25 October 2011 #Employment
The revised Tier 2 Shortage Occupation List has been released by the government. The updated list will become valid from 14 November 2011.
The government have accepted the Migration Advisory Committee’s (MAC) latest recommendations to reduce the number the jobs covered on the shortage occupation list by 40,000 to a total of 190,000.
The shortage occupation list is part of the Tier 2 immigration route and reflects the jobs where there are not enough settled workers to fill available jobs in particular sectors. Employers can only bring someone into the UK under Tier 2 if the job is on the shortage occupation list or if they pass a resident labour market test. Where a non-EU worker is applying to enter a job in shortage occupation, the employer is not required to conduct a resident labour market test.
Immigration Minister Damian Green said, that `alongside our limits on overseas workers we are also taking action to provide businesses with the skills they need from the British workforce and reduce their need for migrants. We want the brightest and the best people from outside the EU with the skills we can benefit from in the UK.`
There have been several occupations that have been removed such as pharmacists, orthoptists, secondary education biology teachers and veterinary surgeons.
The general rules remain that an employer cannot sponsor a migrant for new job below £20,000 on a Tier 2 visa. However for some jobs on the revised list, higher minimum appropriate salaries have been updated or introduced.
Please click here to see the revised shortage occupation list.