SOC 2020 code 6133 · Caring, leisure and other service occupations
Can dental nurses get a Skilled Worker visa? (SOC 6133)
Official occupation name: Dental nurses
Can a new applicant be sponsored in this job today?
No, not for a new applicant. Dental nurses (SOC 6133) is a medium-skilled occupation, and since 22 July 2025 the rules only allow it for people already sponsored in it: granted Skilled Worker permission under the rules before 22 July 2025, and holding it continuously since.
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 6133
Appendix Skilled Occupations lists this code in Table 3a, and the gov.uk eligible occupations table labels it “Medium Skilled”.
Tables 1a and 3a are for medium-skilled occupations (RQF levels 3 to 5). Since 22 July 2025, sponsors may only use them for someone granted Skilled Worker permission under the rules in place before 22 July 2025 who has held it continuously since, unless the job is on the Temporary Shortage List or the Immigration Salary List (Appendix Skilled Worker SW 6.1). This code is on neither list.
Health and Care Worker visa
Gov.uk lists code 6133 for the Health and Care Worker visa only for people extending or updating it who got their certificate of sponsorship before 22 July 2025 and have held a Health and Care Worker or Skilled Worker visa continuously since.
Health and Care Worker visa: your job · different salary requirements · overview
Pay scale
The going rate for code 6133 is a national pay scale, set out in Appendix Skilled Occupations (source: NHS Agenda for Change: England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland). 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.
Going rates in Table 4 are per year and based on a 37.5-hour week (in Scotland, a 37-hour week). Band 1 and band 2 jobs are not eligible to be sponsored. Except for “6131 Nursing auxiliaries and assistants”, sponsors may ONLY sponsor Skilled Worker applicants in band 3 and band 4 jobs if the applicant was granted permission as a Skilled Worker under the rules in place before 22 July 2025, and they have had continuous permission as a Skilled Worker since then. Band 1 to band 4 jobs are not eligible for the Global Business Mobility or Scale-up routes.
| Band | England | Scotland | Wales | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band 3 | £24,071 | £26,869 | £24,433 | £22,816 |
| Band 4 | £26,530 | £29,116 | £26,928 | £25,147 |
| Band 5lowest band open to new applicants | £29,970 | £31,892 | £30,420 | £28,407 |
| Band 6 | £37,338 | £39,912 | £37,898 | £35,392 |
| Band 7 | £46,148 | £48,788 | £46,840 | £43,742 |
| Band 8a | £53,755 | £60,126 | £54,550 | £50,952 |
| Band 8b | £62,215 | £70,986 | £63,150 | £58,972 |
| Band 8c | £74,290 | £83,837 | £75,405 | £70,417 |
| Band 8d | £88,168 | £99,534 | £89,491 | £83,571 |
| Band 9 | £105,385 | £117,732 | £106,967 | £99,891 |
Figures as published in Appendix Skilled Occupations, checked on 23 October 2026.
Job titles in code 6133
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.
- Dental assistant
- Dental nurse
- Dental nurse-receptionist
- Dental surgery assistant
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 6133, 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 613
- 6131 Nursing auxiliaries and assistantsShortage list to 31 December 2026
- 6132 Ambulance staff (excluding paramedics)Existing visa holders only
- 6134 Houseparents and residential wardensExisting visa holders only
- 6135 Care workers and home carersIn-UK switches only
- 6136 Senior care workersIn-UK switches only
- 6137 Care escortsNot eligible
- 6138 Undertakers, mortuary and crematorium assistantsNot eligible
Nearby occupations that are open to new applicants
Codes in the same part of the classification that a new applicant can be sponsored in today. They are only relevant if the actual job fits one of them: re-labelling a job does not work (see above).
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.
- Search the register of licensed sponsors
- Check one employer's licence, free
- Work out the salary for a specific offer
- Every occupation code and its answer
- Health and medical employers with a licence in London (752)
- Health and medical employers with a licence in Birmingham (95)
- Health and medical employers with a licence in Manchester (83)
- Health and medical employers with a licence in Liverpool (70)
These employers hold licences for the roles they can sponsor. A licence does not make this occupation eligible.
Common questions
Can dental nurses be sponsored for a UK Skilled Worker visa?
No, not for a new applicant. Dental nurses (SOC 6133) is a medium-skilled occupation, and since 22 July 2025 the rules only allow it for people already sponsored in it: granted Skilled Worker permission under the rules before 22 July 2025, and holding it continuously since. Checked against gov.uk on 23 October 2026.
Is SOC 6133 (dental nurses) 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 dental nurses get a Health and Care Worker visa?
Only to extend or update. Gov.uk lists code 6133 for people extending or updating a Health and Care Worker visa who got their certificate of sponsorship before 22 July 2025 and have held a Health and Care Worker or Skilled Worker visa continuously since.
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.
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.