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U.K. MAC Proposes Cuts to Shortage Occupation List

September 15, 2011— Fewer occupations would qualify for immigration cap priority and labor market test exemptions under Tier 2 of the U.K.’s Points Based System if the Home Office approves proposed cuts to the Shortage Occupation List, as recently recommended by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), the U.K.’s independent advisor on migration issues. The MAC would also add some occupations to the list, but its proposal would result in a net reduction in shortage occupations as a percentage of the U.K.’s overall workforce. The recommendations are largely confined to a handful of industries, including electrical energy production, natural resources, nuclear power, aerospace engineering and computer gaming.

The Shortage Occupation List is a roster of jobs for which there is an endemic shortage of suitably skilled resident workers. If a job appears on the list, an employer can fill it with a non-European Union national without having to complete a resident labor market test. Applications to fill shortage occupations also get priority access to the monthly cap on restricted certificates of sponsorships.

The MAC’s recommendations are now being considered by the Home Office. While not binding, the MAC report will likely carry significant influence in any upcoming changes to the Shortage Occupation List. In the past, the Home Office has acted on MAC recommendations in one to three months.

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