The UK Home Office has announced that the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has advised that the Shortage Occupation List be revised to restrict migrants from outside the European Economic Area to a smaller proportion of occupations within the UK labour market.

The MAC recommended that the Shortage Occupation list be reduced to cover 190,000 employees (not migrants) or well under 1 per cent of the UK workforce.

29 job titles are recommended by MAC for removal from the list. They include: secondary school biology teachers; consultants in obstetrics and gynaecology; paediatric surgery; nuclear medicine and paediatric dentistry; veterinary surgeons; and tutti orchestral musicians.

There are however also 33 recommended additions to the list including; consultants in emergency medicine; actuaries; specific roles within the visual effects and 2D/3D computer animation for film; television and the video games sectors; high integrity pipe welders; environmental scientists; and operations managers in the

decommissioning areas of the nuclear industry and geochemists.

The implication of an occupation not being on the shortage occupation list is that employers are required to advertise the position. Where the employer can demonstrate, after advertising, that there is no suitably qualified resident or EU citizen candidate available to fill the vacancy, a sponsorship certificate can be issued to the non-EU citizen. This is done to protect the domestic labour market.

The UK government will now consider these recommendations.

If you want more information or would like to apply for your Tier 2 permit, please contact our offices.