Jobs removed from shortage occupation list
Eight occupations are to be removed from the shortage occupation
list under new government plans.
The move, which could potentially prove troublesome for
businesses looking to recruit specialist workers, means that the
number of jobs available to skilled migrants will shrink from
500,000 to 230,000.
Currently, if a job appears on the shortage occupation list, it
means there are not enough UK resident workers to fulfil the
demand, and it becomes available to skilled migrants. If a migrant
is qualified in that particular area, they are awarded points which
can help towards their UK visa application.
The jobs that are to be removed from the list include senior
care worker, skilled meat boner and meat trimmer and high integrity
pipe welder.
Alongside these plans, the government has said it will also
remove 71 jobs from the list of 192 roles in Tier 2 of the
points-based system. This is because the jobs have been deemed to
be beneath graduate level. As of April, anyone trying to enter the
UK under Tier 2 must be coming to perform a job that is above
graduate level.
Damian Green, Immigration Minister, said, “These changes to the
shortage occupation list will ensure that only skilled workers are
coming to the UK through Tier 2 of the points-based system.
“This Government is also determined to get people back to work
and provide business with the skills they need from the British
workforce – reducing the need for migrants at the same time as we
reduce their number,” he added.