MAC recommends skilled occupations which the government should list as an official shortage occupation, so that it is sensible for vacancies to be filled by migrant workers from outside the European Economic Area.

Migrant workers score points if they are applying to work in one of these occupations.

The MAC recommended a revised list of healthcare and engineering professionals and the continued inclusion of chefs, ballet dancers, work riders, veterinary surgeons and secondary teachers in maths and science, and sheep shearers. It also recommended the addition of special needs teachers and skilled meat boners and trimmers and the removal of ship and hovercraft officers.

The Government has accepted MAC’s recommendations for a revised list. The revised list can be found on the UK Border Agency’s website.

The shortage occupation list for the United Kingdom and Scotland will apply to all ‘certificates of sponsorship’ assigned on or after 14 December 2009. Applications based on certificates of sponsorship assigned before this date will be considered against the shortage occupation list in place at the time.

Sponsors should also refer to the Tier 2 codes of practice for detailed information about occupations, appropriate salary rates, and the evidence they need to keep to show that the shortage occupation criteria have been met.

MAC intends to review all entries on this list by Autumn 2010, except for Musicians (3415), which the MAC intend to review by Spring 2010.

The Home Office said this week that less than 500,000 people (two per cent of employees) work in occupations and jobs on the recommended shortage list. This has been reduced from a corresponding figure of 700,000 a year ago.

Border and Immigration Minister Phil Woolas said:

‘The Migration Advisory Committee’s shortage occupation list is a powerful tool in making the points based system work for Britain’s economic benefit.

‘The MAC can respond quickly to changing economic needs, making sure we only get the foreign workers we need.’ 

If you need any immigration advice or help with Studying in the UK, Settlement, Citizenship, Sponsorship, extending Work Permits, Visa or an appeal against a refusal please email:

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The MAC advises the government on skills shortages that can be filled by migrant labour from outside the EU. If its recommendations are accepted, teachers in special schools and skilled meat boners and trimmers will be added to the shortage occupation list – meaning that employers in the United Kingdom will be able to recruit migrants to these jobs without needing to carry out a resident labour market test first.

In response to changing economic circumstances, the MAC is also recommending the removal of some engineering and construction jobs from the shortage occupation list, as well as ship and hovercraft officers.

Skilled chefs remain on the recommended list for the time being. However, the MAC expects to see accelerated efforts to train the United Kingdom workforce in this profession before the list is reviewed again next year.

Other occupations MAC recommends adding to the list are:

• specialised jobs in the electricity transmission and distribution industry
• some medical specialisms, including higher-level speciality paediatrics trainees
• aircraft technicians and fitters

The recommendations are included in the MAC’s latest report, which follows its second partial review of its recommended shortage occupation list.

MAC reviewed all healthcare and engineering occupations, chefs, teachers (further/higher, secondary, primary, and special needs education teaching professionals), town planners, managers in construction, quantity surveyors, ship and hovercraft officers, veterinary surgeons, sheep shearers, work riders, ballet dancers, skilled fish filleters, meat boners and trimmers.

All the occupations included in the original recommended shortage occupation list have now been reviewed at least once since the MAC issued its first recommendations in 2008.

MAC Chairman, Professor David Metcalf CBE, said:

‘The points-based system, including the shortage occupation list, has to operate for the benefit of UK workers, especially given the current economic climate.

‘The Migration Advisory Committee’s latest recommendations take account of the impact of the worldwide recession on the UK. We have looked at the evidence and made recommendations that balance the needs of the UK workforce against those of employers.

‘It is important to note that some shortages of skilled labour will still exist in a recession. This can be where there is a long-term structural shortage of skilled workers, where workers provide key public services, or in areas such as culture where the UK needs to maintain global leadership.’

The government will issue its response to the report in the coming weeks.

If you need any immigration advice or help with Studying in the UK, Settlement, Citizenship, Sponsorship, extending Work Permits, Visa or an appeal against a refusal please email:

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The new list includes for the first time Care Assistants and Home Carers at a reduced qualification and experience threshold.

Under the Work Permit scheme, which was replaced by Tier 2 last November, a skilled Senior Care Worker had to be qualified to NQF (National Qualification Framework) level 3 and have three years relevant experience. 

The Government have followed the independent committee’s recommendation that the qualification threshold for overseas Social Care Workers be changed to NQF Level 2, the relevant experience to just two years and the minimum salary cut from £8.80 to £7.80. 

What’s in a name? 

Although MAC recommendations state that ‘Care Assistants’ be included on the shortage list, the UK Border Agency (UKBA) list states that “only the following job title within this occupation: skilled senior care worker” and with “and will have supervisory responsibilities”. 

Care Assistants, unlike Senior Care Assistants, do not usually have supervisory experience and this will no doubt cause some confusion and debate. 

The UKBA add a separate note where “there is a requirement for senior care workers to be qualified at NQF level 3 or above (currently only the case in Scotland and Wales)”. 

The revised list may be welcomed in the Care Sector, as well as Senior Carers on Work Permits and NVQ students hoping to get one, but the minimum salary level remains too high for many employers. 

Evelie Padadac of Immigration Adviser’s Bison UK said:

“I have already been advising clients about this shortage occupation list for Care Assistants, but the difficulty is that employers are not willing or able to pay the £7.80 per hour”. 

