UNITED KINGDOM: Pork Butchers Join the Seasonal Worker Route

November 2, 2021


A Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules published on, and effective from, 1 November 2021 amends the Seasonal Worker route for temporary workers to include those coming to conduct ‘specified pork butchery work’.

To qualify for a visa under this new provision:

  • the applicant must conduct the following role: Butcher (occupation code 5431); and
  • the work must involve:
    1. slaughtering and butchering pigs; or
    2. preparing and processing pig meat; and
  • the work must take place at:
    1. a slaughterhouse; or
    2. a processing site; or
    3. a farm.

The candidate for the above role must receive a salary that equals or exceeds all of the following:

  • £25,600 per year;
  • £10.10 per hour.

The successful applicant will be granted entry clearance for whichever is the shorter of either:

  • the period of the job on the Certificate of Sponsorship plus 14 days before and 14 days after that period; or
  • six months.

The above change comes closely after the UK government’s introduction of temporary measures regarding HGV drivers earlier this autumn in response to drastic shortages of the necessary skilled workers in the UK resident labour market that had temporarily lead to panic fuel buying and empty supermarket shelves.

If the above changes impact your business, your staff or yourself directly, please do not hesitate to reach out to Newland Chase for further guidance on questions you may have.

This immigration update is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for legal or scenario-specific advice. Furthermore, it is important to note that immigration announcements are subject to sudden and unexpected changes. Readers are encouraged to reach out to Newland Case for any case- or company-specific assessments.