On 17th July, amongst other changes, the UK Home Office announced several important additions to the Skilled Worker shortage occupation list benefiting the Construction and Fishing industries. This change will take effect on 7th August 2023. 

The construction roles being added are:

• Bricklayers and masons (e.g. bricklayer, dry stone waller, stone mason)
• Roofers, roof tilers and slaters (e.g. mastic asphalt spreader, roof tiler, roofer, roofing contractor, slater, thatcher)
• Carpenters and joiners (e.g. carpenter, joiner, kitchen fitter, shop fitter)
• Construction and building trades not elsewhere classified (e.g. acoustician, builder, building contractor, fencer, maintenance manager (buildings and other structures), property developer (building construction))
• Plasterers (e.g. fibrous plasterer, plasterer, plastering contractor, dryliner)

Jobs in the fishing industry falling under the following roles are also being added:

• Agriculture and fishing trades not elsewhere classified (e.g. share fisherman, trawler skipper)
• Fishing and other elementary agriculture occupations not elsewhere classified (e.g. deckhand on large fishing vessel (9 metres and above))

The change means that these roles, previously deemed not skilled enough, are now eligible for sponsorship and employment as Skilled Workers. Applicants will still need to meet a minimum salary / hourly rate and speak English to the required level.  Applicants will also benefit from lower application fees for shortage roles. 

Companies looking to take advantage of this will need to hold a sponsor licence before they can sponsor visa applications. This Home Office application process can be relatively time-consuming so we recommend planning ahead; standard processing can take up to eight weeks to receive a decision.