ENFIELD
HACKNEY
HARINGEY
ISLINGTON
UK employers may not realise they can still sponsor overseas workers for a range of roles including photographers, fashion designers, marketing professionals, sales executives, HR officers and database technicians, according to immigration lawyer Helena Sheizon of Kadmos Immigration.
While many businesses associate overseas sponsorship with doctors, engineers or senior technology roles, the UK’s temporary shortage list currently includes a wider range of occupations, some of which sit outside what many employers would traditionally consider “highly skilled” immigration routes.
The Temporary Shortage List includes roles such as advertising and marketing associate professionals, business sales executives, human resources officers, photographers, fashion and accessories designers and database administrators.
Helena Sheizon, Director and Senior Immigration Lawyer at Kadmos Immigration, said:
“Many employers assume worker sponsorship is limited to roles such as doctors, engineers, software developers or other traditionally highly skilled occupations.
The reality is more nuanced. Under the current transitional arrangements, there are a number of RQF Level 4 roles that can still qualify for sponsorship until 31 December 2026.
This includes occupations many businesses may not expect, from sales and marketing roles to HR, technical, creative and trade-related positions.”
The list also includes several skilled trade and technical roles, including electricians, plumbers, vehicle technicians, CAD technicians, IT user support technicians, construction supervisors, welders, painters and decorators, and air-conditioning and refrigeration installers.
Helena warned that the deadline could be particularly important for SMEs which do not yet have a sponsor licence. There is still time to apply for one, but just about.
She said:
“This is not just an immigration technicality. For small and medium-sized businesses, it may affect real hiring decisions over the next few months. If an employer is already struggling to recruit domestically and the role appears on the temporary list, they may have a time-limited opportunity to consider overseas recruitment before the rules change. Inevitably, many employers will only realise this when the window has already closed.”
The temporary arrangements are in place until 31 December 2026. After that, businesses may find that some roles no longer qualify for sponsorship in the same way.
Helena added:
“Employers should not assume that because a role is eligible now, it will remain eligible indefinitely. Businesses that rely on hard-to-fill roles should review their workforce plans early, especially if they are considering becoming a sponsor licence holder or hiring overseas workers in affected occupations.”
The occupations currently appearing on the Temporary Shortage List include roles across business services, creative industries, construction, IT, engineering, finance, logistics and skilled trades.
Notes
The Temporary Shortage List includes occupations such as advertising and marketing associate professionals, business sales executives, human resources officers, photographers, clothing, fashion and accessories designers, database administrators and web content technicians, as well as a range of construction, technical and trade roles.
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