UK Govt. has added the Construction workers to the Shortage Occupation List
- The UK government is introducing changes to the Immigration Rules which could make it easier for employers within the construction sector to recruit skilled workers from overseas.
- The Treasury confirmed the move in budget documents, just as the Office for Budget Responsibility estimated that net migration flows will settle at 245,000 a year by 2027-28, rather than the 205,000 assumed in its November forecast.
- The construction sector is one of several that has previously called on the Home Office to relax the immigration rules to make it easier for suitably skilled foreign workers to qualify for UK work visas.
- To help ease immediate labour supply pressures, the government commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to undertake a ‘rapid assessment’ of the Shortage Occupation List (SOL) for the construction and hospitality sectors, ahead of its full review of the SOL concluding later in 2023.
- The government has accepted the MAC’s interim recommendations to initially add five construction occupations to the SOL, which will take effect before the summer recess.
- Construction roles that will be added to the SOL are:
- Bricklayers and masons
- Roofers, roof tillers and slaters
- Carpenters and joiners
- Plasterers
- Construction and building trades n.e.c.
What is the SOL?
- The Shortage Occupation List (SOL) is a list of jobs that are in high demand in the UK and for which there is a shortage of skilled workers. This list is maintained by the UK government’s Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) and is used to identify occupations that are eligible for certain immigration programs, such as the skilled worker visa.
- Employers who wish to hire workers from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) must first check if the job they are offering is on the SOL. If it is on the list, it means that the job is considered to be in short supply in the UK and the employer may have an easier time obtaining a visa for the worker. The list is updated regularly to reflect changes in the UK’s labour market and demand for different types of skills.
- Occupations on the list are eligible for the Skilled Worker visa, and are subject to more favourable immigration arrangements, enabling employers to access a wider pool of suitably skilled workers more quickly.
- Those working in a shortage occupation can be paid 80% of the job’s usual ‘going rate’ and still qualify for a visa, and benefit from a lower visa application fee.
What does this mean for employers in the construction sector?
- However, there are significant fees involved with obtaining a licence and onboarding sponsored workers which could be prohibitive for some smaller businesses.
- It can also take the Home Office up to 8 weeks to process an application for a sponsor licence, unless you opt to pay an additional fee to utilise the pre-licence priority service.
- If your business does not already hold a sponsor licence, we recommend applying early if you think your business may wish to recruit construction workers from overseas in the near future.
What’s next?
- The interim measures for the construction sector are set to come into force before Parliament breaks for its summer recess. However, further changes could be introduced later this year depending on the recommendations put forward by the MAC when it has concluded its full review of the SOL.
- In the Spring Budget, the government also pledged to review the SOL more regularly, based on recommendations from the MAC, so that the legal migration system is quicker and more responsive to the needs of businesses and the economy.
