Piano tuners, dog beauticians, and nuns are among the more unusual jobs considered skilled work by the UK’s visa and immigration body.
The status means people who perform those roles are eligible to apply for a Skilled Worker visa, one of the most popular ways to apply for a move to the UK.
More than 300 jobs make up the government’s list of ‘eligible occupations’.
While there are some classic jobs on there that clearly require a lot of skill – such as doctors, scientists, plumbers, and (ahem) newspaper reporters – there are a few that may be less obvious.
Robert McNeil, deputy director at Oxford University’s Migration Observatory, highlighted some of the more interesting entries on the list.
He told the Guardian: ‘Many of these roles may well be challenging and require particular skills, but they might not be the sort of things that are front of mind for most people when they imagine roles that are critical for UK employers to recruit from overseas.’
In a blog post, he wrote that 391 visas have been issued for ‘animal care services occupations’ since 2021.
That category includes jobs like canine beautician and dog walker – as well as others that may be less surprising, like stablehand or veterinary nursing assistant.
Here are a few of the more unusual occupations that qualify for a skilled worker visa according to UK Visas and Immigration:
- Homeopath (medically qualified)
- Games researcher (broadcasting)
- Nun
- Computer games tester
- Disc jockey
- Costumed interpreter
- Auctioneer
- Bee farmer
- Glass blower
- Piano tuner
- Mystery shopper
You can see the rest of the full list of jobs here.
A key aspect to bear in mind, however, is salaries.
Last April, the Conservative Government changed the rules so that the minimum salary workers need to earn if they’re applying for a Skilled Worker Visa is £38,700. They also need to be sponsored by their employers.
This drops to £30,960 if they are under 26, studying or a recent graduate, have a STEM PhD qualification that’s relevant to their job or if they are in a postdoctoral position in science or higher education.
In response to McNeil’s findings: ‘We are grateful for the work skilled international professionals do in the UK.
‘However, it is clear that we must end reliance on overseas labour and boost economic growth. That’s why, under our Plan for Change, we will publish a white paper to set out a comprehensive plan to restore order to the broken immigration system, as we aim to link our immigration, skills and visa systems to boost the domestic workforce.’
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