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Kim Day | Senior Immigration Lawyer

It is still possible to sponsor a Dental Therapist / Hygienist after 22 July on a Skilled Worker visa

09/09/2025

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NB: We have updated the advice given in our previous blog post on this subject, published on 9 July 2025

Following legislative changes which came effect on 22 July 2025 the number of jobs eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route has greatly diminished. From this date only jobs considered to be at least RQF Level 6 are eligible for sponsorship within the Skilled Worker route, which means that roles such as chefs, plumbers, secretaries and gardeners are no longer eligible.

For new positions, it is now only possible to sponsor occupations listed in Table 1 of this document.

Of particular concern to the dental industry SOC code 6133: Dental Nurses is no longer eligible for sponsorship. SOC code 3213: Medical and Dental Technicians has also been removed from the eligible list. Our previous advice was to use 3213 when assigning Certificates of Sponsorship for Dental Therapists and Dental Hygienists. However if employers wish to sponsor an individual for a dual role of Dental Therapist / Hygienist our advice is that 2259 is an acceptable code. It is still possible to offer sponsorship to new candidates for this role from within the UK or from overseas.

The Home Office relevant guidance for employers states the following:

S3.37. You are responsible for choosing the correct occupation code – we cannot help you with this. If you are unsure which code to select, there is detailed guidance on the SOC 2020 system on the Office for National Statistics website. The University of Warwick has also developed a Computer Assisted Structured Coding Tool (CASCOT) which can help you choose the correct SOC 2020 code.

The CASCOT system allows you to search for different job titles, giving a confidence score out of 100 for each job description. It has a colour coding system to allow you to easily view which is the most appropriate code for each job. When searching for Dental Therapist within CASCOT the most suitable SOC code is shown as 3213 giving a score of 83. Dental Hygienist gives similar results, giving a score of 95 for SOC code 3213. However when searching for the dual role of Dental Therapist / Hygienist the most suitable SOC code is shown as 2259, giving a score of 72.

To confirm, if you have candidates who will undertake the dual role of Dental Therapist / Hygienist the official CASCOT guidance is that the most suitable code is therefore 2259, for which it is still possible to offer sponsorship to new candidates from within the UK or from overseas.

dental surgery

Sponsors have a serious duty to ensure that the correct SOC code is used when assigning Certificates and S3.38 of the above guidance is clear that “If you have provided false, misleading or otherwise incorrect information about the skill or salary level of the job on a CoS…we will take compliance action against you. This could include revoking your sponsor licence.”

You must also therefore be certain that the role you are filling is at the correct skill level. Due to the level of training and skills required, it is clear that industry experts consider the role of Dental Therapist / Hygienist to be at RQF Level 6, in contrast to the role of Dental Nurse. We also rely upon gov.uk’s apprenticeship training course which states that a Dental Hygienist is Level 6.

Our advice would also be to obtain a date stamped copy of the CASCOT webpage every time you assign a Certificate in order to evidence that you are following official guidance.

Whilst we are confident that this offers a partial solution to the problems raised by the 22 July changes, we will also continue to campaign for full clarity in this area and the ability to sponsor both Dental Therapists and Dental Hygienists in separate roles. We ask that you sign and also raise awareness of our petition with colleagues and on any social media platforms

If you have questions regarding this advice or any aspect of sponsorship and assigning Certificates of Sponsorship, please contact our team directly using the contact form below.

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