and ship builders and repairers construct, install and repair wooden structures and fittings, and shape, position, rivet and seal metal plates and girders to form the metal structures and frameworks for marine craft.
Typical tasks
- Examines drawings and specifications to determine job requirements
- Uses rules, scribes and punches to mark out metal plate with guidelines and reference points and cuts plates using appropriate tools
- Uses machine tools to bend, curve, punch, drill and straighten metal plate as required and positions and aligns metal platework or frame for welding and bolting
- Rivets together metal plates and girders, seals seams, smooths welds, fixes metal doors, collars, portholes, tank and hatch covers
- Selects and measures appropriate wood and cuts, shapes and drills to specification using saws, planes, chisels and other power or hand tools
- Aligns and fixes prepared wood pieces by screwing, nailing, gluing and dowelling to form decking, small wooden marine craft and their interiors and fittings
- Maintains and repairs woodwork and fittings
Typical entry routes and qualifications
Entrants typically possess GCSEs/S grades. Training is usually via apprenticeship including practical experience and technical training. Apprenticeships and vocational qualifications in boat building and relevant aspects of engineering and construction are available at levels 2 and 3.
Description: ONS SOC 2020 Volume 1.
Questions about SOC 5235
Can you get a Skilled Worker visa as a boat or ship builder or repairer?
Yes, for now. You can get a UK Skilled Worker visa as a boat or ship builder or repairer (SOC 5235) because the job is on a shortage list, until the list's end date. SOC 2020 code 5235 (Boat and ship builders and repairers) is Medium Skilled (RQF level 3–5) and is on the Immigration Salary List and the Temporary Shortage List. The Temporary Shortage List applies where the certificate of sponsorship was issued before 31 December 2026. 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 5235?
5235 is the SOC 2020 code for Boat and ship builders and repairers. Boat and ship builders and repairers construct, install and repair wooden structures and fittings, and shape, position, rivet and seal metal plates and girders to form the metal structures and frameworks for marine craft.
What is the going rate for SOC code 5235?
Table 1a of Appendix Skilled Occupations gives a going rate of £33,700 a year (£17.28 an hour) for 5235, based on a 37.5-hour week. It must be pro-rated for other working hours.
Is 5235 on the Immigration Salary List?
Yes. All jobs. in Scotland. The list states a removal date of 31 December 2026.
Is 5235 on the Temporary Shortage List?
Yes, for boat and ship builders and repairers. It applies where the certificate of sponsorship was issued before 31 December 2026.
What job titles use SOC code 5235?
GOV.UK lists: Boat and ship builders and repairers.
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)
- Skilled Worker visa: temporary shortage list (GOV.UK, updated 20 July 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.