The Home Office has published a short statement of changes to the Immigration Rules. It is to implement the emergency temporary visa schemes for HGV drivers and poultry workers and therefore comes into force at 4pm today. Employers in those sectors will be able to request workers from four named recruitment agencies.

The visas will be granted under the existing Seasonal Worker route. Appendix Seasonal Worker is therefore being amended. In addition to the existing eligibility for “edible horticulture” workers, Seasonal Worker will be open to:

(b) the poultry production sector, which means in one of the following
roles:

(i) Butcher (occupation code 5431);
(ii) Bird/game dresser (occupation code 5433);
(iii) Killer and plucker (occupation code 5433);
(iv) Plucker (occupation code 5433);
(v) Poulterer (occupation code 5433);
(vi) Poultry processor (occupation code 5433);
(vii) Poultry sticker (occupation code 5433);
(viii) Trusser (occupation code 5433);
(ix) Food operative (occupation code 8111);
(x) Poultry catcher/handler (occupation code 9111);
(xi) Poultry vaccinator (occupation code 9119);
(xii) Poultry meat packer (occupation code 9134), or

(c) haulage driving involving transportation of food goods, which means:

(i) in the following role: Large goods vehicle drivers (occupation code 8211); and
(ii) the work involves the transportation of food goods.

The application deadlines for these schemes are in the coming weeks:

SAW 1.3A. If the Certificate of Sponsorship confirms that the role is in the poultry production sector, the date of application must be 15 November 2021 or earlier.

SAW 1.3B. If the Certificate of Sponsorship confirms that the role is in haulage driving involving transportation of food goods, the date of application must be 1 December 2021 or earlier.

And, as already announced, they will be short-lived: “Poultry production workers can be granted permission until 31 December 2021. Haulage drivers in a transportation of food goods role can be granted permission until 28 February 2022”.