HomeSkilled tradespersonUnited Kingdom
Routes to United Kingdom: skilled tradesperson
Narrow: only listed trades and seasonal farm work
There is no general low-skill work visa: labourers, groundworkers, scaffolders and road construction operatives are ineligible. Some medium-skilled trades (pipe welders, bricklayers, carpenters, roofers) appear on the immigration salary list at a reduced GBP 33,400 floor, but still need a sponsor. Seasonal Worker visas cover horticulture up to 6 months and poultry, with poultry applications closing 15 November.
Match an occupation and passport
Choose an occupation and a passport
0 trades are named in United Kingdom's official demand list, ranked below.
What United Kingdom wants, in its own order
This order is the official shortage analysis, not our opinion. The source is linked under the list.
The routes
Each route below is a separate permit with its own listed requirements. A requirement you do not meet can stop an application for that route, however strong the rest of the case is. A requirement we cannot confirm is shown as unknown, not as a failure.
Skilled Worker visa for medium-skilled trades (Skilled Worker visa)
Preview — under verificationTrades are labelled medium-skilled on the eligible occupations table and the Skilled Worker page says medium-skilled jobs qualify only under listed conditions, so a trade job offer is not enough on its own; check the exact occupation code and list entry first.
Who this is for
- Welders, electricians, bricklayers, carpenters, plumbers and similar trades with a sponsored offer, where the code qualifies
You must have every one of these
- Sponsored job offer and certificate of sponsorship from a licensed UK employer.
- Occupation code must qualify: medium-skilled codes only if on the immigration salary list or temporary shortage list (or a prison officer extension/switch).
- Immigration salary list trades named on the page: high integrity pipe welders (5213, 3+ years experience), stonemasons (5312), bricklayers (5313), roofers (5314), carpenters and joiners (5316), retrofitters (5319).
- Salary at least GBP 33,400 and the standard going rate on the salary list route; otherwise GBP 41,700 or the going rate.
- English at CEFR B2 unless exempt.
Source: GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa, your job (checked 2026-11-07; Government or public body) · GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa, immigration salary list (checked 2026-11-07; document dated 2025-11-11; Government or public body) · GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa, eligible occupations and codes (checked 2026-11-07; document dated 2025-07-22; Government or public body) · GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa, how much it costs (checked 2026-11-07; Government or public body)
Seasonal Worker visa (Seasonal Worker visa)
Preview — under verificationShort horticulture work for up to 6 months, or poultry work from 2 October to 31 December with applications closing 15 November each year; it is temporary, with no family and no route to a permanent job.
Who this is for
- Seasonal fruit, vegetable and flower pickers
- Seasonal poultry workers
You must have every one of these
- Sponsor issues a certificate of sponsorship setting job and start date.
- Meet the other eligibility requirements on the linked page, including a savings requirement (no amount given on the overview).
- Poultry applications must be made by 15 November each year.
Source: GOV.UK: Seasonal Worker visa (checked 2026-11-07; Government or public body)
General labouring and similar roles
Preview — under verificationBuilders' labourers, groundworkers, scaffolders and road construction operatives are marked ineligible on the Skilled Worker eligible occupations table, so no Skilled Worker route exists for them.
Who this is for
- Not available to these occupations
You must have every one of these
- Occupation codes 9129, 9121, 8151 and 8152 are listed as ineligible on the table (read 2026-11-07).
Source: GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa, eligible occupations and codes (checked 2026-11-07; document dated 2025-07-22; Government or public body)
What it costs
Costs are shown in GBP as the cited source states them, with the unit the source gives. We do not convert currencies. A line with no stated unit or date is marked as such and is not an exact official charge.
Per-route figure: alternatives on this track (other routes, durations, London versus elsewhere) are not additive; do not sum them into an all-in total.
Source: GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa, how much it costs (checked 2026-11-07; Government or public body)
GBP 628You payPer-route figure: alternatives on this track (other routes, durations, London versus elsewhere) are not additive; do not sum them into an all-in total.
Source: GOV.UK: Seasonal Worker visa (checked 2026-11-07; Government or public body)
GBP 340You payImmigration Health Surcharge, charged per year of visa; Health and Care Worker applicants and dependants do not pay it. Per-route figure: alternatives on this track (other routes, durations, London versus elsewhere) are not additive; do not sum them into an all-in total.
Source: GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa, how much it costs (checked 2026-11-07; Government or public body)
GBP 1,035You payHow long it takes
Timeline not published by the authority
UKVI says Skilled Worker decisions outside the UK usually take about 3 weeks; no timeline is published for Seasonal Worker or for sponsor search.
Published figures for this route
Published figures on how often this route is used, with their sources.
Documents, insurance, housing and money
These needs are the same whichever track you choose, so they are published once for United Kingdom, with sources and check dates.
Quick answers
Which routes to United Kingdom exist on the skilled tradesperson track?
Narrow: only listed trades and seasonal farm work
How long does it take?
Timeline not published by the authority. UKVI says Skilled Worker decisions outside the UK usually take about 3 weeks; no timeline is published for Seasonal Worker or for sponsor search.
How much does it cost?
The published costs on this page are in different currencies, so there is no single total. Items that are not in that total, such as proof of funds or later permit fees, are labelled on this page where our sources state them.