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10 Oct Which SOCs require a criminal record check and why?

Posted on October 10, 2022 in Working in the UK by
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For Skilled Worker Visa applications, a criminal record certificate is a MUST if you’re applying from outside the UK and you work in some specific sectors such as Education, Healthcare, Therapy and Social Services.

The requirement of criminal record check is based on Part 9: Grounds of Refusal of the Immigration Rules, as it sets out the powers of the Home Office to exercise refuse, cancel or curtail entry clearance, permission to enter or stay on grounds of suitability in the UK.

The suitability requirement includes factors such as a person’s prior convictions as well as offending or criminal behaviour. Immigration is a privilege rather than a right for migrants, social stability is always the main factor considered by the government in issuing permissions of stay.

According to the Immigration Rules 9.4.1 and 9.4.3, some visa applications may be refused on the grounds of minor criminal offence. However, there are a few job roles are more likely to motivate crimes due to their occupational nature. Given that above mentioned careers all need to serve vulnerable people, the Home Office has to be cautious in issuing work permit. That is the reason why a non-criminal certificate is mandatory for Skilled Worker Visa application with certain jobs.

To be more specific, the requirement for Skilled Worker entry clearance applicants to produce a criminal record certificate is determined by the standard occupational classification (SOC) code attributed to their employment role in the UK. The criminal record will need to cover the past 10 years where the applicant has lived for 12 months or more. Please note that their partners will also be required to produce a certificate when applying to accompany or join the main applicant.

Those with roles in the following SOC codes are subject to the requirement:

1181 Health services and public health managers and directors

1184 Social services managers and directors

1241 Health care practice managers

242 Residential, day and domiciliary care managers and proprietors

2211 Medical practitioners

2212 Psychologists

2213 Pharmacists

2214 Ophthalmic opticians

2215 Dental practitioners

2217 Medical radiographers

2218 Podiatrists

2219 Health professionals not elsewhere classified

2221 Physiotherapists

2222 Occupational therapists

2223 Speech and language therapists

2229 Therapy professionals not elsewhere classified

2231 Nurses

2232 Midwives

2312 Further education teaching professionals

2314 Secondary education teaching professionals

2315 Primary and nursery education teaching professionals

2316 Special needs education teaching professionals

2317 Senior professionals of educational establishments

2318 Education advisers and school inspectors

2319 Teaching and other educational professionals not elsewhere classified

2442 Social workers

2443 Probation officers

2449 Welfare professionals not elsewhere classified

3213 Paramedics

3216 Dispensing opticians

3217 Pharmaceutical technicians

3218 Medical and dental technicians

3219 Health associate professionals not elsewhere classified

3231 Youth and community workers

3234 Housing officers

3235 Counsellors

3239 Welfare and housing associate professionals not elsewhere classified

3443 Fitness instructors

3562 Human resources and industrial relations officers

6121 Nursery nurses and assistants

6122 Childminders and related occupations

6123 Playworkers

6125 Teaching assistants

6126 Educational support assistants

6141 Nursing auxiliaries and assistants

6143 Dental nurses

6144 Houseparents and residential wardens

6146 Senior care workers

Contact Our Immigration Team

For expert advice regarding any aspect of the UK visa application, please contact our immigration team on 0203 384 3075.

The content of this article is for general use and information only. Since each case should be prepared on its own merit and in light of the constant amendments to the Immigration Rules, it is important to note that the information provided must not be relied upon unless Migra & Co has either given written consent or has been officially engaged in relation to a specific immigration matter. As a result, Migra & Co will take no responsibility for any damage, cost or loss resulting from relying on the information contained in this article, blog and website.