Can you get a Skilled Worker visa as a sports or leisure assistant?
No. You cannot get a UK Skilled Worker visa as a sports or leisure assistant (SOC 6211).
You might be able to work in the UK on a different visa. Compare UK work visas.
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 6211 (Sports and leisure assistants) is listed as not eligible for the Skilled Worker, Global Business Mobility and Scale-up routes in Table 6 of Appendix Skilled OccupationsT6 · 29 Oct 26.
Source: Appendix Skilled Occupations and eligible occupations and codes, GOV.UK.| Occupation | Sports and leisure assistants |
|---|---|
| Skilled Worker eligibility | Ineligible |
| Going rate | Not applicable |
| Appendix table(s) | Table 6 |
| Immigration Salary List | No |
| Temporary Shortage List | No |
| SOC 2020 group | 62 Leisure, travel and related personal service occupations › 621 Leisure and travel services |
Job titles under SOC 6211
GOV.UK lists these related job titles:
- Bookmakers
- Croupiers
- Film and television runners
- Leisure and recreation assistants
- Lifeguards
- Museum and heritage assistants
- Sports and leisure assistants not elsewhere classified
More job titles from the ONS SOC 2020 index (5)
- Croupier
- Leisure attendant
- Lifeguard
- Runner (broadcasting)
- Sports assistant
What the job involves
Sports and leisure assistants, provide and maintain facilities for sporting and recreational activities and supervise their use, maintain the continuity of entertainment and social events, offer odds and accept bets on the result of sporting and other events, control gambling activities, work behind the scenes in production and broadcasting enterprises in a supporting role to ensure operations run smoothly.
Typical tasks
- Maintains sports and leisure equipment and prepares equipment for use
- Supervises the use of swimming pools, gymnasium apparatus, fitness machines and other recreational equipment
- Work in teams patrolling popular stretches of the coast, advising people when and where they can swim safely and making rescues when necessary
- Maintains hygienic operation of swimming pools and associated facilities such as hot tubs, showers and changing areas
- Carries clubs for golfers, advises on the layout and distance of golf courses and appropriate choice of golf club
- Announces acts, makes introductions, proposes toasts and maintains the continuity of entertainment events and social functions
- Assesses likely outcome of an event and establishes odds, accepts and records bets, issues receipts and pays out on winning bets
- Controls the progress of games of cards, roulette and other gambling activities according to established rules
- Provides support in production and broadcasting operations, such as helping set up and maintain the set, running errands, moving equipment, looking after guests, and transporting crew and cast between locations
Typical entry routes and qualifications
There are no formal academic entry requirements, although some employers may require GCSEs/S grades. A variety of vocational qualifications are available in Sports and Recreation and Leisure and Tourism.
Description: ONS SOC 2020 Volume 1.
Questions about SOC 6211
Can you get a Skilled Worker visa as a sports or leisure assistant?
No. You cannot get a UK Skilled Worker visa as a sports or leisure assistant (SOC 6211). SOC 2020 code 6211 (Sports and leisure assistants) is listed as not eligible for the Skilled Worker, Global Business Mobility and Scale-up routes in Table 6 of Appendix Skilled Occupations.
What is SOC code 6211?
6211 is the SOC 2020 code for Sports and leisure assistants. Sports and leisure assistants, provide and maintain facilities for sporting and recreational activities and supervise their use, maintain the continuity of entertainment and social events, offer odds and accept bets on the result of sporting and other events, control gambling activities, work behind the scenes in production and broadcasting enterprises in a supporting role to ensure operations run smoothly.
What job titles use SOC code 6211?
GOV.UK lists: Bookmakers, Croupiers, Film and television runners, Leisure and recreation assistants, Lifeguards, Museum and heritage assistants, Sports and leisure assistants 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.