SOC Codes for UK Skilled Worker Visa: How to Find the Right Occupation Code

Your Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code is the backbone of your UK Skilled Worker visa application. It determines whether your job is even eligible, what minimum salary you must be paid, and what going rate the Home Office will apply. Getting this wrong is the fastest route to a refusal.

What Is a SOC Code and Why Does It Matter?

The Home Office classifies every eligible job role using the SOC 2020 system, maintained by the Office for National Statistics. Your employer selects the SOC code when completing your Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS), and that code has two direct legal consequences for your application:

1. Eligibility: The role must sit at RQF Level 6 (graduate level) or above to qualify for the standard Skilled Worker route. Since July 22, 2025, roles below RQF Level 6 are only sponsorable via the Temporary Shortage List (TSL) or specific transitional protections.

2. Going rate: Every SOC code carries an occupation-specific "going rate" — the minimum salary an employer must pay, regardless of what the general threshold says. You must be paid whichever is higher: the £41,700 general threshold or the SOC-specific going rate.

The going rates are published in Appendix Skilled Occupations, a schedule within the UK Immigration Rules. These rates were updated in July 2025 using Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) data and represent 100% of median earnings for each profession.

Example Going Rates for Common Occupations (2026)

These figures illustrate why knowing your code matters. An employer offering a civil engineer £42,000 — well above the £41,700 general threshold — would still receive a refusal because the SOC 2121 going rate is £50,400.

How to Find the Right SOC Code

The definitive reference is Appendix Skilled Occupations on GOV.UK (within the Immigration Rules). This appendix contains three tables:

• Table 1: Occupations eligible at the standard going rate (RQF Level 6+)
• Table 2: Occupations on the Immigration Salary List (ISL), which qualify for a reduced general threshold of £33,400
• Table 3: Health and education occupations exempt from the £41,700 threshold, governed instead by national pay scales

To identify your code:

1. Start with the ONS SOC 2020 classification tool. Search by job title and read the occupational description carefully.
2. Cross-reference against Appendix Skilled Occupations to confirm the role appears there and at what RQF level.
3. Check whether the role appears on the Temporary Shortage List if it falls below RQF Level 6.
4. Confirm the going rate for that code in the appendix — this is the actual number your employer must commit to paying.

The Inflation Problem: Why Employers Get This Wrong

Some employers attempt to assign a higher-skilled SOC code to a role that genuinely requires sub-degree capabilities — either out of ignorance or to circumvent the RQF Level 6 requirement. UKVI uses automated analytics to match the job duties described on the CoS against the ONS definition of the assigned SOC code. Discrepancies are flagged, resulting in refusal and triggering a compliance audit against the sponsor's licence.

If your employer assigns a code and you are unsure whether it matches your actual duties, request a copy of the job description they submitted on the CoS and compare it directly to the ONS occupational definition for that code.

The Pro-Rata Calculation Against Going Rates

Going rates in Appendix Skilled Occupations are calculated against a standard 37.5-hour week. If your contract specifies more hours, the required minimum salary must be scaled up proportionally:

Formula: (Going Rate ÷ 37.5) × Contracted Weekly Hours = Adjusted Minimum

Example: SOC 2134 going rate of £54,700, 39-hour contract = (£54,700 ÷ 37.5) × 39 = £56,904 minimum required.

An employer offering £55,000 would see the application refused despite appearing to exceed the going rate. The contractual hours create the shortfall.

What the Absolute Hourly Floor Means

Even if an applicant qualifies for a salary discount (New Entrant, ISL, PhD route), an absolute minimum hourly rate of £17.13 applies to all standard applications. This figure cannot be worked around by adjusting hours — the Home Office counts only the first 48 contracted hours per week when assessing compliance against the general threshold.

Changing Jobs: Does Your SOC Code Change?

If you change employers mid-visa, your new employer must assign a fresh CoS with the SOC code for the new role. If that new code carries a higher going rate than your current role, you must meet the new, higher going rate from day one — even if you benefited from transitional protections in your current role.

For a full breakdown of how SOC codes interact with salary discounts, transitional rules, and the new pay-period compliance framework, the UK Skilled Worker Visa Guide includes a working reference for the most common occupational classifications and the salary thresholds that apply to each.