28 Mar 2023

More visa opportunities for recruiting roofers from overseas

The government has accepted the Migration Advisory Committee’s recommendation to add roofers to the Shortage Occupations List, decreasing the criteria necessary for firms to hire certain roofing operatives from overseas.

The government's 2023 Spring Budget included the announcement that they have accepted the recommendations of the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to add five construction occupations to the Shortage Occupations List. One of these occupations is 'Roofers, roof slaters and tilers', which we have clarified includes all roofing and cladding disciplines. The other occupations are 'Bricklayers and masons', 'Carpenters and joiners', 'Plasterers', and 'Construction and building trades n.e.c.'. Some other trades were suggested but not accepted for recommendation by the MAC, such as scaffolders. The addition of roofing to the list means that when a UK company wants to sponsor someone with an existing skillset from overseas to enter a roofing role, the individual will receive additional points towards their visa application and will ultimately have a better chance of being permitted to take up that role in the UK.

This may therefore be helpful to those who cannot quickly fill a particular operative role due to national skills shortages. Firms who think they may benefit from bringing skilled workers from overseas temporarily have access to a number of resources to guide them through the process of becoming a a sponsor. Please get in touch with the Policy Officer if you would like more information, and Build UK has a number of useful resources to guide you through the process.