Employers can apply for work permits under the following circumstances:
(a) Intra-Company Transfers: where an worker from another overseas company within the same Group is transfered to work for a group or related company in the UK; or
(b) Transfers of work permits within the UK from one UK employer to another; or
(c) Subject to the UK resident workers test being satisfied after an advertisement is placed and responses monitored.

Employers can also employ people on Work Permit if they fall directly within the following "Shortage Occupations". This recognition acknowledges that there are acute shortages of suitably qualified and skilled workers within the resident labour market. The resident labour market is defined as countries within the European Economic Area including the United Kingdom.
Work permits are only issued for employment undertaken on a PAYE basis. Identification and classification of a shortage occupation only recognises that there are acute shortages of suitably qualified and skilled workers available to work in a PAYE capacity. Classification as a shortage occupation is not intended to provide any indication of trends or situations relating to recruitment or skills shortages affecting employment undertaken in any other capacity.

ENGINEERING SECTOR
Railway Engineers
Railways Planner or Engineer
Railways Modeller
Railway Track Design or Permanent Way Engineer
Signaling Engineer, Communications Engineer
Power Supply Engineer or Electrification Engineer

Structural / Bridge Engineers
Structural Engineer
Infrastructure Engineer or Buildings Engineer
Bridge Engineer or Highways Structural Engineer


Transportation & Highways Engineer
Traffic Engineer or Transport Planner
Transport Modeller or Transport Economist (The applicant would be expected to have experience in multi-model studies & modelling software such as TRIPS, EMME2, QVIEW, SATURN, PEDROUTE or Microsimulation)
Transport Signal Engineer
Highways Design Engineer or Highways Planning Engineer
Highways Maintenance Engineer

HEALTHCARE SECTOR
Doctors / Consultants
General Practitioners
Accident and Emergency
Additional Dental Specialities
Anaesthetics
Cardiology
Cardiothoracic Surgery
Chemical Pathology
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Clinical Cytogenetics and Molecular Genetics
Clinical Neurophysiology
Clinical Oncology
Clinical Radiology
Dermatology
Endocrinology and Diabetes Mellitus
Endodentics
Forensic Psychiatry
Gastroenterology
General Adult Psychiatry
General Internal Medicine
General Surgery
Genito-urinary medicine
Geriatric Medicine
Haematology
Histopathology
Immunology
Infectious Diseases
Intensive Care Medicine
Medical Microbiology & Virology
Medical Oncology
Neurology
Neurosurgery
Nuclear Medicine
Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Occupational Health
Old Age Psychiatry
Opthalmology
Oral & Maxillo-facial Surgery
Orthodontics
Otolaryngology
Paediatric Cardiology
Paediatric Dentistry
Paediatrics
Palliative Medicine
Plastic Surgery
Psychiatry of Learning Disabilities
Psychotherapy
Public Health Medicine
Rehabilitation Medicine
Renal Medicine
Respiratory Medicine
Rheumatology
Surgical Dentistry
Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery
Urology

General
Psychologist
Dietician
Occupational Therapist
Pharmacists
Pharmacy Technician
Physiotherapist
Speech and Language Therapist
Social Worker
Biomedical Scientist / Medical Laboratory Scientific Officer (MLSO)
Qualified HPC registered Diagnostic and Therapeutic Radiographers

Nurses & Midwives
All Registered Nurses & Midwives.

OTHER OCCUPATIONS
Actuaries
CAA Licensed Aircraft Engineers
Teachers - All posts in England covering compulsory schooling
Veterinary Surgeon