Can you get a Skilled Worker visa as a rail travel assistant?
Usually no. New applicants cannot get a UK Skilled Worker visa as a rail travel assistant (SOC 6214). 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 6214 (Rail travel assistants) 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 | Rail travel assistants |
|---|---|
| Skilled Worker eligibility | Medium Skilled |
| Going rate | £41,300 a year (£21.18 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) | 6215 |
| SOC 2020 group | 62 Leisure, travel and related personal service occupations › 621 Leisure and travel services |
Going rates for 6214 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. | £41,300 £21.18/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. | £35,400 £18.15/hr | n/a | n/a | £25,000 £12.82/hr |
Salary thresholds that apply to 6214
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 | £41,300 (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 | £35,400 (100%) | £35,400 |
| 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 6214
GOV.UK lists these related job titles:
- Railway station assistants
- Revenue protection officers
- Train conductors and guards
- Rail travel assistants not elsewhere classified
More job titles from the ONS SOC 2020 index (6)
- Conductor (railways)
- Station assistant (underground railway)
- Station supervisor
- Ticket inspector (railways)
- Train conductor
- Train manager
What the job involves
Rail travel assistants issue, collect and inspect travel tickets, provide information and assistance to railway passengers, operate train doors, and perform a variety of duties on station platforms in connection with the arrival and departure of trains and the movement of goods and passengers, and on trains to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers.
Typical tasks
- Examines and collects tickets at the ticket barrier of a railway station
- Helps with passenger enquiries and makes announcements over a public address system at stations
- Loads and unloads mail, goods and luggage, operates lifts and hoists and drives small trucks
- Assists passengers with special needs to board and leave trains
- Attends to the safety, welfare and comfort of passengers on trains and manages train crew
- Checks control panel operation before start of journey, operates train door controls and signals to driver to start or stop train
- Inspects and issues tickets on trains, deals with passenger enquiries, and takes charge of goods being transported on train
Typical entry routes and qualifications
There are no formal academic entry requirements, although entrants are required to take a medical examination and have normal colour vision. Training is provided Off and on-the-job. NVQs/SVQs in Rail Services are available at level 2.
Description: ONS SOC 2020 Volume 1.
Questions about SOC 6214
Can you get a Skilled Worker visa as a rail travel assistant?
Usually no. New applicants cannot get a UK Skilled Worker visa as a rail travel assistant (SOC 6214). 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 6214 (Rail travel assistants) 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 6214?
6214 is the SOC 2020 code for Rail travel assistants. Rail travel assistants issue, collect and inspect travel tickets, provide information and assistance to railway passengers, operate train doors, and perform a variety of duties on station platforms in connection with the arrival and departure of trains and the movement of goods and passengers, and on trains to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers.
What is the going rate for SOC code 6214?
Table 1a of Appendix Skilled Occupations gives a going rate of £41,300 a year (£21.18 an hour) for 6214, based on a 37.5-hour week. It must be pro-rated for other working hours.
What job titles use SOC code 6214?
GOV.UK lists: Railway station assistants, Revenue protection officers, Train conductors and guards, Rail travel 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.