Protective service associate professionals not elsewhere classified. (SOC 3319) does not currently qualify for UK Skilled Worker visa sponsorship. It is classified as medium skilled and would need to be added to the Immigration Salary List or Temporary Shortage Occupation List before employers could sponsor for it. There are closely related roles that do qualify, listed further down.
Job holders in this unit group inspect goods to ensure compliance with regulations concerning payment of duty, establish that persons entering and leaving the UK have necessary authorisation for crossing national borders, monitor maritime conditions, undertake search and rescue operations, plan and coordinate services of private detective agencies and security measures for individuals, establishments or organisations, investigates activities such as fraud and other crimes, and perform other security and protective service occupations not elsewhere classified in minor group 331: Protective service occupations.
These posts have varying entry requirements. Some posts require no academic qualifications whereas others require GCSEs/S grades and/or relevant practical experience. Entry to some occupations is followed by periods of assessed probationary training and professional examinations.
UK market salary · ASHE 2025
How visa salary requirements compare to what employers pay.
Most protective service associate professionals n.e.c. in the UK earn between £31,980 and £52,312 in basic pay. For Skilled Worker visa holders, the minimum salary (going rate) for this role is £41,100 (SOC 3319), sitting at the 50th percentile of what UK employers pay and £72 above the median. Since this falls below the general salary threshold, sponsors must pay at least £41,700.
All figures are before tax. Calculate your take-home pay.
SOC 3319 is classified as medium skilled but does not currently appear on the Immigration Salary List or Temporary Shortage List, so it's not currently eligible for new sponsorship.
If you're interested in this field, you have a few options:
Not under SOC 3319. Protective service associate professionals not elsewhere classified. is classified as Medium Skilled, which doesn't meet the requirements for Skilled Worker sponsorship right now. That said, some closely related occupation codes in the same field are eligible, so have a look at the related codes section on this page.
SOC 3319 covers a range of protective service associate professionals not elsewhere classified. roles, including: Coastguard, Customs and border control officers, Fraud investigators (excludes benefit fraud), Immigration officers, Private investigators, Security consultants and managers (excludes cyber security), and 1 more. 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.
SOC 3319 itself doesn't qualify, but that doesn't mean you're out of options. The most common workaround is finding a closely related role that falls under an eligible SOC code. We've listed any eligible alternatives further up this page. It's also worth looking into visa routes that aren't tied to a specific occupation, like the Global Talent visa, Graduate visa, or High Potential Individual visa.
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.