Shortage Occupation List.Open allClose all
- 1. Where these Rules refer to jobs which appear on the Shortage Occupation List, this means only those specific jobs within each Standard Occupational Classification code stated in Tables 1 and 2 below and, where stated, where the further specified criteria are met.
- 2. Jobs which appear on the United Kingdom Shortage Occupation List are set out in Table 1.
- 3. Jobs which appear on the Scotland Only Shortage Occupation List are set out in Table 2.
- 4. DELETED
- 5. For the purposes of this Appendix, where the job is one to which a requirement for specified experience applies, the sponsor must:
- (a) retain references from the individual’s past employer(s) detailing the required experience, as set out in the tables below, and provide these to the Home Office on request; and
- (b) retain relevant evidence enabling it to demonstrate:
- (i) why the job requires someone with the required experience;
- (ii) why the job could not be carried out to the required standard by someone with less experience; and
- (iii) how it would expect a settled worker to gain this experience before being appointed to the post; and
- (c) pay the “experienced worker” salary rate, if both “new entrant” and “experienced worker” rates are specified for the appropriate Standard Occupational Classification code in Appendix J.
- 6. Jobs which previously appeared on the United Kingdom and Scotland Only Shortage Occupation Lists are set out in Tables 3 and 4. These jobs do not appear on the current lists and are set out for the purpose of informing indefinite leave to remain applications only. (The Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Codes are those which the jobs appeared under at the time they were removed from the lists; the SOC codes may have changed since due to the reclassification from the SOC 2000 system to the SOC 2010 system.)
Table 1 – United Kingdom Shortage Occupation List
| Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code and description | Job titles included on the United Kingdom Shortage Occupation List and further criteria | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2112 Biological scientists and biochemists | All jobs in this occupation code | |||||
| 2113 Physical Scientists | Only the following jobs in this occupation code: The following jobs in the construction-related ground engineering industry: • engineering geologist • hydrogeologist • geophysicist 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 | |||||
| 2121 Civil engineers | All jobs in this occupation code | |||||
| 2122 Mechanical engineers | All jobs in this occupation code | |||||
| 2123 Electrical engineers | All jobs in this occupation code | |||||
| 2124 Electronics Engineers | All jobs in this occupation code | |||||
| 2126 Design and development engineers | All jobs in this occupation code | |||||
| 2127 Production and process engineers | All jobs in this occupation code | |||||
| 2129 Engineering professionals not elsewhere classified | All jobs in this occupation code | |||||
| 2135 IT business analysts, architects and systems designers | All jobs in this occupation code | |||||
| 2136 Programmers and software development professionals | All jobs in this occupation code | |||||
| 2137 Web design and development professionals | All jobs in this occupation code | |||||
| 2139 Information technology and communications professionals not elsewhere classified | Only the following job in this occupation code: • Cyber security specialist . | |||||
| 2211 Medical practitioners | All jobs in this occupation code | |||||
| 2212 Psychologists | All jobs in this occupation code | |||||
| 2216 Veterinarians | All jobs in this occupation code | |||||
| 2217 Medical Radiographers | All jobs in this occupation code | |||||
| 2222 Occupational therapists | All jobs in this occupation code | |||||
| 2223 Speech and language therapists | All jobs in this occupation code | |||||
| 2231 Nurses | All jobs in this occupation code | |||||
| 2314 Secondary education teaching professionals | Only the following jobs in this occupation code: • secondary education teachers in the subjects of maths, physics, science (where an element of physics will be taught), computer science and Mandarin | |||||
| 2425 Actuaries, economists and statisticians | Only the following jobs in this occupation code: • bio-informatician • informatician | |||||
| 2431 Architects | All jobs in this occupation code | |||||
| 2433 Quantity surveyors | All jobs in this occupation code | |||||
| 2442 Social workers | All jobs in this occupation code | |||||
| 2461 Quality control and planning engineers | All jobs in this occupation code | |||||
| 3213 Paramedics | All jobs in this occupation code | |||||
| 3411 Artist | All jobs in this occupation code | |||||
| 3414 Dancers and choreographers | Only the following jobs in this occupation code: • Skilled classical ballet dancers who meet the standard required by internationally recognised United Kingdom ballet companies. The company must be endorsed as being internationally recognised by a United Kingdom industry body such as the Arts Councils (of England, Scotland and/or Wales) • Skilled contemporary dancers who meet the standard required by internationally recognised United Kingdom contemporary dance companies. The company must be endorsed as being internationally recognised by a United Kingdom industry body such as the Arts Councils (of England, Scotland and/or Wales) | |||||
