SOC Codes for UK Skilled Worker Visa — IT Sector Guide

A Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code is a numeric identifier that categorises jobs by their type and skill level. The UK Home Office uses SOC codes to determine whether a job qualifies for the Skilled Worker visa and, crucially, what the minimum salary — called the going rate — should be for that type of work.

When an employer assigns a Certificate of Sponsorship to you, they declare your SOC code. The Home Office then checks whether the salary stated on your CoS meets both the general threshold (£38,700 or 70% of the going rate for new entrants) and the specific going rate for that SOC code. If either condition is not met, the visa application will likely be refused.

This means it is not enough to simply have a competitive salary — you need to make sure the code your employer has assigned accurately reflects your role. Using a code with a lower going rate to get around the threshold is treated as a compliance breach. Equally, if your employer assigns you the wrong code that carries a higher going rate, you might find the salary falls short even though it seems reasonable for the position.

SOC code 2135 covers IT business analysts, enterprise architects, systems designers, and related roles. This is a broad category and often causes confusion because 'business analyst' can mean very different things across different companies. To use this code, the role needs to be primarily focused on analysing IT systems, designing technical solutions, or defining technical requirements — not general business process analysis without a technology focus.

The going rate for SOC 2135 has typically sat around £40,000–£44,000 per year (check current figures in the Home Office Appendix Skilled Worker guidance), which means it often exceeds the general £38,700 threshold. New entrant applicants — those within the first few years of their career or switching from a study visa — may qualify at 70% of the going rate.

Roles commonly assigned this code include: solutions architect, enterprise architect, IT business analyst, systems analyst, and technical consultant. If your role straddles both business and technology, make sure your employer can clearly evidence why the IT element is the primary function.

SOC code 2136 is the most commonly used code for software engineers, software developers, and programmers in the UK. It covers backend developers, full-stack engineers, mobile developers, DevOps engineers, and many other engineering roles where the primary activity is writing and maintaining code.

The going rate for 2136 is typically around £40,500–£43,000 per year (verify the current figure). This is above the general £38,700 threshold, so even without new entrant status, sponsored software developers need to earn above the going rate — meaning a salary of exactly £38,700 may not be sufficient if the going rate for 2136 is higher at the time of application.

This is one of the areas where the VisaAtlas SOC Code Intelligence tool is particularly useful: it lets you look up the current going rate for 2136 and check whether a specific salary offer would qualify, including under the new entrant rules.

SOC code 2137 covers web developers, UX/UI designers with a technical focus, front-end developers, and digital product designers. It is distinct from 2136 (which covers more general software engineering) and tends to carry a slightly different going rate.

The going rate for 2137 has historically been slightly lower than 2136 — typically around £36,000–£39,000 — which in some years has been below the general £38,700 threshold. When the going rate is below £38,700, the effective minimum is £38,700, since the threshold is always the higher of the two. For new entrants, the 70% new entrant rate applies to the going rate, subject to a minimum of £30,960.

Front-end developers and UX engineers should work carefully with their employer to determine whether 2136 or 2137 is the more accurate code for their role. Both are valid for Skilled Worker visas, but the salary implications can differ.

SOC code 3131 covers IT engineers, support engineers, infrastructure engineers, network engineers, and similar roles that sit at a more operational or support level than the 2100-series codes. This code is at skill level 3 rather than level 4, and historically carries a lower going rate — often in the range of £32,000–£36,000.

Because the going rate for 3131 is often below the general £38,700 threshold, the minimum salary for a role under this code is effectively £38,700 (or the new entrant equivalent). This still qualifies for the Skilled Worker visa, but it means there is less flexibility on salary than with higher-band roles.

Network engineers, cloud infrastructure engineers, and IT support specialists should check carefully whether their role aligns better with 3131 or one of the 2100-series codes. A senior infrastructure engineer designing cloud architecture might legitimately use 2135 or 2136, which could carry different salary requirements.

The safest way to confirm your SOC code is to use the VisaAtlas SOC Code Intelligence tool, which maps job titles to their most likely occupation codes and shows the current going rate and new entrant rate for each. You can then share this information with your employer before they assign your Certificate of Sponsorship.

When you are ready to look for employers, the VisaAtlas sponsor search lets you filter by IT and technology sector and sort by CoS activity, so you can identify companies that are actively sponsoring tech roles — not just holding a licence they rarely use.

Remember: the going rates for SOC codes are updated by the Home Office periodically. Always check the current version of Appendix Skilled Worker on gov.uk or use a tool that reflects up-to-date figures before making any decisions.