Are you a foreign worker with a job offer and your job is on the UK Shortage Occupation List? A good Immigration Solicitor in London can assist with the visa application process.
To apply for the visa based on a job offer from an UK employer, it is important to know the requirements you need to meet to apply for the visa. The application process can be confusing and expensive but having an immigration lawyer on your side, might make the process smooth and stress-free.
For applicants with jobs in occupations appearing on the UK Shortage Occupation list, the cost of application might be lower.
The UK Shortage Occupation List can be confusing for employers when they are hiring under the sponsorship licence route for skilled workers. Employers and HR staff need to understand the rules regarding this area as any error can result in claims from the Home Office, licences can be suspended and employees visas to be curtailed.
What is UK Shortage Occupation List?
The shortage occupation list is detailed in the UK Immigration rules as part of Appendix Shortage Occupation List. The roles on the list are recommended by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to try and identify the gaps in the market and attract the skilled workers whose skills are required in the UK.
Non-UK resident workers must apply for a visa to come to the UK to work. This process is called the Skilled Worker visa. It is a points-based system and employers must ensure the worker attains 70 points which covers skills, language and salary requirements.
If the role is on the shortage occupation list then 20 points will be ‘tradeable’ against a salary that is up to 20 percent below the minimum salary threshold.
The UK Shortage Occupation List has roles including those in healthcare, removing chefs and teacher roles.
The UK Shortage Occupation List.
| Occupation code | Job types included on the shortage occupations list | Areas of the UK where there is a shortage | Annual salary (80% of going rate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1181 | Health services and public health managers and directors – all jobs | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of going rate: £30,720 (£15.15 per hour) |
| 1242 | Residential, day and domiciliary care managers and proprietors – all jobs | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of going rate: £21,360 (£10.53 per hour) |
| 2111 | Chemical scientists – only jobs in the nuclear industry | Scotland only | 80% of going rate: £21,360(£10.53 per hour) |
| 2112 | Biological scientists and biochemists – all jobs | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of going rate: £23,760(£11.72 per hour) |
| 2113 | Physical scientists – only the following jobs in the construction-related ground engineering industry: engineering geologist hydrogeologist geophysicist |
England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of going rate: £29,200(£14.40 per hour) |
| 2113 | Physical scientists – only the following jobs in the oil and gas industry: geophysicist geoscientist geologist geochemist technical services manager in the decommissioning and waste areas of the nuclear industry senior resource geologist and staff geologist in the mining sector |
England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of going rate: £29,200(£14.40 per hour) |
| 2114 | Social and humanities scientists – only archaeologists | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of going rate: £20,720(£10.22 per hour) |
| 2121 | Civil engineers – all jobs | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of going rate: £28,000(£13.81 per hour) |
| 2122 | Mechanical engineers – all jobs | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of going rate: £26,720(£13.18 per hour) |
| 2123 | Electrical engineers – all jobs | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of going rate: £29,600(£14.60 per hour) |
| 2124 | Electronics engineers – all jobs | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of going rate: £27,760(£13.69 per hour) |
| 2126 | Design and development engineers – all jobs | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of going rate: £27,280(£13.45 per hour) |
| 2127 | Production and process engineers – all jobs | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of going rate: £26,480(£13.06 per hour) |
| 2129 | Engineering professionals not elsewhere classified – all jobs | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of going rate: £26,160(£12.90 per hour) |
| 2135 | IT business analysts, architects and systems designers – all jobs | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of going rate: £29,280(£14.44 per hour) |
| 2136 | Programmers and software development professionals – all jobs | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of going rate: £26,640(£13.14 per hour) |
| 2137 | Web design and development professionals – all jobs | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of going rate: £20,800(£10.26 per hour) |
| 2139 | Information technology and communications professionals not elsewhere classified – only cyber security specialists | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of going rate: £25,440(£12.54 per hour) |
| 2216 | Veterinarians – all jobs | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of going rate: £26,000(£12.82 per hour) |
| 2425 | Actuaries, economists and statisticians – only bio-informaticians and informaticians | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of going rate: £26,240(£12.94 per hour) |
| 2431 | Architects – all jobs | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of going rate: £28,000(£13.81 per hour) |
| 2461 | Quality control and planning engineers – all jobs | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of going rate: £24,400(£12.03 per hour) |
| 3111 | Laboratory technicians – all jobs | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of going rate: £14,560 (£7.18 per hour) |
| 3411 | Artists – all jobs | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of going rate: £16,800(£8.28 per hour) |
| 3414 | Dancers and choreographers – only skilled classical ballet dancers or skilled contemporary dancers who meet the standard required by internationally recognised UK ballet or contemporary dance companies. The company must be endorsed as being internationally recognised by a UK industry body such as the Arts Councils (of England, Scotland or Wales). |
England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of going rate: £23,840(£11.76 per hour) |
| 3415 | Musicians – only skilled orchestral musicians who are leaders, principals, sub-principals or numbered string positions, and who meet the standard required by internationally recognised UK orchestras. The orchestra must a full member of the Association of British Orchestras. |
England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of going rate: £22,000 (£10.85 per hour) |
| 3416 | Arts officers, producers and directors – all jobs | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of going rate: £24,000(£11.83 per hour) |
| 3421 | Graphic designers – all jobs | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of going rate: £18,800(£9.27 per hour) |
| 5215 | Welding trades – only high integrity pipe welders, where the job requires 3 or more years’ related on-the-job experience. This experience must not have been gained through illegal working. | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of going rate: £18,240(£8.99 per hour) |
| 6146 | Senior care workers – all jobs | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of going rate: £13,520 (£6.67 per hour) |
The above list changes frequently so it is important you check the list before you apply or speak to the immigration solicitor in London to help you.
How the immigration solicitor can help me?
Many employers hire Immigration lawyers to assist them with the sponsorship process, including the visa application. Having a helping hand cannot be overstated as the employer sponsored visa can be challenging at times. The immigration solicitor will advise you what documents you need to submit, what format is acceptable, help you with submissions and forms. In most cases, Immigration solicitors will apply on your behalf and provide the authorities with necessary paperwork as well as answer any questions you might have throughout the process. Employer sponsor licence application must not be submitted by anyone else but the employer himself or you risk application being refused. The immigration solicitor can prepare your documentation and get the bundle ready for you but they cannot send the documents on your behalf.
When to contact Immigration Solicitor?
Before you embark on the process, the immigration solicitor will review your circumstances and advise you on likelihood of success of the application. There are a number of matters that need to be taken into account, such as the size of the company, number of employees, annual turnover, recruitment processes and vacant position to name a few. The immigration lawyer will also review the prospective worker‘s CV and advise you on their eligibility for the Skilled Worker visa, cost of the application, processing times and other aspects. So, it is best to contact the immigration solicitor before you commit to sponsoring an overseas worker.
If you have a query about any of the occupations on the shortage occupation list, the Immigration Solicitor in London can assist in obtaining the correct code for the occupation. In order to apply for a successful visa under the Skilled Worker route it’s important that the code is correct and the salary is at the right level. A immigration Solicitor at Taylor Hampton can ensure that the Skilled Worker visa goes through.
We are instructed by many clients who apply for the visa and are unsuccessful as the salary and working hours were not checked beforehand. We at Taylor Hampton are Immigration experts in this area and have successfully assisted many Companies in the UK to recruit overseas staff.
If you have a UK Immigration query please contact us on [email protected] or call our Immigration lawyer in London on 0207 427 5290.