The UK Hospitality Work Visa, part of “Skilled Workers” visa route, allows hospitality businesses like hotels and restaurants to bring overseas workers to the UK, either for a temporary or long-term stay.
Specific hospitality worker jobs qualify under this visa route, and prospective sponsors (employers) need to meet the sponsor license requirements. In this article, we’ll discuss the Hotel hospitality jobs work visa UK requirements and much more.
The UK skilled worker visa allows qualified persons, who possess particular types of skills and expertise, to stay and work in the United Kingdom over 5 years. It is a specialized visa which will bring foreign highly skilled workforce who will supplement the UK manpower demands in a number of areas including hotel industry etc.
Not all roles in hospitality or blue collar work for visa are classified as highly skilled; they only call for an intense skill set, including that associated with culinary artistry, hotel management, and events planning. In addition, many hospitality and blue-collar posts fall under “in demand” in UK, and may be listed as shortage occupations making it easier for applicants to meet visa requirements.
In summary, the Skilled Worker Visa system was designed to be flexible enough to allow different categories of skilled workers coming into the UK to fill employee requirement gaps, and is one of the best common way for hospitality sector.
The majority of hospitality positions were unavailable for hire through the sponsored migrant workers program over the past decade. Until December 2020, Tier 2 system only allowed sponsoring of roles skilled at RQF level 6 except highly paid and experienced chefs. The fact that usually only very senior management positions in hospitality could be sponsored meant that this was a limiting factor.
Nonetheless, in December 2020 when the Skilled Worker route for immigration was instituted, all is different. The minimum salary is reduced from £28,000 to £20,960 to £26,200 depending on the skills requirement, which is now lower than RQF level 3 for most job roles in the hospitality industry.
It is now feasible to get sponsor for Hotel hospitality jobs work visa uk for a broader range of hospitality roles, encompassing chefs, restaurant managers, bar managers, and floor managers.
Several hospitality-related job titles are eligible for the UK Skilled Worker Hotel hospitality jobs work visa uk sponsorship, including:
● Hotel and proprietors and accommodation managers (e.g., hotel manager, landlady).
● Restaurant and proprietors, and the catering establishment managers (e.g., fish & chip shopkeeper, café owner, restaurant manager, catering operations manager, take-away managers).
● Publicans and the managers of the licensed premises (e.g., licensee, landlady, publican, and wine bar manager).
● Sports and Leisure managers (e.g., leisure centre manager, amusement arcade owner, theatre manager, and social club manager).
● Travel agency proprietors and managers (e.g., travel agency owner, tourist information manager, travel manager).
● Exhibition and Conference organizers and managers (e.g., conference coordinator, event organizer, events manager, exhibition organizer, hospitality manager).
If you’re seeking to fill any of these roles, there’s a good chance you can do so through the Skilled Worker Visas.
To qualify for a Skilled Worker visa, applicants must satisfy the following criteria:
● Applicant must possess an existing job offer in UK.
● The prospective employer should have a sponsor licence awarded by the Home Office with regard to the skilled worker visa application.
● For the job, the applicant must satisfy an average pay level and skills requirement.
● Before the start of the employment, the potential employer would have issued the applicant with a certificate of sponsorship having an appropriate classifying code in compliance with the occupational standard.
● Additionally, the applicant must score at least 70 points in the UK’s immigration system’s points structure to qualify under the skilled worker visa.
The correct identification of SOC code can make a world of difference when it comes to recruiting hospitality workers from other countries. This particular classification should be made with great care as any mistake on behalf of the employer would trigger a rejection of approval of the visa by the Home Office, thereby delaying the process as well as being costly in such case.
To apply for a UK Skilled Worker visa, you’ll need the following essential documents:
1. Certificate of Sponsorship [CoS] Reference Number: This unique reference number is issued by the employer sponsoring the visa applicant.
2. Proof of English Language Proficiency: Evidence of the applicant’s proficiency in the English language.
3. Valid Passport or Identity Documents: A valid passport or other documents establishing the applicant’s nationality and identity.
4. Job Details: Job details should include Job Title, Annual Salary, Occupation Code for the Job, Employer’s Name, and Sponsor Licence Number of the Employer.
The Skilled Workers Visa offers various advantages to it’s holders:
● Dependent Inclusion: Visa holders can bring their dependents with them to the UK.
● Spousal Work Allowance: The spouse of the visa holder is permitted to work in the UK.
● No Numerical Cap: There is no restriction on the number of individuals who can relocate to the UK under this visa.
● Reduced Minimum Salary Requirement: The minimum salary requirement has been lowered to £25,600 from the previous threshold of £30,000.
● Fast Track Visas for Healthcare Professionals: Healthcare professionals such as doctors and nurses benefit from fast-track visa processing.
The Hotel hospitality jobs work visa uk sponsorship, part of the ‘Skilled Workers’ route, presents a valuable opportunity for overseas workers to contribute to the vibrant hospitality industry. The elasticity of visa that allows recruiting workers in different workplaces and lowers the criterion of skills has widened the opportunities to employ migrant staff.
The UK Hospitality industry offers a wide array of talents to companies; therefore, it is essential for individuals to fully understand the visa process, qualifying conditions among other things.