What is Shortage Occupation List or SOL?

The job titles on the shortage Occupation List or SOL are listed in Appendix K of the Immigration Rules1. To be eligible for the Shortage Occupation List or SOL, a job title has to be eligible for Tier 2 (General) route of the Points-Based System, which only applies to non-EEA (European Economic Area) citizens. Jobs on the Shortage Occupation List or SOL must be skilled to the required standard, currently RQF 6 (Regulated Qualifications Framework) and above (or the equivalent in the Devolved Administrations) and be paid at a salary level indicated in the Immigration Rules Codes of Practice Appendix J2.

Jobs on the Shortage Occupation List or SOL have certain advantages for employers in using Tier 2 (General) visas;

There is no need to pass the “resident labour market test” or RLMT, i.e. to demonstrate that an attempt has been made to recruit domestically. This is a saving for the employer in terms of vacancy advertising and time spend in the recruitment process.
Roles on the Shortage Occupation List (SOL) are prioritised if the Tier 2 (General) limit 20,700 is reached. Jobs on the SOL are automatically granted 320 points, a higher level of points than could possibly be achieved by occupations not on the shortage occupation list. In practice, this means that jobs on the shortage occupation list cannot be turned down when the cap binds.
There is no requirement to meet the £35,800 salary threshold required for settlement after five years.
Applicants (and their families) may have to pay lower visa application fees if their occupation is on the shortage occupation list.

Please refer to the MAC (Migration Advisory Committee) report ‘Full review of the shortage occupation list’ for further details.

United Kingdom ‘Shortage Occupation List’

