Shortage occupation lists makes it easier for British businesses to sponsor staff from abroad but construction and hospitality still remain poor relations to IT

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, April 6, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ -- Whenever immigration lawyers in London are approached by construction companies for advice on recruitment of workers from abroad, the discussion first and foremost centres around financial viability of the project, and the level of pay required by law as well as the cost of sponsorship, visa fees and relocation costs.

The general salary threshold for sponsored skilled workers is currently £25,600. It will rise to £26,200 on 13 April. For skilled occupations on a lower pay scale, with the standard going rate below this level of pay, this is the minimum remuneration which is accepted under the immigration rules unless the employee is under the age of 26 or the profession is on the shortage occupation list. This puts employers in a position where they have to pay an overseas worker a salary that is higher than a standard pay for a British employee in the same profession. In addition to this, the employer has to bear the cost of sponsorship, such as the Immigration Skills Charge, and often the visa fees and the relocation fees for the employees.

Where the government recognises that the shortages are detrimental to the economy on the whole and it is sensible to address them by relying on sponsored work from abroad, steps are taken to recognise the relevant professions and lower the bar for recruitment from overseas.

UK’s shortage occupation list is a formal register of recognised skilled occupations which are in short supply in the UK. The UK government takes steps to help filling these shortages with sponsored workers by reducing the visa application fees for the applicants and by lowering the salary threshold in these professions by 20%, making it more financially viable for the employers.

The shortage occupation list will not be amended with the statement of changes to the immigration rules in April this year.

However, Migration Advisory Committee has made a recommendation in relation construction and hospitality industries ahead of a general review of the shortage occupation list in June 2023.

For construction industry, it has been recommended to include in the shortage occupation list construction and building professionals, such as builders, roofers, carpenters, bricklayers and joiners. If the recommendation is accepted by the Parliament, the adjustment to the shortage occupation list is likely to be reflected in the immigration rules with further amendments in 2023. In practical terms, such adjustments will reduce the salary threshold for the relevant building professions to £20,960. It will also mean reduction of the visa fees for the workers and their family members by approximately 30%.

For the hospitality industry, the recommendations of the Migration Advisory Committee are not as promising. Although the shortages in the hospitality industry have long been recognised with the number of unfilled positions in the sector rising over 100,000 in the last year, it was not recommended to fill the vacancy with sponsored employees. Migration Advisory Committee expressed the view that there was insufficient evidence that vacancies in the hospitality sector could not be filled by international students with permission to work part time, or with people coming to the UK under the Youth Mobility Scheme.

Whatever immigration options are available for specific occupations, Kadmos Immigration Consultants are always happy to discuss the recruitment project and the viability of the possible solutions with employers.

Helena Sheizon
Kadmos Consultants
+44 20 8930 9503
email us here
Visit us on social media:
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Instagram

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.