Biology teachers and speech therapists, orchestral musicians and vets removed from UKBA’s list of shortage occupations; actuaries and environmental scientists added

The United Kingdom Border Agency (UKBA)’s Shortage Occupation list consists of a range of jobs which it is accepted that there not enough skilled workers in the UK to fill. Employers who want to get people from outside the European Economic Area usually have to show that they have advertised the job concerned in the appropriate trade press as well as at Jobcentre Plus but that no appropriate candidate could be found. This is called a “Resident Labour Market Test”.

Jobs listed on the Shortage Occupation list don’t have to be subjected to a Resident Labour Market Test. The list is compiled from information given to the UKBA by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC).

In its recent announcement the UKBA has said that it is removing the following jobs from the Shortage Occupation list in accordance with the MAC’s recommendation:

· secondary education biology teachers;

· speech and language therapists;

· pharmacists;

· orthoptists (people skilled in eye exercises to improve vision);

· veterinary surgeons; and

· rank and file orchestral musicians

The removal of the last of these occupations, rank and file orchestral musicians, won’t take effect however until further discussions have been conducted with the industry about the Resident Labour Market Test.

Some jobs are being added  to the list. These are:

· actuaries;

· high integrity pipe welders;

· environmental scientists; and

· geochemists

Otherwise these changes will take effect from 14 November 2011, regardless of whether the jobs concerned are ones to which the limit on Tier 2 visas applies. The limit only applies to applications for entry clearance, and people coming to the UK to do jobs for which they will earn at least £150,000 per year are also exempt from it.  

Adjustments like these may appear to be mere tinkering with the immigration regime but in reality a professional knowledge of how they fit into the increasingly complicated points based system makes the difference between success and failure in applying for a visa to enter the UK or applying to extend an existing visa.