| 3415 Musicians | Only the following jobs in this occupation code: • skilled orchestral musicians who are leaders, principals, sub-principals or numbered string positions, and who meet the standard required by internationally recognised UK orchestras. The orchestra must be endorsed as being internationally recognised by the Association of British Orchestras. | |||||
| 3416 Arts officers, producers and directors | All jobs in this occupation code | |||||
| 3421 Graphic designers | All jobs in this occupation code | |||||
| 5215 Welding trades | Only the following job in this occupation code: • high integrity pipe welder where the job requires three or more years’ related on-the-job experience | |||||
| 5434 Chefs | Only the following job in this occupation code: Skilled chef where: • the pay is at least £29,570 per year after deductions for accommodation, meals etc; and • the job requires five or more years relevant experience in a role of at least equivalent status to the one they are entering; and • the job is not in either a fast food or standard fare outlet; and The job is in one of the following roles: • executive chef – limited to one per establishment • head chef – limited to one per establishment • sous chef – limited to one for every four kitchen staff per establishment • specialist chef – limited to one per speciality per establishment |
Table 2 – Scotland only Shortage Occupation List
| Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code and description | Job titles included on the Scotland only Shortage Occupation List and further criteria | |
|---|---|---|
| All | All job titles and occupations on the United Kingdom Shortage Occupation List | |
| 2111 Chemical scientists | Only the following jobs in this occupation code: • Chemical scientists within the nuclear industry | |
| 2127 Production and process engineers | Only the following jobs in this occupation code: • Chemical engineers within the nuclear industry | |
| 2314 Secondary education teaching professionals | Only the following jobs in this occupation code: • Gaelic Teachers | |
| 2315 Primary and nursery education teaching professionals | Only the following jobs in this occupation code: • Gaelic-medium teachers |
Table 3 – Jobs which have previously appeared on the United Kingdom Shortage Occupation List since 6 April 2011
| Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code and description | Job titles previously included on the United Kingdom Shortage Occupation List and further criteria | Date on which job titles were removed from the United Kingdom Shortage Occupation List | Date of application for indefinite leave to remain where job titles cease to provide exemption from the salary requirement in paragraph 245HF(d)(vi) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1123 Production managers and directors in mining and energy | Only the following jobs in this occupation code: The following jobs in the decommissioning and waste management areas of the nuclear industry: • managing director • programme director • site director The following jobs in the electricity transmission and distribution industry: • project manager • site manager | 1 October 2019 | 1 October 2025 |
| 2133 IT specialist managers | Only the following job in this occupation code: IT product manager employed by a qualifying company, where the job requires a person with a minimum of five years’ relevant experience and demonstrable experience of having led a team. | 1 October 2019 | 1 October 2025 |
| 2142 Environmental Professionals | Only the following jobs in this occupation code: the following jobs in the construction-related ground engineering industry: • contaminated land specialist • geoenvironmental specialist • landfill engineer | 1 October 2019 | 1 October 2025 |
| 2219 Health professionals not elsewhere classified | Only the following jobs in this occupation code: • neurophysiology healthcare scientist • neurophysiology practitioner • nuclear medicine scientist • orthotist • prosthetist | 1 October 2019 | 1 October 2025 |
| 2314 Secondary education teaching professionals | • secondary education teacher in the subject of chemistry | 6 April 2017 | 6 April 2023 |
| 3113 Engineering technicians | Only the following jobs in this occupation code: The following jobs in the electricity transmission and distribution industry: • commissioning engineer • substation electrical engineer | 1 October 2019 | 1 October 2025 |
| 3541 Buyers and purchasing officers | Only the following job in this occupation code; • manufacturing engineer (purchasing) in the aerospace industry | 1 October 2019 | 1 October 2025 |
| 5235 Aircraft maintenance and related trades | Only the following jobs in this occupation code: • licensed and military certifying engineer/inspector technician | 1 October 2019 | 1 October 2025 |
| 5249 Line repairers and cable jointers | Only the following job in this occupation code: • overhead lines worker at Linesman Erector 2 (LE2) level and above, where the pay is at least £32,000 per year | 1 October 2019 | 1 October 2025 |
| 5249 Line repairers and cable jointers | Only the following job in this occupation code: • overhead lines worker, working on high voltage lines that carry at least 275,000 volts (except at Lines worker Erector 2 (LE2) level and above and where the pay is at least £32,000 per year – This job remained on the Shortage Occupation List until 1 October 2019 | 6 April 2015 | 6 April 2021 |