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
Production managers and directors in mining and energy (1123)	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
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	Only the following jobs in this occupation code: The following jobs in the construction-related ground engineering industry: geotechnical engineer tunnelling engineer The following jobs in the oil and gas industry: petroleum engineer drilling engineer completions engineer fluids engineer reservoir engineer offshore and subsea engineer control and instrument engineer process safety engineer wells engineer senior mining engineer in the mining sector
2122 Mechanical engineers	Only the following job in this occupation code: mechanical engineer in the oil and gas industry
2123 Electrical engineers	Only the following jobs in this occupation code: electrical engineer in the oil and gas industry The following jobs in the electricity transmission and distribution industry: power system engineer control engineer protection engineer The following jobs in the aerospace industry: electrical machine design engineer power electronics engineer
2124 Electronics Engineers	Only the following jobs in this occupation code: The following jobs in the railway industry: signalling design manager signalling design engineer signalling principles designer senior signalling design checker signalling design checker signalling systems engineer Specialist electronics engineer in the automotive manufacturing and design industry
2126 Design and development engineers	Only the following jobs in this occupation code: design engineer in the electricity transmission and distribution industry The following jobs in the automotive design and manufacturing industry: product development engineer product design engineer The following jobs in the electronics system industry: integrated circuit design engineer integrated circuit test engineer
2127 Production and process engineers	Only the following jobs in this occupation code: chemical engineer manufacturing engineer (process planning) in the aerospace industry technical services representative in the decommissioning and waste areas of the nuclear industry
2129 Engineering professionals not elsewhere classified	Only the following jobs in this occupation code: The following jobs in the electricity transmission and distribution industry: project engineer proposals engineer The following jobs in the aerospace industry: aerothermal engineer stress engineer chief of engineering advance tool and fixturing engineer The following jobs in the decommissioning and waste management areas of the civil nuclear industry: operations manager decommissioning specialist manager project/planning engineer radioactive waste manager radiological protection advisor The following jobs in the civil nuclear industry: nuclear safety case engineer mechanical design engineer (pressure vehicles) piping design engineer mechanical design engineer (stress) thermofluids/process engineer
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.
2135 IT business analysts, architects and systems designers	Only the following jobs in this occupation code: systems engineer in visual effects and 2D/3D computer animation for the film, television or video games sectors data scientist 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.
2136 Programmers and software development professionals	Only the following jobs in this occupation code: Senior developer 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. The following jobs in visual effects and 2D/3D computer animation for the film, television or video games sectors: software developer shader writer games designer The following jobs in the electronics system industry: driver developer embedded communications engineer
2139 Information technology and communications professionals not elsewhere classified	Only the following job in this occupation code: Cyber security specialist 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.
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
2211 Medical practitioners	Only the following jobs in this occupation code: Consultants in the following specialities: clinical radiology emergency medicine old age psychiatry CT3 trainee and ST4 to ST7 trainee in emergency medicine Core trainee in psychiatry Non-consultant, non-training, medical staff posts in the following specialities: emergency medicine (including specialist doctors working in accident and emergency) old age psychiatry paediatrics
2217 Medical Radiographers	Only the following jobs in this occupation code: HPC registered diagnostic radiographer nuclear medicine practitioner radiotherapy physics practitioner radiotherapy physics scientist sonographer Sponsors must retain evidence of the individual’s HPC registration and provide this to the Home Office on request. (Registration may need to be done after the individual has entered the United Kingdom but must be done before starting work).
2219 Health professionals not elsewhere classified	Only the following job in this occupation code: neurophysiology healthcare scientist neurophysiology practitioner Nuclear medicine scientist orthotist prosthetist
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
2442 Social workers	Only the following jobs in this occupation code: social worker working in children’s and family services
2461 Quality control and planning engineers	Only the following jobs in this occupation code: The following jobs in the electricity transmission and distribution industry: planning / development engineer quality, health, safety and environment (QHSE) engineer
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
3213 Paramedics	All jobs in this occupation code
3411 Artist	Only the following jobs in this occupation code: Animator in visual effects and 2D/3D computer animation for the film, television or video games sectors
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 (e.g. Birmingham Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Northern Ballet Theatre, The Royal Ballet and Scottish Ballet). The company must either: have performed at or been invited to perform at venues of the calibre of the Royal Opera House, Sadler’s Wells or Barbican, either in the United Kingdom or overseas; or attract dancers and/or choreographers and other artists from other countries; or 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 (e.g. Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company, Scottish Dance Theatre and Rambert Dance Company). The company must either: have performed at or been invited to perform at venues of the calibre of Sadler’s Wells, the Southbank Centre or The Place, either in the United Kingdom or overseas; or attract dancers and/or choreographers and other artists from all over the world; or 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 (including London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra)
3416 Arts officers, producers and directors	Only the following jobs in this occupation code: The following jobs in visual effects and 2D/3D computer animation for the film, television or video games sectors: 2D supervisor 3D supervisor computer graphics supervisor producer production manager technical director visual effects supervisor
3421 Graphic designers	Only the following jobs in this occupation code: The following jobs in visual effects and 2D/3D computer animation for the film, television or video games sectors: compositing artist matte painter modeller rigger stereo artist texture artist
3541 Buyers and purchasing officers	Only the following job in this occupation code: manufacturing engineer (purchasing) in the aerospace industry
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
5235 Aircraft maintenance and related trades	Only the following jobs in this occupation code: licensed and military certifying engineer/inspector technician
5249 Line repairers and cable jointers	Only the following job in this occupation code: overhead linesworker,at Linesman Erector 2 (LE2) level and above, where the pay is at least £32,000 per year
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 outlet, a standard fare outlet, or an establishment which provides a take-away service; 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 A fast food outlet is one where food is prepared in bulk for speed of service, rather than to individual order. A standard fare outlet is one where the menu is designed centrally for outlets in a chain / franchise, rather than by a chef or chefs in the individual restaurant. Standard fare outlets also include those where dishes and / or cooking sauces are bought in ready-made, rather than prepared from fresh / raw ingredients.

The shortage occupation list may change in future. This is the most up-to-date list on 20 July 2019. Please visit Gov.Uk for further guidance.

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What is Shortage Occupation List or SOL?