Can you get a Skilled Worker visa as a weigher, grader or sorter?
No. You cannot get a UK Skilled Worker visa as a weigher, grader or sorter (SOC 8144).
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 8144 (Weighers, graders and sorters) 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 | Weighers, graders and sorters |
|---|---|
| Skilled Worker eligibility | Ineligible |
| Going rate | Not applicable |
| Appendix table(s) | Table 6 |
| Immigration Salary List | No |
| Temporary Shortage List | No |
| SOC 2020 group | 81 Process, plant, machine and construction operatives › 814 Assemblers and routine operatives |
Job titles under SOC 8144
GOV.UK lists these related job titles:
- Weighers, graders and sorters
More job titles from the ONS SOC 2020 index (5)
- Grader (food products mfr)
- Metal sorter
- Selector (ceramics mfr)
- Weighbridge clerk
- Weighbridge operator
What the job involves
Weighers, graders and sorters weigh, grade and sort materials, goods and products.
Typical tasks
- Examines hide, skins, leather, fabric, wool, rags, scrap metal, tobacco pipe bowls, fish, fibres, ceramics, produce and other goods
- Assesses product quality visually and by touch, and grades according to weight, thickness, colour and other quality criteria
- Ascertains material(s) required from order card, recipe, or specification and weighs and measures prescribed quantities accordingly
- Uses balances, springs, weighing platforms, automatic scales and weighbridges to check the weight of goods, products and loaded vehicles
- Records and calculates gross and net weight, checks delivery notes and prepares documents and labels for identification purposes
- Operates machines to measure lengths of rolls of material and irregularly shaped materials such as leather or sheepskin
Typical entry routes and qualifications
There are no formal academic entry requirements. Training is typically received on-the-job, supplemented by short courses relating to the specific material or product being considered.
Description: ONS SOC 2020 Volume 1.
Questions about SOC 8144
Can you get a Skilled Worker visa as a weigher, grader or sorter?
No. You cannot get a UK Skilled Worker visa as a weigher, grader or sorter (SOC 8144). SOC 2020 code 8144 (Weighers, graders and sorters) 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 8144?
8144 is the SOC 2020 code for Weighers, graders and sorters. Weighers, graders and sorters weigh, grade and sort materials, goods and products.
What job titles use SOC code 8144?
GOV.UK lists: Weighers, graders and sorters.
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.