Senior police officers (SOC 1162, also written as job code 1162) qualifies for UK Skilled Worker visa sponsorship. Your employer must pay at least the going rate of £64,000 per year. Scroll down for salary benchmarks, the visa rules, and live jobs from licensed sponsors.
Not sure if SOC 1162 applies to your situation?
The answer above is the general rule. Your case can be different if you already hold a visa and are extending or switching, if you were sponsored before a rule change, or depending on your salary. Our AI assistant can explain the full rules from gov.uk guidance.
Ask AI about SOC 1162Senior police officers plan, organise, direct and co-ordinate the resources and activities of a specific geographical or functional area of generalised or specialised police work. Senior officers of the British Transport Police direct the specialised police service for the railway network across Britain.
Promotion to the rank of inspector can be by qualifying examination and practical assessment. There are no qualifying examinations to ranks above inspector; promotion is by selection only. There are accelerated promotion schemes available as well as the Direct Entry scheme which recruits external entrants with relevant skills directly to senior positions in the police force. All police forces have age restrictions and medical requirements.
UK market salary · ASHE 2025
How visa salary requirements compare to what employers pay.
Most senior police officers in the UK earn between £64,896 and ~£68,536 in basic pay. For Skilled Worker visa holders, the minimum salary (going rate) for this role is £64,000 (SOC 1162), sitting at the 23rd percentile of what UK employers pay and £2,716 below the median.
All figures are before tax. Calculate your take-home pay.
Comparing with an offer back home? Try the UK vs home country calculator.
Browse our register of UK companies with an active sponsor licence. Filter by industry, size, sponsor rating, and whether they're currently hiring senior police officers, so you only apply where a visa is actually on the table.
Browse licensed sponsorsYour employer must pay whichever is higher: the going rate for SOC 1162 (£64,000) or the general Skilled Worker threshold of £41,700 per year.
New entrants and ISL roles may qualify for a lower rate. See the New entrant & discount rates section below.
Your sponsor issues a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS), a reference number the Home Office uses to check the job offer, salary, and duties line up with an eligible SOC code.
Submit the Skilled Worker visa application online within 3 months of your CoS assignment date. You'll also book a biometric appointment and pay the immigration health surcharge.
Apply on gov.ukTravel to the UK before your CoS start date and begin working for the sponsor named on the certificate.
If you're under 26, switching from a Student visa, or a recent UK graduate, your employer can pay the new entrant rate of £44,800 per year for up to 4 years.
Continuously sponsored as a Skilled Worker since before 4 April 2024? Lower thresholds apply: £60,800 standard, or £42,600 as a new entrant.
Other Skilled Worker-eligible roles in the same SOC minor group (116xx):
Yes. Senior police officers roles fall under SOC 1162 (Higher Skilled), so they qualify for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship. Your employer will need a sponsor licence and must pay at least the going rate for this occupation.
Job code 1162, SOC code 1162 and occupation code 1162 all refer to the same thing: the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 2020) unit group covering senior police officers. The Home Office uses this 4-digit code on a Certificate of Sponsorship to check Skilled Worker visa eligibility and to set the going rate salary threshold for the role.
The going rate for Senior police officers (SOC 1162) is £64,000 (£32.82 per hour). Occupation rate applies. Your employer must pay whichever is higher: this going rate or the general Skilled Worker threshold of £41,700 per year.
SOC 1162 covers a range of senior police officers roles, including: Chief, deputy chief and assistant chief constables, Chief inspectors, Chief superintendents, Senior police officers not elsewhere classified.. Keep in mind that the Home Office matches jobs by duties rather than title alone. Two roles with the same title can fall under different SOC codes depending on the actual work involved.
Yes. If you're under 26, a recent graduate, a PhD student, or switching from a Student or Graduate visa, you count as a "new entrant". For Senior police officers (SOC 1162) the new entrant minimum is £44,800 per year, based on the Home Office's published lower going rate and the £33,400 new entrant threshold. The discount lasts up to 4 years in total.
We list Senior police officers roles from companies with a Home Office sponsor licence. Scroll down to see what's currently open, or search our full jobs database for more visa-sponsored positions across the UK.
This information is provided as guidance only and should not be treated as legal advice. Eligibility criteria and salary thresholds are based on the latest published government data. Always verify with the official UK government guidance or seek professional immigration advice.