UK looks to ease immigration rules for foreign workers to plug shortages

The Migration Advisory Committee has recommended that tradespeople including carpenters, bricklayers and roofers should be added to the "shortage occupation list"

The UK government is drawing up plans to loosen immigration rules to tackle chronic shortages in the construction industry, amid concerns that encouraging Britons to go back to work won’t be enough to plug the gaps.
 

The Migration Advisory Committee, which advises the government on immigration, has recommended that tradespeople including carpenters, bricklayers and roofers should be added to the “shortage occupation list,” according to a person familiar with the matter.

The list allows employers to bring in foreign workers on a lower salary threshold than the usual “skilled worker” level and pay lower visa fees. Ministers are weighing up