The UK Is About to Cut Chefs from Visa Sponsorship - What Now for Hospitality?

From 22 July 2025, chefs, catering and bar managers - along with around 180 other roles classified as RQF skill level 3 to 5 - will no longer be eligible for new Skilled Worker Visa sponsorship.

Chefs are already one of the hardest roles to recruit for, I know that any agency, operator, or hospitality recruiter will agree! Removing the ability to sponsor skilled chefs from overseas shrinks the talent pool and it signals a worrying misunderstanding of what a chef's role actually involves.

Cheffing Is a Skilled Career - Just Not a Degree-Based One

Cheffing is not an “unskilled” job... there might not be a university degree for it, but there is a huge amount of complexity, knowledge, legislation and skill involved.

In culinary colleges and professional kitchens across the country, chefs spend years learning technical skills, understanding food safety, perfecting classical techniques, and developing their creative identity. In the UK alone, there are hundreds of AA Rosette and Michelin-starred kitchens, all of which rely on chef brigades led by professionals who’ve built their careers from the ground up.

So to say that someone two levels below a Head Chef doesn’t meet a “skills threshold” is deeply misguided.

What Happens Next?

With the overseas pipeline cut off, we’re likely to see a surge in:

• Aggressive competition for high-calibre chefs with strong UK-based experience

• Pay inflation as businesses rush to retain talent with bonuses and counter offers

• Candidates leveraging their value - demanding more flexibility, better conditions, and faster progression in return for staying put

The recruitment landscape is about to get a lot more competitive - and only the businesses who plan ahead will avoid being caught short.

Let’s Build a Smarter, Stronger Kitchen Workforce

Here are some practical steps the industry could take to future-proof kitchen teams and retain talent:

1. Invest in the Chefs You Have

Give your senior chefs the time, tools and recognition to train the next generation:

• Adjust rotas to allow for mentoring and development

• Delegate non-cooking tasks (e.g. compliance or ordering) to create headspace

• Appoint food safety or admin champions within the junior brigade

2. Create Visible Progression Pathways

• Partner with colleges for day-release or evening study options

• Design new in-house training schemes with certificates or badges of achievement

• Introduce job titles and reward structures that recognise learning and leadership

3. Consult Your Team - and Alumni

Talk to your chefs at all levels:

• What would help them stay?

• What training would excite them?

• Do they see a future in your business - or in the industry?

And what about ex-chefs? Why did they leave? Would they return if the hours, pay or structure were different?

There’s valuable insight sitting untapped - and potentially, talent waiting to be reignited.

4. Broaden Your Talent Net

• Cross-train FOH team members who show culinary interest

• Open up kitchen experiences to junior team members

• Use quieter services or prep days as training time

5. Support Chefs as Future Leaders

Chefs aren’t just cooks... many are potential GMs, Ops Directors, and entrepreneurs. Can we offer leadership training, business development, and financial literacy - just as we would for graduate managers? A more holistic career pathway could help retain top talent longer.

6. Collaborate Across the Industry

• Partner with like-minded venues to allow short-term chef secondments

• Create an “industry training passport” or cross-business development plan

• Launch something akin to WSET for kitchens - shared learning, recognised standards, and trusted credentials

This Is a Turning Point

Removing visa access for chefs confirms what many of us feared - but it also gives us a clear call to action.

The old ways won’t work anymore.

We need to nurture, protect, and develop our chef workforce with the same energy we put into guests, menus, and margins. That means:

• Listening

• Collaborating

• Investing

• Rethinking what a hospitality career can be

Because if we don’t, the future of British cuisine... real, fresh, creative food... is at risk of becoming a casualty.

I’d love to hear from others in the industry:

• What’s working in your business?

• Are you already doing some of this?

• What do you wish more operators understood?

Let’s come together and find a way forward.