Softer approach to visa sponsorship could help hospitality industry

Introduction

The UK Government has announced a number of changes and updates to help the economy and keep businesses active. For the hospitality industry, the most important of these changes comes from an update to the points-based immigration system that the UK currently uses. Whether these changes will help hospitality remains to be seen, but it all sounds promising.

Changes to points-based immigration for hospitality

The UK Government’s planned changes to the points-based immigration system aim to help the hospitality, construction and retail industries by making it easier to recruit foreign workers for certain roles. The plans are being considered by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to determine whether or not industries like hospitality could take advantage of an updated shortage occupation list.

Making the Shortage Occupation List more useful

The big change brought forth by the Government would see the Shortage Occupation List updated to accommodate industries that need help with filling key roles. This list has been in need of an update for a while, as it was last looked at back in 2020. A lot has happened since then, so the skilled jobs that certain industries are desperately looking to fill might not be on the 2020 list.

At its core, the Shortage Occupation List is designed to make it easier to bring in candidates from foreign countries to bridge the gap for roles that are hard to fill using domestic workers. It works by lowering the requirements around salary thresholds for foreign workers if they qualify for skilled worker visas to enter the UK. At the moment, the threshold is £25,600 - but jobs on the list can lower this to £20,480 or a 20 % discount - whichever is higher. Moreover, it can also lower the costs associated with sponsoring foreign workers for visas.

When will the changes be announced?

It’s unknown at this time exactly when we’ll hear more about these updates, but the hopes are that the review will wrap up over the next few weeks. It seems quite unlikely that we’ll hear much about this until after the budget due to the heightened tensions around migration at the moment. Insider sources claim that the role of chef and hotel manager were both in consideration to be added to the list.

Conclusion

So, with the UK Government making some plans to update legislation so that it will be easier for the hospitality industry to bring in foreign workers, things might get quite interesting over the next few months. Making it easier to bring in talent from abroad for key roles like chefs and hotel managers could really help the industry as a whole, but what remains to be seen is whether or not the UK Government can pull this off without causing controversy.

Should you require support with hospitality recruitment please contact us via www.jwrecruitment.co.uk.