UK Skilled Worker Visa List Includes Unconventional Roles Like DJs and Dog Walkers

Post-Brexit immigration rules expanded visa eligibility to middle-skilled jobs, sparking debate over their necessity.

Analysis of Home Office data revealed that 334 visas were granted for animal care service roles, including dog walkers and groomers, between 2021 and 2024.
Other unexpected roles on the skilled worker visa list include DJs, yoga instructors, cemetery managers, and costume interpreters at museums.
The eligibility changes stem from post-Brexit immigration reforms that lowered the skills threshold for visa applicants, allowing middle-skilled jobs to qualify.
The UK government plans to release a white paper this spring aimed at reducing migration and linking visas to domestic workforce training.
Labour leader Keir Starmer has pledged to cut net migration, which reached a record 906,000 in 2023, and to address reliance on overseas labor.