SOC 2020 code 9252 · Elementary occupations

Can warehouse operatives get a Skilled Worker visa? (SOC 9252)

Official occupation name: Warehouse operatives

Can a new applicant be sponsored in this job today?

No. Warehouse operatives (SOC 9252) has been reassessed as below RQF level 3. The rules keep it open only to people first granted Skilled Worker permission under the rules before 4 April 2024, with permission held continuously since, applying before 4 April 2030 to stay with the same sponsor. No salary changes that.

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Checked against gov.uk on 23 October 2026. Sources: Appendix Skilled Occupations, Appendix Skilled Worker.

What the rules say about code 9252

Appendix Skilled Occupations lists this code in Tables 2a and 6, and the gov.uk eligible occupations table labels it “Medium Skilled– extending in same occupation only”.

Table 2a is for codes reassessed as below RQF level 3. Sponsors may only use them when the application is made before 4 April 2030, the applicant was granted Skilled Worker permission under the rules in place before 4 April 2024 and has held it continuously since, and they are applying to work for the same sponsor as in their most recent permission. The code is also in Table 6, the list of occupations that are otherwise not eligible.

Appendix Skilled Occupations gives a lower going rate of £31,300, with a £31,300 floor, for people first granted Skilled Worker permission under the rules before 4 April 2024 who apply before 4 April 2030. Which of these applies depends on the person's own visa history.

Job titles in code 9252

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.

Warehouse operatives
Order picker
Storeman
Team member (warehousing)
Warehouseman

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 9252, 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 925

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.

These employers hold licences for the roles they can sponsor. A licence does not make this occupation eligible.

Where gov.uk does not agree with itself

We found these differences between gov.uk pages for this code. Where the Immigration Rules and a guidance page differ, this page follows the rules.

The going-rates guidance table gives a lower going rate of £25,000, but Appendix Skilled Occupations Table 2a gives £31,300. The Immigration Rules are the legal source. Source.

Common questions

Can warehouse operatives be sponsored for a UK Skilled Worker visa?

What salary do warehouse operatives need to extend a Skilled Worker visa?

No salary opens this job to a new applicant. Appendix Skilled Occupations gives a lower going rate of £31,300, with a £31,300 floor, for people first granted Skilled Worker permission under the rules before 4 April 2024 who apply before 4 April 2030. Which applies depends on the person's own visa history, so check it with the employer or a regulated adviser.

Is SOC 9252 (warehouse operatives) 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.

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 9252. 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.