Care workers and senior care workers in job list that sponsors can pay less than £38,700 from April 4

LONDON Feb 23: The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has published its rapid review of the Immigration Salary List (ISL) today (23 February 2024) after being commissioned by the Home Secretary to undertake an initial, rapid review of the ISL, which will replace the Shortage Occupation List (SOL).

The MAC was asked to consider which occupations, currently on the SOL and those which they recommended for inclusion in their 2023 SOL review, should be included on a temporary basis on the new ISL, pending a wider review to be commissioned later in the year.

The MAC recommended 21 jobs for an interim ‘immigration salary list’, replacing the shortage occupation list. For jobs on the immigration salary list, people can be sponsored for work visas at a salary lower than the £38,700 that will otherwise (except for NHS/teaching jobs) be required from 4 April.

The list details the new salary levels for the occupations where sponsors will be able to pay less than the new standard base rate of £38,700 p.a. Notable inclusions are careworkers and senior care workers and some scientific roles. In some cases only a small increase to the current rates. This is welcome news for employers struggling to fill vacancies.

Fishing boat masters (Scotland only) – £30,960
Laboratory technicians – £23,200
Pharmaceutical technicians – £23,400
Boat and ship builders and repairers (Scotland only) – £34,100
Stonemasons – £32,400
Bricklayers – £30,960
Roofers, roof tilers and slaters – £30,960
Retrofitters – £30,960
Racing grooms, stallion handlers, stud grooms, stud hands, stud handlers and work riders – £30,960
Care workers and home carers – £23,200
Senior care workers – £23,200
Chemical scientists in the nuclear industry (Scotland only) – £35,200
Biological scientists and biochemists – £37,100
Archaeologists – £36,400
Artists – £32,800
Certain ballet and contemporary dancers – £31,200
Certain orchestral musicians – £35,300
Arts officers, producers and directors – £37,500
Graphic designers – £30,960
High integrity pipe welders with three years’ experience – £31,700
Carpenters and joiners – £30,960

The interim list will be replaced following a full review later in the year.

യു കെ മലയാളിയുടെ വാട്സാപ്പ് ബ്രോഡ്കാസറ്റ് ചാനലിൽ ചേരാൻ ഇവിടെ ക്ലിക്ക് ചെയ്യൂ

MAC chair Professor Brian Bell said the new salary thresholds would in practice close the system to most non-graduate jobs, underlining the need for ministers to clarify their aims.

“Is the objective of the new system to make sure you can never pay less than £31,000 outside health and care [where the government has set a lower threshold, of £23,200] . . . or does an occupation need to be on the list because it’s important and benefits the UK?” he asked.

Responding to the Migration Advisory Committee’s rapid review of the new Immigration Salary List, Professor Pat Cullen, RCN General Secretary & Chief Executive, said: “These recommendations risk driving away overseas nursing staff from the health and care sector, just as services grapple with chronic workforce shortages.

“If implemented without exemptions for part-time workers, the visa minimum salary threshold would put international nurses who work reduced hours due to disabilities or caring responsibilities at risk of breaking the terms of their visa. This would amount to an attack on women in a female-dominated profession. There is no evidence of an equalities impact assessment, which we now seek, alongside immediate assurances that any new minimum salary threshold will be implemented pro-rata for part time staff.

“This week, the government announced a further tearing apart of families to score political points, today it’s preparing to target migrants who work reduced hours in our NHS and social care sector. Ministers need to realise that investment, not anti-migrant politics, is what improves care and outcomes for patients.”

What is Public and Private Healthcare

Public healthcare services are provided through the National Health Service (NHS), funded by taxpayers and free at the point of need, offering a wide range of services accessible to everyone. On the other hand, private healthcare requires individuals to pay for services either through private insurance or out-of-pocket, limiting access to those who can afford it. Care homes in the UK are primarily part of the private sector healthcare system. They fall under the umbrella of private healthcare services, which are distinct from the publicly funded National Health Service (NHS)

Private care homes are independently run facilities that provide long-term residential care for the elderly and individuals with specific needs, often funded through private means such as personal savings, insurance, or out-of-pocket payments. While the NHS also provides some long-term residential care for individuals, a significant portion of such care is delivered through private care homes contracted by the NHS. Overall, care homes in the UK are predominantly associated with the private sector healthcare system due to their independent operation and funding mechanisms.

Below is a summary of changes in immigration rules related to the ISL for Health and Care Worker Visas from April 2024:

general threshold of £29,000 rather than £38,700
occupation-specific thresholds set at the 25th percentile or the national pay scale where applicable
for occupations on the ISL, a threshold of either £23,200 or their occupation-specific threshold, whichever is higher.

The MAC has recommended 21 occupations be placed on the ISL, including the following Health and Care Worker Visa occupations:

laboratory technicians
pharmaceutical technicians
care workers and home carers
senior care workers

The main benefit of inclusion on the ISL is to allow employers to recruit migrants on a salary below the general threshold – with the discount being a maximum of 20 per cent.

The MAC has considered non-pay scale occupations only, this is because national pay scale occupations do not receive any meaningful benefit from ISL inclusion, as their occupation-specific thresholds are in all cases above the £23,200 general threshold that applies to all pay scale occupations. This means that occupations that may have been included on the SOL previously, will now be excluded from the ISL, for example nurses.

The MAC’s findings will now be reviewed by the government but are largely expected to form the basis of the new ISL, which should come into force in April 2024 as part of the wider changes to the immigration system.

This rapid review is set to be followed by a more comprehensive analysis of the ISL later in the year.