Offshore well boat worker visa announced

Further sector-specific visa concession announced

The Home Office has announced its latest industry specific visa concession, this time for offshore well boat workers. This follows hot on the heels of the announcement that care workers will temporarily be added to the shortage occupation list for skilled worker visas, and the temporary schemes available for HGV drivers and poultry workers at the end of last year.

Access to this latest concession is limited to a number of approved companies and allows them to employ foreign nationals to work within UK territorial waters without a skilled worker visa. Instead, workers can seek a grant of leave to enter for up to 6 months at a time provided certain conditions are met. Broadly, the requirements are:

• a valid passport
• a letter from their employer stating that the worker is employed by an approved well boat company and will be required to work on a well boat within the UK’s territorial seas
• an employment contract that shows the person seeking entry is paid an annual salary of £25,600 or over, or the equivalent if salary is not paid annually
• a transit visa (if they are a visa national and cannot produce a relevant seaman’s book)
• the applicant is aged 18 or over on the date of entry.

This is a time limited concession and leave to enter under this concession will not be granted beyond

8 February 2023. Also, the time spent in the UK with leave under this concession will not count towards a future application for indefinite leave to remain.

If you have any queries about these changes or employing migrant workers, please get in touch with a member of our team.