IT professional thinking of moving to UK

I have looked and the best thing I can find for a visa to the UK would be a job on the shortage list of IT professional (my husband has a few years experience). Can someone tell me what exactly the criteria is for this? Must he have work before we can move or can he apply for the visa since it is on the shortage list and then move after it has been issued? I am American, my husband is Canadian and our child is a dual citizen, none of us are eligible for UK citizenship or right of abode. This is a long standing dream of mine to move to the UK, can someone help me figure out how to make this happen?

If you're referring to the Sectors Based Scheme for UK Work Permits, it was phased out at the end of 2006 due to the expansion of the EU.

Now, this doesn't mean that the UK doesn't want to import workers with high demand skills. If a UK company is unable to find a qualified person in the EU to fill a position, it may import a qualified foreigner by way of a work permit.

It's difficult to gauge whether or not your husband's specific skill set is in demand. To find out, he could apply for several UK jobs for which he qualifies, and see what the response is like. If his skill set is truly in high demand, companies will be more than happy to acquire his work permit.

I don't mean to sound dismissive, but I doubt there is a shortage of IT professionals in the UK (or any other developed country for that matter). For this reason (and others), I would recommend looking into the Highly Skilled Migrant Program. For an IT professional it's absolutely perfect!

best of luck!

Yeah, I worked in IT in the UK, the unions all complained bitterly about foreigners coming in and working for peanuts when there was already a good supply of local talent so the Govt. stopped the scheme, especially given all the immigration from the EU under the treaty obligations.

There is a new skill-based points scheme that will be introduced shortly, this is frankly a better bet for skilled workers because you get permanent residency, not a work permit. There was definitely abuse of the work permit scheme. The problem with work permits is always that you're tied down to the employer.

I've worked in IT for many years and I have to say that if IT is your game then the UK is not the best place to go unless you have some very specialised IT skill that is in high demand such as some obscure programming language. Unless you enjoy tiny cubicles and high rent in London.

If you're really, really desperate to do it, and you've got IT skills relevant to the banking sector, think seriously about the Isle of Man. You'll make loads more cash.

Ok, thanks for the input. My husband is a Linux guy, not a Microsoft guy, and he was told there is a shortage of trained Linux professionals. So we will have to look into it further.

Hi, did your husband find job in Linux environment ? i'm in the same situation and kinda thinking to find job in UK as Linux/unix specialist.
looking for your feedback

Any thoughts/experiences with an IT professional, specializing in SQL Server databases, getting a contract job in or around Central London? Specifically, i will actually be in the UK very soon and eligible to work (as a dependant to my wife who has a work permit) for the next 6-7 months.

Depends on what kind of SQL skills you have. Lot of demand for T-SQL programmers, especially in the banking sector.