Skilled workers visa (Soc 2122) — Can I do remote side work with outlier ?

Hi everyone,

I’m currently in the UK on a Skilled Worker visa and my main sponsored role is under SOC 2122.

I’ve been considering doing some remote side work with Outlier (AI/data annotation / coding / model evaluation type tasks) and wanted to check if anyone here has experience with this while on a Skilled Worker visa.

From what I understand, additional work may be allowed for up to 20 hours per week outside sponsored work hours, provided it meets the eligible occupation rules.

My questions are:

Has anyone on a Skilled Worker visa successfully done remote work for Outlier or similar platforms?

Did you treat it as self-employed / contractor income?

Were there any issues during visa renewal or ILR applications?

How did you determine whether the work matched an eligible SOC/occupation code?

Did you need to inform your employer or get written permission?

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone with personal experience or knowledge of the UK immigration rules around this.

Thanks!