SOC 2020 code 2211 · Professional occupations

Doctor visa sponsorship UK: Health and Care Worker visa and pay (SOC 2211)

Official occupation name: Generalist medical practitioners

Yes

Can a new applicant be sponsored in this job today?

Yes. Generalist medical practitioners (SOC 2211) is on the list of eligible occupations in the Immigration Rules, so an employer with a sponsor licence can sponsor a new applicant in it. Its going rate is a national pay scale, so the job must pay at least £25,000 and the pay-scale rate for the role, whichever is higher.

Minimum: £25,000; or the pay-scale rate, if higher

Check an offer in the salary calculator Check an employer's licence free

Checked against gov.uk on 23 October 2026. Sources: Appendix Skilled Occupations, Appendix Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker visa: your job.

What the rules say about code 2211

Appendix Skilled Occupations lists this code in Table 3, and the gov.uk eligible occupations table labels it “Higher Skilled”.

Table 3 is for health and education occupations skilled to RQF level 6 or above whose going rates come from national pay scales. They use points option K: the job must pay at least £25,000 and the pay-scale rate for the role.

Health and Care Worker visa

Gov.uk lists code 2211 as eligible for the Health and Care Worker visa, including for a first application. That visa needs a job offer from the NHS, an organisation providing medical services to the NHS, or an organisation providing adult social care. Gov.uk says people on it, and their partner or children, do not pay the healthcare surcharge.

Health and Care Worker visa: your job · different salary requirements · overview

Pay scale

The going rate for code 2211 is a national pay scale, set out in Appendix Skilled Occupations (source: Pay and Conditions Circular (M&D) 5/2024 R). The job must pay at least £25,000 and the rate for the role, whichever is higher, and the rate is pro-rated to the contracted hours.

England

Medical professionals - NHS doctors in post graduate training:
Foundation year 1 (F1) and equivalent: £36,616
Foundation year 2 (F2) and equivalent: £42,008
Specialty registrar (StR) at ST/CT1-2 and equivalent: £49,909
Specialty registrar (StR) at CT3/ST3-5: £61,825
Other medical professionals:
Specialty doctor and equivalent: £59,175
Salaried General practitioner (GP) and equivalent: £73,113
Specialist doctor and equivalent: £96,990
Consultant and equivalent: £105,504
These going rates are per year and based on a 40-hour working week. They must be pro-rated for other working patterns, based on the weekly working hours stated by the applicant’s sponsor.

Scotland

Medical professionals - NHS doctors in post graduate training:
Foundation year 1 (F1) and equivalent: £34,500
Foundation year 2 (F2) and equivalent: £42,794
Specialty registrar (StR): £45,504
Other medical professionals:
Specialty doctor and equivalent: £47,905
Salaried General practitioner (GP) and equivalent: £74,192
Consultant and equivalent: £107,144
These going rates are per year and based on a 40-hour working week. They must be pro-rated for other working patterns, based on the weekly working hours stated by the applicant’s sponsor.

Wales

Medical professionals - NHS doctors in post graduate training:
Foundation year 1 (F1) and equivalent: £33,307
Foundation year 2 (F2) and equivalent: £41,073
Specialty registrar (StR) at ST/CT1-2 and equivalent: £43,821
Specialty registrar (StR) at CT/ST3 and above £43,821
Other medical professionals:
Specialty doctor and equivalent: £59,727
Salaried General practitioner (GP) and equivalent: £76,079
Consultant and equivalent: £106,000 (37.5 hour week)
These going rates are per year and based on a 40-hour working week unless noted. They must be pro-rated for other working patterns, based on the weekly working hours stated by the applicant’s sponsor.

Northern Ireland

Medical professionals on the HSC Doctors and Dentists in Training contract:
Foundation year 1 (F1) and equivalent: £29,566
Foundation year 2 (F2) and equivalent: £36,371
Specialty registrar (StR) at ST/CT1-2 and equivalent: £38,780
Specialty registrar (StR) at CT/ST3 and above £44,283
Other medical professionals:
Specialty doctor (new 2021 contract) and equivalent: £52,530
Salaried General practitioner (GP) and equivalent: £69,974
Specialist (new 2021 contract) and equivalent): £83,945
Consultant and equivalent: £94,127
These going rates are per year and based on a 40-hour working week. They must be pro-rated for other working patterns, based on the weekly working hours stated by the applicant’s sponsor.

Figures as published in Appendix Skilled Occupations, checked on 23 October 2026.

Job titles in code 2211

Examples from the Immigration Rules and the gov.uk eligible occupations table. They are examples, not the full list: a job belongs in this code because of its duties, whatever it is called.

Doctor
General practitioner
House officer (hospital service)
Medical practitioner
Physician
Public health doctors
Generalist medical practitioners not elsewhere classified

Who chooses the occupation code

The employer does, not you and not GoRizzume. The sponsor picks the code when it assigns the Certificate of Sponsorship, and Appendix Skilled Worker (SW 6.2) lets the Home Office refuse the application if it has reasonable grounds to believe a less appropriate code was chosen because the right one is not eligible, has a higher going rate, or is not on the Immigration Salary List. The duties decide the code, not the job title.

So treat this page as the rules for code 2211, not a verdict on any particular offer. Ask the employer which code they will use, then check that code. If you are unsure, the CASCOT coding tool suggests codes for a job title, and gov.uk says to make sure the description matches what you will actually do.

Other occupations in minor group 221

2212 Specialist medical practitionersEligible

Find an employer that can sponsor

Only an employer on the Home Office register of licensed sponsors can sponsor a Skilled Worker visa, and a licence means they can sponsor eligible roles, not that every job comes with sponsorship.

Common questions

Can doctors be sponsored for a UK Skilled Worker visa?

Is SOC 2211 (generalist medical practitioners) on a UK shortage list?

No. It is on neither the Temporary Shortage List nor the Immigration Salary List. Checked against gov.uk on 23 October 2026.

Can doctors get a Health and Care Worker visa?

Yes. Code 2211 is on the gov.uk list of jobs eligible for the Health and Care Worker visa, which needs a job offer from the NHS, an organisation providing medical services to the NHS, or an organisation providing adult social care. Gov.uk says people on that visa, and their partner or children, do not pay the healthcare surcharge.

Who decides which occupation code goes on a Certificate of Sponsorship?

The employer. The sponsor chooses the code when it assigns the certificate, and the Home Office can refuse the application if it has reason to think a less appropriate code was chosen to get round the eligibility or salary rules. A job title alone does not decide the code: the duties do. Ask the employer which code the offer will use.

This is information, not immigration advice. It sets out what the published Home Office rules say about occupation code 2211. It cannot see your history or your offer, and real cases turn on details it does not model. Confirm on gov.uk, ask the employer which code they will use, and take advice from an adviser regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority before making a decision that matters.

Rules checked against gov.uk on 23 October 2026. Occupation codes are SOC 2020. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.