Software engineers are sponsored under SOC code 2134 (programmers and software development professionals), with a going rate of £54,700 a year in 2026. Because that is above the £41,700 general threshold, a standard Skilled Worker application for a developer must pay at least £54,700; new entrants (under 26, or switching from a Student or Graduate visa) can be paid 70% of the going rate, £38,290, and a relevant PhD gives 80% or 90%. As of 29 October 2026 Tarve lists 765 live sponsored software jobs from 272 licensed employers, 367 of them in London. Source: gov.uk Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Occupations (rates effective 8 April 2026), gov.uk Skilled Worker guidance, and Tarve live jobs matched to the sponsor register, checked 29 October 2026.
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Jobs now: live sponsored software jobs · employers with a licence and live jobs · UK tech companies that sponsor
The rules: SOC 2134 going rate · salary threshold calculator · new entrant rules
TL;DR: software engineer visa sponsorship, October 2026
- Code and rate: SOC 2134, going rate £54,700 (£28.05 an hour at 37.5 hours). Related codes: 2133 IT business analysts and architects (£54,900), 2139 IT professionals not elsewhere classified (£52,300).
- Minimum for a new application: £54,700 standard; £38,290 new entrant (70%); £43,760 STEM PhD (80%); £49,230 non-STEM PhD (90%).
- Live demand: 765 sponsored software jobs from 272 licensed employers on Tarve; where adverts state pay, the median range is £57,484 to £60,658.
- Largest sponsors hiring now: Graphcore (32 live jobs), Palantir UK (29), Faculty (25), plus more than 260 others; London has 48% of the jobs, Bristol is next with 35.
- English: B2 for new Skilled Worker applications since 8 January 2026.
Job figures are Tarve live jobs on 29 October 2026, matched to the gov.uk register. Rates from gov.uk, effective 8 April 2026. Tarve is not a regulated immigration adviser.
Which code applies to your job
Most developer, software engineer, DevOps, machine-learning engineer and mobile roles are sponsored under 2134. Architects, solutions designers and business analysts fall under 2133 (£54,900), and roles the Home Office classifies as other IT professionals, including many security and data engineering jobs, under 2139 (£52,300). Data analysts are 3544 (£34,900), which gov.uk classes as a medium-skilled code: new applications are possible only while it is on the Temporary Shortage List, for certificates issued before 31 December 2026, and the £41,700 threshold then applies. Data scientists are placed under 2134 or 2425 depending on the role. The employer chooses the code on the certificate of sponsorship, and the going rate follows the code, so check the SOC 2134 page and its neighbours before negotiating.
The salary you need, with the reductions
| Situation | Rule | Minimum for SOC 2134 |
|---|---|---|
| Standard application | Higher of £41,700 and the going rate | £54,700 |
| New entrant (under 26, Student or Graduate visa now or in the last 2 years, trainee in a regulated profession) | 70% of the going rate, floor £33,400, 4 years in total | £38,290 |
| Relevant STEM PhD | 80% of the going rate, floor £33,400 | £43,760 |
| Relevant non-STEM PhD | 90% of the going rate, floor £37,500 | £49,230 |
Only basic gross salary and guaranteed contractual allowances count. Equity, bonuses and benefits do not, which matters in start-ups where total compensation is high but base pay is low. The salary threshold calculator works this out for any code and hours.
Who is hiring sponsored engineers
On 29 October 2026 the largest sponsors with live software jobs on Tarve were Graphcore (32), Palantir UK Limited (29) and Faculty Science Limited (25), followed by banks, consultancies and scale-ups; 272 licensed employers had at least one live software job. London accounts for 367 of the 765 jobs, Bristol for 35, and the rest are spread across Manchester, Cambridge, Edinburgh and remote-UK roles. The tech companies guide groups the regular sponsors by sector; each employer page shows the licence and the live jobs today.
How the process runs for a developer hire
- Offer and code. The employer confirms the SOC code and that the base salary clears the rule for your situation.
- Certificate of Sponsorship. A defined CoS for an overseas hire is usually approved within one working day; an in-country switch uses an undefined CoS from the employer’s allocation. See the CoS guide.
- English. B2 (upper intermediate) for new applications since 8 January 2026, by an approved test or a degree taught in English confirmed by Ecctis. See the B2 guide.
- Visa decision. Usually 3 weeks from outside the UK and 8 weeks inside, with paid priority options. See decision times by route.
- Costs. The Immigration Skills Charge, the application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge; the costs guide has six worked scenarios including a London scale-up developer.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum salary for a software engineer visa in the UK in 2026?
£54,700 a year for a standard Skilled Worker application under SOC 2134, because the going rate is above the £41,700 general threshold. New entrants can be paid 70% of the going rate, £38,290.
Can a junior developer get UK visa sponsorship?
Yes, most often through the new entrant option: under 26, or switching from a Student or Graduate visa, the minimum for SOC 2134 falls to £38,290 for up to 4 years in total.
Which UK tech companies sponsor visas?
On 29 October 2026, 272 licensed employers had live sponsored software jobs on Tarve, led by Graphcore, Palantir UK and Faculty. The register lists thousands more with a licence but no current vacancy; a licence shows an employer can sponsor, not that it is hiring.
Does remote work count for sponsorship?
A sponsored job must be a genuine role with a UK employer, and the salary rules apply regardless of where you sit. Fully remote roles are sponsored, but the employer must still meet its reporting duties and the job must pass the salary test for its code.
The Tarve team researches UK visa sponsorship directly from official gov.uk and Home Office sources — the register of licensed sponsors, the Immigration Rules, and published salary and going-rate data — to produce clear, regularly updated guides for international professionals. Tarve is an independent information and job-search service, not a regulated immigration adviser.
Figures and rules on this page are taken from official gov.uk and Home Office publications and were last verified on 2 November 2026. Tarve is an independent information and job-search service, not a regulated immigration adviser: guidance here is for information only, and you should always confirm the current rules on gov.uk.