The Association of Independent Meat Suppliers (AIMS) is calling on the Home Office and UK Visas & Immigration to make meat processors eligible for a Skilled Worker visa.
Tony Goodger, a spokesperson for AIMS, said that at present the jobs of butcher, slaughterman and butchery managerial roles meet the RQF3 skills threshold for the Skilled Worker route so are eligible to be sponsored for a Skilled Worker visa, but that meat processors do not meet the threshold.
“We have seen correspondence to one of our members from the Minister for Future Borders and Immigration, Kevin Foster MP, in which he states that meat processors do not meet the RQF3 threshold so are not eligible to be sponsored for a Skilled Worker visa,” said Mr Goodger.
The Standard Occupation Code (SOC) 5433, Fishmongers and Poultry Dressers on the current skilled worker visa list this shows that both fish processors and poultry processors are eligible to be sponsored for a Skilled Worker visa. Mr Goodger said the Association was ‘somewhat confused’ that meat processors had been omitted from the list.
He said: “This omission is already impacting on our members at a time when the industry is facing severe labour shortages.
“We have written to our constituency MP, Rt Hon Rishi Sunak asking that he makes representation to the Home Office and UK Visas & Immigration to correct this anomaly and have the role of meat processor added to the related job titles list for SOC 5431, butchers thereby making them eligible for Skilled Worker visas”
