Additional roles added to the Home Office’s Shortage Occupation List

Last week that Home Office published a Statement of Changes announcing several amendments to the Immigration Rules.

Once such amendment was the implementation of recommendations made by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to extend the Home Office’s Shortage Occupation List to include additional jobs in the both construction and fishing sectors wherein there is a known shortage of skilled workers. The inclusion of construction and fishing jobs to the Shortage Occupation List indicates an acknowledgement from the Home Office that these sectors are struggling to recruit from the UK workforce and migration is an appropriate solution to address the shortfall in skilled workers.

The Statement of Changes, published on 17 July 2023, saw the inclusion of the following Standard Occupation Codes (SOC) to the Shortage Occupation List: 

• 5119 Agriculture and fishing trades not elsewhere classified – only jobs in the fishing industry
• 5312 Bricklayers and masons – all jobs
• 5313 Roofers, roof tilers and slates – all jobs
• 5315 Carpenters and joiners – all jobs
• 5319 Construction and building trades not elsewhere classified – all jobs
• 5321 Plasterers – all jobs
• 9119 Fishing and other elementary agriculture occupations not elsewhere classified – only deckhands on large fishing vessels (9 metres and above) where the job requires the worker to have at least 3 years’ full time experience in using their skills. This experience must bot have been gained through working illegally.

The Home Office’s Shortage Occupation List identifies jobs in the UK workforce with known labour shortages. Jobs under the above SOCs are eligible to be paid 80% of the usual salary required for a Skilled Worker visa. The inclusion of a role of the Shortage Occupation List often seeks to fill the vacancies within those particular areas through migration.

The addition of the aforementioned construction and fishing jobs to the Shortage Occupation Lists allows UK employers in these industries to sponsor migrant workers at a more competitive salary rate that previously permitted, therefore assisting the industries which are experiencing skill shortages from within the resident UK workforce and alleviating the pressures they are currently experiencing in recruitment by extending the available workers to those outside the settled workforce. 

If you would like advice regarding sponsorship, please contact a member of our business immigration team.