Can you get a Skilled Worker visa as a shopkeeper or owner (retail and wholesale)?
Usually no. New applicants cannot get a UK Skilled Worker visa as a shopkeeper or owner (retail and wholesale) (SOC 7131). 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 7131 (Shopkeepers and owners - retail and wholesale) 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 | Shopkeepers and owners - retail and wholesale |
|---|---|
| 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 | No |
| Temporary Shortage List | No |
| Eligible for PhD points | No |
| Equivalent SOC 2010 code(s) | 1223, 1253, 1254 |
| SOC 2020 group | 71 Sales occupations › 713 Shopkeepers and sales supervisors |
Conditions attached to 7131
Appendix Skilled Occupations attaches these conditions to this code:
- retail and wholesale. (Table 1a, Table 2aa)
Going rates for 7131 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. | £27,200 £13.95/hr | n/a | n/a | £25,000 £12.82/hr |
Salary thresholds that apply to 7131
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 (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 | £27,200 (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 7131
GOV.UK lists these related job titles:
- Antique dealers
- Art dealers
- Car traders
- Newsagents
- Retail jewellers
- Wholesalers
- Wine merchants
- Shopkeepers and owners - retail and wholesale not elsewhere classified
More job titles from the ONS SOC 2020 index (6)
- Antiques dealer
- Fashion retailer
- Greengrocer
- Jeweller (retail trade)
- Newsagent
- Shopkeeper
What the job involves
Shopkeepers and proprietors in this unit group co-ordinate, direct and undertake the activities in the running of small, independent retail and wholesale establishments.
Typical tasks
- Defines the market position for the business, decides what to sell, forecasts demand and develops the brand image of the business
- Determines staffing, financial, material and other short- and long-term requirements
- Oversees staff training, rotas and the allocation of work
- Provides information about merchandise to staff and customers and ensures customer complaints are appropriately dealt with
- Ensures that adequate reserves of merchandise are held and orders new stock as required
- Maintains financial and other shop records and controls security arrangements for the premises
- Authorises payment for supplies received and decides on vending price and credit terms
- Examines quality of merchandise and ensures that effective use is made of advertising and display facilities
Typical entry routes and qualifications
There are no formal academic entry requirements. A range of management and leadership courses in retail are available, in addition to NVQs/ SVQs in at levels 2, 3 and 4.
Description: ONS SOC 2020 Volume 1.
Questions about SOC 7131
Can you get a Skilled Worker visa as a shopkeeper or owner (retail and wholesale)?
Usually no. New applicants cannot get a UK Skilled Worker visa as a shopkeeper or owner (retail and wholesale) (SOC 7131). 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 7131 (Shopkeepers and owners - retail and wholesale) 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 7131?
7131 is the SOC 2020 code for Shopkeepers and owners - retail and wholesale. Shopkeepers and proprietors in this unit group co-ordinate, direct and undertake the activities in the running of small, independent retail and wholesale establishments.
What is the going rate for SOC code 7131?
Table 1a of Appendix Skilled Occupations gives a going rate of £33,700 a year (£17.28 an hour) for 7131, based on a 37.5-hour week. It must be pro-rated for other working hours.
What job titles use SOC code 7131?
GOV.UK lists: Antique dealers, Art dealers, Car traders, Newsagents, Retail jewellers, Wholesalers, Wine merchants, Shopkeepers and owners - retail and wholesale 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.