Dancers and HR staff from abroad in line for key worker visas

Dancers, writers and photographers from abroad are in line for key worker visas in a move to fill “crucial” roles.

The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has drawn up a list of 82 below-degree-level jobs “deemed potentially crucial to prioritised sectors”, which could feature in a temporary shortage list.

The independent board is yet to come up with its recommendation for a final list, which, if approved, would give workers in these jobs time-limited access to the UK immigration system.

The temporary shortage list will be designed to let below-degree-level workers into the UK only if they are “key to the industrial strategy or delivering critical infrastructure”, according to the Government’s immigration white paper.

The policy document was unveiled in May as part of an effort to curb immigration, after net migration into the UK hit a record high of 906,000 in the year to June 2023, and to reduce overseas recruitment in favour of training Britons.

The temporary shortage list is intended to be “narrow”.

Among the 82 candidate occupations are artists, authors, actors and entertainers, dancers and choreographers, and photographers.

They are listed alongside human resources (HR) officers and health and safety managers.

Bricklayers, welders, carpenters, IT staff, fashion designers and civil engineers are also included.

The committee chose these initial roles based on their contribution to the eight “growth-driving” sectors in the Government’s industrial strategy – including defence, life sciences and creative industries – and building infrastructure.

Each will be screened before the MAC drafts a final list in a process due to end in July next year.

Professor Brian Bell, MAC chairman, said: “The Government’s vision for the new temporary shortage list is to provide time-limited access to the immigration system for ‘mid-skilled’ occupations, where long-term shortages have been identified and deemed as crucial to the delivery of the UK’s industrial strategy or critical infrastructure.

“With thanks to members of the Labour Market Evidence Group, including the devolved governments, and the Government departments responsible for the eight growth-driving sectors for their input to date, we will now progress to the second stage of the review and report back to the Home Secretary in July 2026.”