United Kingdom: Migration Advisory Committee Review Recommends New Roles on New Immigration Salary List

• Roles recommended for inclusion.
  • The list of recommend roles includes (among others): biological and chemical scientists; social and humanities scientists; artists; dancers, choreographers and musicians; carpenters and joiners; care workers and home carers; laboratory technicians and pharmaceutical technicians; and bricklayers, masons and boat builders. A full list can be found here.
  • Of the 21 roles recommended for inclusion, 18 apply to roles located anywhere in the United Kingdom, while three apply only to roles located in Scotland.
• Significance of the ISL. Like the Shortage Occupation List (SOL), the main, current, benefit of inclusion on the ISL is a 20% reduction on the general thresholds.

This list of recommended roles represents only eight percent of the roles currently eligible for the Skilled Worker pathway; whereas the ISL’s predecessor, the SOL, included 30 percent of the jobs eligible under the Skilled Worker route. This means if the recommendations for the ISL are accepted, fewer occupations would benefit from preferential treatment under the Skilled Worker routes; and many occupations may then be unable to access the route.

As the new ISL is smaller in scope than its predecessor, the SOL, employers who have relied on the benefits related to shortage roles may need to review their talent management strategies if they have previously relied on the SOL to recruit foreign workers.

The ISL is put forward as the replacement of the SOL, which was the official list of skilled occupations facing shortages. Inclusion on the SOL resulted in preferential criteria for employers who sought to sponsor overseas workers for SOL-listed roles. The discontinuance of the SOL, and the creation of the ISL was part of the 5-point plan announced last December aimed at reducing net migration the United Kingdom.

• Further stakeholder engagement. The MAC’s latest review was subject to a truncated timeline that did not allow for stakeholder engagement. The MAC is likely to undertake a stakeholder engagement process as part of a fuller review of the ISL expected later this year. Accordingly, any ISL-related changes may be subject to further change in the near future. The MAC has, in fact, suggested that the purpose of the ISL going forward – and so the criteria for the inclusion of occupations on it – may be different to that of the SOL (which was only intended to help occupations faces shortages).
• Influential recommendations. MAC’s recommendations are not effective if and until the government formally accepts them. Until then, employers are bound by current immigration rules. However, MAC’s recommendations are highly influential and most of its recommendations are typically accepted by the government shortly after they are made. It is crucial that employers engage in strategic planning and explore other immigration pathways offered by the UK immigration system.