Skilled Chefs are on the shortage menu for jobs paying at least £8.45 per hour, but are under review over the next 6 months. 

Nurses are included, but only in theatre, critical care (critical units with a level 2 or level 3 classification) and operating department practitioners. 

Social workers are restricted to those working in children’s and family services. 

Other shortage occupations

Other occupations to make the list include: Maths and science Teachers at secondary level, Medical practitioners in certain specialist areas at Consultant level, for instance in chemical pathology, clinical neurophysiology, and at non-consultant level in specific areas like anaesthetics, emergency medicine, general surgery and intensive care medicine. 

Pharmacists/Pharmacologists, Medical Radiographers, Dental practitioners, Medical and Dental Technicians, Speech and Language Therapists, Therapists (n.e.c), Biological Scientists and Biochemists and Veterinarians make the list with strict conditions. 

In the arts, Photographers and Audio Visual equipment operators, Orchestral Musicians and Dancers and Choreographers make the list but in specialist areas only. 

Sponsoring employers must refer to the Tier 2 ‘codes of practice’ for detailed information on appropriate salary rates, and on the evidence they need to keep to show that the shortage occupation criteria have been met, otherwise your non-EU employee may be refused. See related article: Tier 2 Certificate of Sponsorship from an employer does not guarantee you a working visa 

For full details of the shortage occupations list see: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/workingintheuk/shortageoccupationlist

See also: UKBA introduce new fee for technical changes on work permit employment notifications

If you need any immigration advice or help with Sponsorship or Work Permits, Visa or an appeal against a refusal please email:

info@immigrationmatters.co.uk  or visit www.immigrationmatters.co.uk

The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) this week published its first review of the shortage occupation lists for skilled workers coming to the UK from outside the European Economic Area (EEA). 

Some jobs, such as Quantity Surveyors, have been removed, but new jobs have been added, for instance orchestral musicians, visual effects and computer animation technicians and contemporary dancers.

The skills threshold changed for care assistants (Social Care Workers) and chefs. 

MAC have recommended that the qualification threshold for overseas Social Care Workers be changed to NQF (National Qualification Framework)/NVQ (National Vocational Qualification) Level 2 and the minimum salary cut from £8.80 to £7.80.

Provided the Government implements MAC’s recommendations, the changes will be welcome news for the Care Sector, Senior Carers and NVQ Health and Social Care students.

If you need any immigration advice or help with Sponsorship or Work Permits, Visa or an appeal against a refusal please email:

info@immigrationmatters.co.uk  or visit www.immigrationmatters.co.uk

New jobs have been added and the skills threshold changed for care assistants and chefs. 

Like other European countries, the UK job vacancies have dropped with unemployment and redundancies rising sharply. 

In response to the current economic climate, MAC has suspended quantity surveyors and managers in construction from the shortage occupation lists.

Other key recommended changes: 

• only social workers for children and families kept on the list
• all other social workers to be removed
• the skill threshold changed for care assistants and chefs
• new jobs added – orchestral musicians, visual effects and computer animation technicians and contemporary dancers
• additions and removals within some job titles in the healthcare profession

Professor David Metcalf, Chair of the Committee, said: 

“The points-based system, including the shortage occupation list, has to operate for the benefit of United Kingdom workers, especially given the current economic climate. 

“These latest recommendations take account of the impact of the worldwide recession on the United Kingdom. We have looked critically at the evidence regarding the occupations under review and made recommendations which balance the needs of the UK workforce against those of employers. 

“It is important to note that some shortages of skilled labour will still exist in a recession. This can be where there is a long-term structural shortage of skilled workers, where workers provide key public services, or in areas such as culture where the United Kingdom needs to maintain global leadership.” 

The MAC has started an urgent review of all of the other occupations currently on the lists, expected to be completed this Autumn. 

The Home Office estimates that the jobs and occupations on the MAC’s recommended UK list employ approximately 530,000 people, or around two per cent of the workforce. This figure relates to the number of people (immigrants and non-immigrants) currently working in these occupations and job titles.

The shortage occupation list has three stringent tests: 

1. the occupation in question must be sufficiently skilled
2. there must be a shortage of workers and
3. it must be sensible to fill this shortage with workers from outside the EEA

All recommendations made by the MAC are evidence-based and a wide variety of stakeholders are consulted. The MAC will continue to take evidence on all occupations and is open to discussion with interested parties about any aspect of its work. 

Commenting on the decision to revise the minimum salary for overseas carers, Martin Green, Chief Executive of ECCA, said:

“Over the last few months we have been working hard to ensure that the MAC understood the implications for the care sector of a pay level of £8.80 for overseas Senior Care Workers.  The revision of this figure to £7.80 will offer some help to hard-pressed providers and should enable overseas staff to be employed and contribute to the UK care system”. 

The Government will announce in due course whether it accepts the Committee’s recommendations and makes changes to Tier 2.

The previous recommendations were implemented, which should be good news for care workers wishing to change employers and students taking NVQ Health and Social Care courses.

If you need any immigration advice or help with Sponsorship or Work Permits, Visa or an appeal against a refusal please email:

info@immigrationmatters.co.uk  or visit www.immigrationmatters.co.uk