Working in another country can be an exciting journey along with multitudinous steps. Thousands of individuals want to migrate abroad for a better perspective on life and they have a bucket list of countries from which they will migrate to some one country. One of the best countries is the UK, which is popular for its economic and global changes. Currently, the UK facing an employee shortage to fill the vacancies, and for that, the UK has the Shortage Occupation List, which means the employers are facing a scarcity of professional workers.
The MAC regularly assigns the UK Government- Migration Advisory Committee to check and recommend occupations included in the SOL. Finally, the decision of selecting the Shortage Occupation List is taken by the UK Government.
Applicants who are seeking a chance to work and live in the UK can apply now as it is a great opportunity for them. Before we migrate to the UK for employment opportunities, make sure to understand what it is and how it works.
What is the UK Shortage Occupation List?
The UK Shortage Occupation List sets out the professions that are short in the UK and company employers are facing a sparsity of employees to fill the job positions. The occupations on the list provide benefits to individuals who apply for the job through the skilled worker visa route.
Let’s understand the benefits of the Shortage Occupation List.
1. A minimum salary wages
Applicants can get a salary of 80% at the going rate in the UK for the SOL occupations. It is possible to trade for salary at a point of 20% lower than the threshold for the minimum salary.
Most of the individuals in the UK earn a salary of nearly 21,000 euros yearly.
2. Less fee at the home office
The visa application without the profession not included on the Shortage Occupation List is £625 for a maximum of 3 years or £1,235 for a visa with an extending period of 3 years.
However, if the applicant visa application form includes SOL occupation, then the visa fee is £479 for a maximum of 3 years or £943 for a visa exceeding 3 years.
3. Immigration Skills Charge
Some of the professions of the SOL are also removed from paying the fee by the sponsor known as the Immigration Skills Charge. There are few occupations that are not included in the SOP, but still not exempted from paying the immigration skill charges. In some of the cases, individuals can be excused from the ISC such as transforming the skilled worker visa to a student visa.
Shortage Occupation List – Before Abolition in April 2024 |
| Occupation code | profession included on the shortage occupations list | Areas of the UK where there is a shortage | Annual salary (80% of the going rate) |
| 1181 | Health facilities and public health managers and directors – all jobs | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of the going rate: £33,040 (£16.94 per hour) |
| 1242 | Residential, day, and domiciliary care managers and proprietors – all jobs | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of the going rate: £22,640 (£11.61 per hour) |
| 2111 | Chemical scientists – only jobs in the nuclear industry | Scotland only | 80% of the going rate: £22,800 (£11.69 per hour) |
| 2112 | Biological scientists and biochemists – all jobs | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of the going rate: £24,480 (£12.55 per hour) |
| 2113 | Physical scientists – only the following jobs in the construction-related ground engineering industry:
engineering geologist hydrogeologist geophysicist |
England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of the going rate: £26,080 (£13.37 per hour) |
| 2113 | Physical scientists – only the following jobs in the oil and gas industry:
geophysicist geoscientist geologist geochemist technical services manager in the decommissioning and waste areas of the nuclear industry senior resource geologist and staff geologist in the mining sector |
England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of the going rate: £26,080 (£13.37 per hour) |
| 2114 | Social and humanities scientists – only archaeologists | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of the going rate: £20,480 (£10.50 per hour) |
| 2121 | Civil engineers – all jobs | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of the going rate: £27,760 (£14.24 per hour) |
| 2122 | Mechanical engineers – all jobs | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of the going rate: £26,400 (£13.54 per hour) |
| 2123 | Electrical engineers – all jobs | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of the going rate: £31,440 (£16.12 per hour) |
| 2124 | Electronics engineers – all jobs | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of going rate: £27,120 (£13.91 per hour) |
| 2126 | Design and development engineers – all jobs | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of going rate: £27,280 (£13.99 per hour) |
| 2127 | Production and process engineers – all jobs | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of the going rate: £25,600 (£13.13 per hour) |
| 2129 | Engineering professionals not elsewhere classified – all jobs | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of the going rate: £26,720 (£13.70 per hour) |
| 2135 | IT business analysts, architects and systems designers – all jobs | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of the going rate: £30,080 (£15.43 per hour) |
| 2136 | Programmers and software development professionals – all jobs | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of the going rate: £27,200 (£13.95 per hour) |
| 2137 | Web design and development professionals – all jobs | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of the going rate: £21,440 (£10.99 per hour) |
| 2139 | Information technology and communications professionals not elsewhere classified – only cyber security specialists | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of the going rate: £25,680 (£13.17 per hour) |
| 2216 | Veterinarians – all jobs | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | 80% of the going rate: £26,960 (£13.83 per hour) |
Conclusion
The benefits of the Shortage Occupation List of the UK play a vital role for individuals who are seeking work in the UK as this SOL describes the efficiency of the employees in the United Kingdom. However, the UK government introduced a significant change on 04th April 2024, replacing the Shortage Occupation List with the Immigration Salary List (ISL).
Sernexuss Immigration is the best consultant who can guide you about the SOL and can assist you in obtaining it without any worries. If you are ready for migration to the UK, then connect with us now!