Home Secretary asks to
take a fresh look at the
Shortage Occupation List

11 October 2018

Today, the Home Secretary released a copy of the formal request he sent to the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), in which he asked them to examine the Shortage Occupation List (SOL).

In the letter, sent in June this year, Sajid Javid commissioned the MAC to look at which ‘high-skilled roles it would be sensible to fill’ through non-EU migration under the Tier 2 visa scheme.

In the summer, Javid was responsible for the temporary exclusion of all doctors and nurses from the SOL, which freed up as many as 8,000 places for employers who need to sponsor migrant workers under the Tier 2 scheme.

At the moment, the jobs on the SOL include positions in science, engineering and IT. The SOL has not been re-examined for five years.

The MAC has recently published its recommendations on migration and the immigration status of international students after Brexit.

It is expected to deliver this latest report by Spring 2019 – that is, after the UK leaves the EU at the end of March. This begs the question whether there will be enough time for the government to incorporate the MAC’s conclusions into its immigration strategy, once free movement of EU workers ends, and priority is given to high-skilled migrants from all over the world.

Smith Stone Walters will support you through every aspect of securing a sponsor licence and ensure that the right human resource systems are in place to comply with your ongoing Tier 2 sponsorship duties.  To learn more about our services, please contact our team today.

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