Software Engineer - Shortage Occupation List

[rubyracer2]

Hi Gurus,

I was talking to one of the HRs and they mentioned that a senior software engineer (in lead position) can qualify for the Shortage Occupation List, provided they have more than 5 years of experience. This is based on a lawyers advice

Do you think this is correct? According to the Shortage list, only certain fields like audio visual and 3D development are covered in the shortage list within the software engineer SoC code. TIA!

This is the relevant section in the shortage list. Do you think it is an either/or condition i.e a developer can be either 5 years experience with lead OR having a job in visual effects and 2D animation.

Or is an AND Condition - that only audio visual developers having greater than five years of experience qualify.

Senior developer employed by a qualifying company, where the job requires a person with a minimum of five years’ relevant experience and demonstrable experience of having led a team.

The following jobs in visual effects and 2D/3D computer animation for the film, television or video games sectors:

software developer
shader writer
games designer
The following jobs in the electronics system industry:
driver developer
embedded communications engineer

[CR001]

Suggest follow the HO shortage occupation list.

[rubyracer2]

Suggest follow the HO shortage occupation list.

Hi CR001 thanks for your reply. I have quoted the relevant section from the list. Do you think that a software developer has to qualify both criteria (Five years of experience AND experience in audio visual development) Or is either/or among both.

[CR001]

It does not say OR. It very clearly says 5 years experience AND.....

[rubyracer2]

It does not say OR. It very clearly says 5 years experience AND.....

Hi CR001 Thanks for your reply.

It says 5 years experience AND demonstrable experience of having led a team. This part is clear. What seems a bit gray is whether this experience is only supposed to be in the industries mentioned right after that section.

So is the criteria

Senior Developer AND in relevant industry (Audio Visual/animation)
Senior Developer OR in relevant industry

where Senior Developer is a person with 5 years of experience and also experience of leading a team. TIA!

[rubyracer2]

Bumping this post

[rubyracer2]

Just got more information about this. A software engineer with greater than 5 years of experience and leading a team is eligible for the shortage occupation list.

However the caveat is the term "qualifying company". The HO could have made this clear as not every sponsor is a qualifying company. For a sponsor to be eligible to hire software devs under the shortage occupation list, they must

. In this Appendix “qualifying company” means a company which:
(a) has obtained permission from the Home Office to issue a Certificate of Sponsorship in respect of the relevant job on the basis that the job is included on the Shortage Occupation List and the company:
(i) is licensed as a sponsor for the purposes of Tier 2 of the Points Based System,
(ii) at the time of obtaining such permission, employs between 20 and 250 employees (inclusive), or employs fewer than 20 employees and has provided a letter from the Department for International Trade, confirming that the Department has been working with the company and supports the application in relation to its trade or investment activity,
(iii) is not more than 25% owned by a company which has one or more other establishments in the UK and one of those establishments employs more than 250 employees; and
(iv) has not been established in the UK for the purpose of supplying services exclusively to a single company or company group in the UK; and
(b) will have no more than ten Tier 2 (General) Migrants working for it at any one time in jobs to which the requirement to be employed by a qualified company applies, if all Certificates of Sponsorship in respect of such jobs lead to a grant of leave as a Tier 2 (General) Migrant.

Hope this info is useful to others with the same doubt

[Grijesh Saini]

Just got more information about this. A software engineer with greater than 5 years of experience and leading a team is eligible for the shortage occupation list.

However the caveat is the term "qualifying company". The HO could have made this clear as not every sponsor is a qualifying company. For a sponsor to be eligible to hire software devs under the shortage occupation list, they must

. In this Appendix “qualifying company” means a company which:
(a) has obtained permission from the Home Office to issue a Certificate of Sponsorship in respect of the relevant job on the basis that the job is included on the Shortage Occupation List and the company:
(i) is licensed as a sponsor for the purposes of Tier 2 of the Points Based System,
(ii) at the time of obtaining such permission, employs between 20 and 250 employees (inclusive), or employs fewer than 20 employees and has provided a letter from the Department for International Trade, confirming that the Department has been working with the company and supports the application in relation to its trade or investment activity,
(iii) is not more than 25% owned by a company which has one or more other establishments in the UK and one of those establishments employs more than 250 employees; and
(iv) has not been established in the UK for the purpose of supplying services exclusively to a single company or company group in the UK; and
(b) will have no more than ten Tier 2 (General) Migrants working for it at any one time in jobs to which the requirement to be employed by a qualified company applies, if all Certificates of Sponsorship in respect of such jobs lead to a grant of leave as a Tier 2 (General) Migrant.

Hope this info is useful to others with the same doubt

Thanks for this information.
But I am still confused. Could you please help me with this.
Same problem with me that I am on tier 2 general as a Software Engineer but not in Graphics 2D/3D sector.
So do you think that I can apply ILR as a Software Engineer with £32000 salary.