Footwear and leather working trades (SOC 5412) 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.
Footwear and leather working trades make and repair shoes, cut out, make up, sew, decorate and finish leather and leather substitute goods other than garments.
There are no formal academic requirements although some employers may require GCSEs/S grades. Training is mainly on?the-job. NVQs/SVQs are available in some areas.
UK market salary · ASHE 2025
How visa salary requirements compare to what employers pay.
For Skilled Worker visa holders, the minimum salary (going rate) for this role is £33,400 (SOC 5412), sitting above the 90th percentile of what UK employers pay and £7,192 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 5412 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 5412. Footwear and leather working trades 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 5412 covers a range of footwear and leather working trades roles, including: Footwear makers and repairers, Leather workers (excludes leather dressing), Footwear and leather working trades 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.
SOC 5412 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.