Fishing occupations to be added to the Shortage Occupation List

Several fishing occupations will be added to the Shortage Occupation List (SOL) in time for summer following recommendations from the Migratory Advisory Committee (MAC).

The Home Office has announced that the following roles will be added to the Shortage Occupation List:

• Share Fisherman;
• Trawler Skippers; and
• Experienced Deckhands.

The benefit of including a role in the SOL is that it will qualify for a 20% reduction in the minimum salary required for a Skilled Worker visa. As a result, businesses can pay workers £20,960 rather than £26,200. Businesses can also benefit from reduced visa fees, paying £479 for a 3-year entry clearance visa instead of £625.

Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick has said “We are backing the UK fishing industry with a comprehensive package of support to ensure that they are able to fully benefit from the fish in UK waters. We strongly encourage the sector to engage with this to ensure they can attract the workers they need”.In addition to the updates to the SOL, this package of support includes a £100m UK Seafood Fund to help modernise facilities, train and upskill UK fishermen, and invest in better scientific research on key fish stocks.

It is hoped that these measures will ensure the UK fishing sector, which is worth around £600m annually, can continue to access the talent it needs.

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If you would like to discuss how your business could benefit from the above, or would like to discuss how sponsoring a worker could benefit your business, please contact Trainee Solicitor, Megan Moorhouse or another member of our Immigration Team for further support.