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Jobs eligible for sponsorship in the construction sector

Jobs eligible for sponsorship in the construction sector

The construction industry is currently experiencing a significant shortage in skills, especially in bricklayers and carpenters, roofers, and plumbers.

The reasons for this vary and can be due to the:

  • Post-Brexit era: Many EU workers returned to their home countries during pandemics with no intention of coming back to the UK
  • UK construction workforce aging, with over 20% of tradespeople being over 50 and 15% being in their 60s, and
  • Same percentage of young people not entering these professions to replace those who are retiring because young people are simply not choosing a career in construction

Housing becomes extremely scarce and this shortage compounds the problem against the background of a growing population, increased recruitment costs, the rising cost of materials, and inflated salaries.

What is the solution?

Becoming a sponsor is a good way to attract foreign workers to the UK, be competitive in the construction market, and boost business growth.

The construction industry is the cornerstone of the UK economy and is a crucial component. It covers careers in architectural design, engineering, and project management, along with on-site trades. And these roles require specialist skills—whether it’s the designing of a building or the construction of it.

What construction jobs are eligible for sponsorship?

Once you become a sponsor you can hire migrant workers to the following positions:

Occupation code Job titles
1122 Production managers and directors in construction Building Services manager
Construction manager
Director (building construction)
Owner (electrical contracting)
2121 Civil engineers Building engineer
Civil engineer (professional)
Highways engineer
Petroleum engineer
Public health engineer
Site engineer
Structural engineer
2431 Architects Architect
Architectural consultant
Chartered architect
Landscape architect
2432 Town planning officers Planning officer (local government: building and contracting)
Town planner
Town planning consultant
2433 Quantity surveyors Quantity surveyor
Surveyor (quantity surveying)
2434 Chartered surveyors Building surveyor
Chartered surveyor
Hydrographic surveyor
Land surveyor
2435 Chartered architectural technologists Architectural technologist
2436 Construction project managers and related professionals Contract manager (building construction)
Project manager (building construction)
Transport planner
3112 Electrical and electronics technicians Avionics technician
Electrical technician
Electronics technician
Installation engineer (electricity supplier)
3114 Building and civil engineering technicians Building services consultant
Civil engineering technician
Survey technician
Technical assistant (civil engineering)
3121 Architectural and town planning technicians Architectural assistant
Architectural technician
Construction planner
Planning enforcement officer
3122 Draughtspersons CAD operator
Cartographer
Design technician
Draughtsman
3565 Inspectors of standards and regulations Building inspector
Driving examiner
Housing inspector
Meat hygiene inspector
Trading standards officer
3567 Health and safety officers Fire protection engineer (professional)
Health and safety officer
Occupational hygienist
Safety consultant
Safety officer
5215 Welding trades only high integrity pipe welders, where the job requires 3 or more years’ related on-the-job experience. This experience must not have been gained through illegal working. Fabricator-welder
Fitter-welder
Spot welder (metal)
Welder
Welding technician
5223 Metal working production and maintenance fitters Agricultural engineer
Bench fitter
Engineering machinist
Fabricator
Installation engineer
Maintenance fitter
Mechanical engineer
5312 Bricklayers and masons Bricklayer
Dry stone waller
Stone mason
5313 Roofers, roof tilers and slaters Mastic asphalt spreader
Roof tiler
Roofer
Roofing contractor
Slater
Thatcher
5314 Plumbers and heating and ventilating engineers Gas engineer
Gas service engineer
Heating and ventilating engineer
Heating engineer
Plumber
Plumbing and heating engineer
5315 Carpenters and joiners Carpenter
Carpenter and joiner
Joiner
Kitchen fitter
Shop fitter
5316 Glaziers, window fabricators and fitters Glass Cutter
Glazier
Installer (double glazing)
Window fabricator
Window fitter
5319 Construction and building trades not elsewhere classified Acoustician
Builder
Building contractor
Fencer
Maintenance manager (buildings and other structures)
Property developer (building construction)
5321 Plasterers Fibrous plasterer
Plasterer
Plastering contractor
5322 Floorers and wall tilers Carpet fitter
Ceramic tiler
Flooring contractor
Mosaic floor layer
5323 Painters and decorators Artexer
French polisher
Paper hanger
Ship sprayer
Wood stainer
5330 Construction and building trades supervisors Builder’s foreman
Construction foreman
Construction supervisor
Maintenance supervisor
Site foreman

Some of the jobs are in the shortage occupation list. This means the visa fees will be slightly reduced for the applicants planning to fill in such positions:

  • 2121 – Civil engineers
  • 2431 – Architects
  • 5215 – Welding trades

It should be noted that some construction jobs are not eligible for sponsorship, they are:

Occupation code Job titles
8149 Construction operatives N.E.C. Asbestos remover
Cable layer
Demolition worker
Dry liner
General handyman
Maintenance man
Thermal insulation engineer
8221 Crane drivers Crane driver
Crane operator
Haulage engine driver
Winchman
8229 Mobile machine drivers and operatives N.E.C. Digger driver
Dredger
Excavator driver
JCB driver
Plant operator
Rig operator
9120 Elementary construction occupations Electrician’s mate (building construction)
Ground worker (building construction)
Hod carrier
Labourer (building construction)

If you are a trading construction company legally operating in the UK, please contact us for more information on how to become a registered sponsor.

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