UK Publishes 8 Requirements Foreigners Must Meet To Apply for 70 Jobs Facing a Worker Shortage

• The UK Home Office introduced a Temporary Shortage List covering around 70 job roles that foreign nationals can apply for under the Skilled Worker route
• Applicants must satisfy eight conditions, including meeting one of five salary thresholds ranging from £28,200 to £41,700
• Care workers face additional requirements, with specific restrictions on when their Certificate of Sponsorship can be issued

The UK Home Office has published a Temporary Shortage List identifying around 70 job categories that foreign nationals may apply for under the Skilled Worker immigration route, with applicants required to satisfy eight distinct conditions before their application can proceed.

The changes were introduced through a statement of amendments to the Immigration Rules, laid before Parliament under Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour government.

What the temporary shortage list covers

The register spans several sectors. Trades and technical roles include electricians, plumbers, welders, pipe fitters, vehicle technicians, painters and decorators, steel erectors, and construction supervisors. Professional roles cover data analysts, insurance underwriters, HR officers, legal associate professionals, IT support technicians, and advertising and marketing professionals.

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For any listed role to qualify, the applicant's Certificate of Sponsorship must be issued by their sponsor before 31 December 2026.

The 8 conditions applicants must meet

Under the updated Immigration Rules, applicants must first secure a Certificate of Sponsorship issued before the 31 December 2026 deadline and confirm that the role appears on the Temporary Shortage List under an eligible SOC 2020 occupation code.

Salary thresholds form the fourth and fifth conditions. Applicants must meet one of five benchmarks: £41,700, £37,500, £33,400, £31,300, or £28,200, depending on the route, while also satisfying the going rate for their specific occupation code.

A sixth condition governs how salary is calculated for those working longer hours. Where a worker exceeds 48 hours per week, only earnings within the first 48 hours count towards the relevant threshold. Under this rule, a person working 60 hours weekly at £15 per hour would be assessed on an annual salary of £37,440 rather than £46,800.

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Care workers applying under SOC 2020 occupation codes 6135 and 6136 face a seventh, more specific requirement. They must have been legally employed by the sponsoring organisation under one of those codes for a minimum of three months before the Certificate of Sponsorship is issued, and their application must be submitted before 22 July 2028. Alternatively, applicants who already hold Skilled Worker permission under either of those care worker codes are exempt from this condition.

The eighth and final condition applies to older applications. Any case using a Certificate of Sponsorship issued before 22 July 2025 will be assessed under the rules that were in force on 21 July 2025, rather than the revised framework.

UK lists conditions for changing employers without losing visa

In a related development, YEN.com.gh reported that the UK had updated guidelines allowing foreign workers on Skilled Worker visas to leave abusive employers.

The Home Office said such employees could move to new jobs without losing their immigration status.

Source: YEN.com.gh