Skilled Worker Visa for Chefs: Codes, Salary, Sponsors
Chef roles used to be sponsorable on the Skilled Worker visa. Since 22 July 2025 new sponsorship of chefs has ended, because the job is below degree level and is on neither shortage list. This guide explains what changed, who can still be sponsored, and the salary rules that still apply.
- Section
- Skilled Worker Visa
- Reading time
- 10 min
- Last checked
- 2 September 2026
- Source
- The published Immigration Rules and GOV.UK guidance, linked throughout this guide.
- Rowan does not
- Look at your own case, tell you which route to choose, or say what the Home Office will decide. This guide shows the published rules and where to read them.
In short
- New sponsorship of chefs on the Skilled Worker visa ended on 22 July 2025.
- Chefs (code 5434) are below RQF level 6 and on neither the Immigration Salary List nor the Temporary Shortage List.
- A chef already on the route before 22 July 2025 can still extend or change employer in code 5434.
- The going rate for code 5434 is £33,400 a year; tips and service charges do not count.
- Cooks (code 5435) are not eligible for the route at all.
Chefs (occupation code 5434) cannot be sponsored as new Skilled Workers since 22 July 2025. Only chefs who were already on the route before that date, and have stayed on it, can still be sponsored, at a going rate of £33,400. Restaurants must hold a sponsor licence to keep sponsoring them.
Who Can Still Be Sponsored as a Chef?
Chefs are occupation code 5434. Since 22 July 2025 the skill level requirement for a new Skilled Worker visa is RQF level 6 (degree level) unless the code is on the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List. Code 5434 is below level 6 and on neither list. It now appears only in Table 1a of Appendix Skilled Occupations, which sponsors may use only for someone who was granted Skilled Worker permission under the rules in place before 22 July 2025 and has held it continuously since.
Still possible:
- A chef already on the Skilled Worker route before 22 July 2025 extending their visa in code 5434
- The same chef moving to a new licensed employer in code 5434
No longer possible:
- A chef applying from outside the UK
- Someone in the UK on another visa, such as a Student or Graduate visa, switching into a chef job
- Cooks (code 5435), kitchen assistants and kitchen porters, whose codes are in Table 6 of Appendix Skilled Occupations, the codes not eligible for the route
Check the eligible jobs list for how the tables in Appendix Skilled Occupations work.
Salary Requirements
The salary calculation for chefs uses only the guaranteed basic gross salary. Importantly, the following do not count:
- Tips and gratuities
- Service charges (even if pooled and distributed regularly)
- Overtime pay
- Free meals or accommodation provided by the employer
For a chef still on the route, the going rate for code 5434 is £33,400 a year, or £25,000 for someone whose first certificate of sponsorship was issued before 4 April 2024. The general threshold that applies on an extension depends on the date of the first certificate of sponsorship; the base salary must meet whichever of the two figures is higher.
Sponsoring a Chef
A restaurant that keeps sponsoring a chef who was already on the route must hold a sponsor licence. The application process requires demonstrating that the business is genuine, properly managed, and has HR systems to track sponsored workers. A licence does not allow a restaurant to sponsor a new chef from overseas, or a switcher, in code 5434.
For each chef it continues to sponsor, the restaurant assigns a Certificate of Sponsorship and pays the Immigration Skills Charge.
Path to Settlement
Chefs on the Skilled Worker visa can apply for ILR after 5 years, provided they continue to meet the salary and other requirements. After ILR, they can apply for British citizenship.
Next Steps
If you are a chef already on the Skilled Worker route and moving employer, check that the new restaurant holds a licence using the register of sponsors on GOV.UK. If you are a restaurant owner, the register shows who is licensed; a licence does not reopen sponsorship of chefs from overseas.
Related guides:
Questions and answers
Can chefs get a Skilled Worker visa?
Not as new applicants. Chefs (occupation code 5434) are a medium-skilled job, and since 22 July 2025 a new Skilled Worker job must be at RQF level 6 unless its code is on the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List. Chefs are on neither list. Only a chef who was already a Skilled Worker under the rules in place before 22 July 2025, and has held Skilled Worker permission continuously since, can still be sponsored in this code.
What salary do chefs need for the Skilled Worker visa?
For a chef already on the route, the going rate for code 5434 is £33,400 a year (£25,000 if your first certificate of sponsorship was issued before 4 April 2024). The general salary threshold that applies on an extension depends on the date of your first certificate of sponsorship. The salary counted is the guaranteed basic gross pay, not including tips, service charges, or overtime.
Are chefs on the Immigration Salary List?
No. Chefs (code 5434) are not on the Immigration Salary List published on 3 August 2026, and not on the Temporary Shortage List. Cooks (code 5435) are in Table 6 of Appendix Skilled Occupations, the list of codes that are not eligible for the route at all.
Can my restaurant sponsor a chef?
A restaurant with a sponsor licence can keep sponsoring a chef who was already a Skilled Worker before 22 July 2025 and has stayed on the route since, including when that chef moves to it from another employer. It cannot sponsor a chef from overseas, or someone switching from another visa, in code 5434. Restaurant and catering managers (code 1222) and catering and bar managers (code 5436) are in the same position.
This guide is general information about published immigration rules. It is not advice about an individual application under s.82 Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, and Rowan is not regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority. Immigration rules change several times a year. For advice on a particular situation, contact an adviser authorised by the Immigration Advice Authority or an immigration solicitor. Always check GOV.UK for the authoritative current rules.