Canine beautician is one of the eligible professions for Skilled Worker Visas. It also includes “immigration officer ‘.
Immigration laws are complex. There are many expensive lawyers. Home Office fees can be high, and the guidance is constantly changing. They can lead to amusing omissions and bizarre juxtapositions.
Rob McNeil is the head of media for Oxford University’s Migration Observatory. He was surprised to find that a canine beautician or dog walker made the list.
McNeil explained this in his blog as “Britain being a nation that loves animals”.
“If overseas workers are employed as immigration officers they may find themselves having to monitor their own immigration status.”
According to the Home Office’s data for three years up until March 2024, 334 visas were granted to skilled workers in “animal-care occupations”. These include dog groomers and dog walkers as well as stable hands, kennel attendants, and veterinary nursing aids. The French poodles, Hungarian Vizslas and other animals are probably happy to have beauticians working for them from abroad. But it raises some questions.
Visas have also been approved for 167 fitness instructors and wellness coaches, including pilates, yoga and lifestyle coaches. These people are highly skilled and likely to excel in their respective fields. These are not necessarily rare skills.
It’s not easy to be unwelcoming and inhospitable when ministers want to cut net migration after the massive post-Brexit migration.
A Y & J Solicitors, a group of immigration experts, brought to the attention of Personnel Today that the list for the Skilled Worker Visas includes both immigration officer and chief Immigration Officer, despite Home Office guidance stating that only UK citizens can hold these roles.
Yash Dubal of A Y & J points out that if foreign workers are employed to fill these roles, they may have to monitor their immigration status.
He says that the duties of an immigration officer include reviewing travel documents, passports and determining whether visitors are allowed to enter the country. They also detain or return people to their place of departure. The register includes a chief immigration officer who is a senior enforcement position.
Dubal said the anomaly highlighted the confusion that employers face when trying to navigate the UK’s immigration system.
The fact that this role appears on the list of eligibility is absurd and shows the confusion employers face.
The list is confusing for employers as it gives mixed signals as to who they can sponsor. Some of the roles on the list are not considered skilled, like street traders or dog walkers, when the NQF 3 skill level is the equivalent of an A-Level.
The list also includes car park manager and acupuncturist.
There’s still a catch. Dubal says that many eligible jobs will be excluded from the list if they are below the PS38,700 minimum threshold, the standard “going rate” for the job, or PS30.960 based on certain criteria.
The list reminds us that UK employers can choose from a wide range of sponsorship roles under the current regime, he says.
McNeil said the jobs on the list were there because of the changes made after the UK exited the EU. The government reduced the threshold for middle-skilled work visas at the same time it ended free movement. Prior to this, the system only applied to non EU citizens.
This brings us to Brexit. Sorry.
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