If you are searching for the Shortage Occupation List, the first thing to know is that it no longer exists.

It was abolished in April 2024 and replaced by the Immigration Salary List. Then, on 22 July 2025, a second list was introduced alongside it — the Temporary Shortage List. The two do completely different things, and getting them confused is an expensive mistake.

A great deal of what is still published online about the “shortage occupation list” describes rules that were withdrawn more than two years ago. This guide sets out what the lists actually are now, which jobs are on them, what each one gets you, and the one restriction that catches people out hardest.

The occupations and salary figures below are taken from GOV.UK.

At Kenton Solicitors, our immigration team advises both workers and sponsoring employers on Skilled Worker matters from our office in Harrow.

Call us on 020 8907 2444 or request a free consultation.

The Short Version

There are two lists, and they solve two different problems:

• The Immigration Salary List (ISL) — your job is already eligible, and being on this list means you can be paid 20% less than the usual minimum salary.
• The Temporary Shortage List (TSL) — your job would not be eligible at all because it sits below the required skill level, and being on this list is what makes sponsorship possible.

So the ISL is about money. The TSL is about eligibility. If your occupation is not on either list and sits below graduate level, it generally cannot be sponsored on this route at all.

Why the Old List Was Scrapped

The Shortage Occupation List worked differently. It allowed employers to pay 80% of the going rate for the job — a discount on the role’s own benchmark, not just the general threshold. That was removed when the list was replaced in April 2024.

Under the Immigration Salary List, the discount applies only to the general salary threshold. You must still be paid the full going rate for your occupation. That is a significant narrowing, and it is the single most common misunderstanding we see from employers working off old guidance.

The skill level then rose on 22 July 2025. Roles below graduate level became ineligible unless they appear on one of the two lists.

Which Jobs Are on the Immigration Salary List?

The Immigration Salary List covers roughly two dozen occupation codes. Most are UK-wide; three apply in Scotland only.

• Care and health — care workers and home carers (6135), senior care workers (6136), residential, day and domiciliary care managers (1232), and nursing auxiliaries and assistants (6131), the last only where registered nurse roles also exist at the employer. Sponsor conditions apply to the care roles, particularly in England.
• Construction and trades — bricklayers (5313), roofers, roof tilers and slaters (5314), carpenters and joiners (5316), stonemasons and related trades (5312), retrofitters (5319), and high integrity pipe welders (5213) with at least 3 years’ experience.
• Science and laboratory — biological scientists (2112), laboratory technicians (3111) with at least 3 years’ related experience, pharmaceutical technicians (3212), archaeologists (2115), and chemical scientists in the nuclear industry (2111), Scotland only.
• Arts and culture — artists (3411), arts officers, producers and directors (3416), graphic and multimedia designers (2142), classical ballet or contemporary dancers (3414) at endorsed internationally recognised companies, and senior orchestral musicians (3415) at full members of the Association of British Orchestras.
• Fishing and maritime — fishing industry jobs (5119), deckhands on fishing vessels of 9 metres and over (9119) with at least 3 years’ experience, fishing boat masters (1212, Scotland only), and boat and ship builders and repairers (5235, Scotland only).
• Animal care — racing grooms, stallion handlers, stud staff and work riders (6129).

Several entries are narrower than the occupation code suggests. Code 2111 covers chemical scientists generally, but only nuclear industry roles in Scotland qualify. Code 2115 is restricted to archaeologists. Where the list says “only”, the restriction is real and the rest of the occupation code does not benefit.

What the Discount Is Worth

If your job is on the Immigration Salary List, the minimum salary is 80% of the usual minimum for the route. In practice most ISL roles carry a threshold of £33,400 against the general figure of £41,700.

Remember the limitation: you must still meet the going rate for the occupation. The discount gets you under the general threshold, not under your own job’s benchmark.

Our guide to the 2026 salary changes and new rules sets out how the thresholds interact and who the transitional rates apply to.

Which Jobs Are on the Temporary Shortage List?

The Temporary Shortage List is much longer — more than 50 occupation codes — and it exists for a different reason. These are jobs below graduate level that would otherwise be shut out of the route entirely.

Broadly, it covers:

• Engineering and technical — engineering technicians (3113), electrical and electronics technicians (3112), building and civil engineering technicians (3114), quality assurance technicians (3115), planning, process and production technicians (3116), and CAD, drawing and architectural technicians (3120).
• IT — IT operations technicians (3131), IT user support technicians (3132), database administrators and web content technicians (3133), computer system and equipment installers and servicers (5244), and IT trainers (3573).
• Electrical, construction and installation trades — electricians and electrical fitters (5241), plumbers and heating and ventilating installers (5315), welding trades (5213), pipe fitters (5214), steel erectors (5311), air-conditioning and refrigeration installers (5225), telecoms network installers (5242), security system installers (5245), painters and decorators (5323), floorers and wall tilers (5322), and construction and building trades supervisors (5330).
• Motor trades — vehicle technicians, mechanics and electricians (5231), vehicle body builders and repairers (5232), vehicle paint technicians (5233), and metal working production and maintenance fitters (5223).
• Business, finance and administration — data analysts (3544), financial and accounting technicians (3533), insurance underwriters (3532), estimators, valuers and assessors (3541), business sales executives (3552), advertising and marketing associate professionals (3554), HR and industrial relations officers (3571), legal associate professionals (3520), credit controllers (4121), book-keepers, payroll managers and wages clerks (4122), and pensions and insurance clerks (4132).
• Management — logistics managers (1243) and consultancy directors (1258).
• Creative — authors, writers and translators (3412), clothing, fashion and accessories designers (3422), photographers and audio-visual operators (3417), and dancers and choreographers (3414).
• Maritime and energy — ship and hovercraft officers (3512), boat and ship builders and repairers (5235), and energy plant operatives (8133).

Four codes on the TSL are limited to named job titles rather than the whole occupation. Code 3429 covers industrial and product designers, packaging designers, performance make-up artists, set designers and visual merchandising roles. Code 3549 covers business support officers, business systems analysts, contract administrators, clinical coders, clinical trials administrators and research coordinators. Code 4129 covers box office assistants, grants officers, mortgage administrators, revenue assistants and treasury assistants. Code 5319 covers builders, divers, fence erectors, industrial climbers, ROV operators, steel fixers and underpinners.

If your job title is not among those named, the code does not help you.

The Restriction That Catches People Out

This is the most important part of the page, and it is the part least often mentioned elsewhere.

Dependants are ruled out for Temporary Shortage List occupations. The Migration Advisory Committee’s own report to the Home Secretary confirms that the Immigration White Paper and subsequent changes to the Immigration Rules “have ruled out dependants for TSL occupations”.

So a role on the TSL buys you eligibility — but not the ability to bring your partner or children.

More broadly, the dependant restriction applies to medium skilled jobs generally, which includes many roles on both lists. Your family may still qualify in limited circumstances: if you have been continually employed in the UK on a Skilled Worker visa in a medium skilled job since before 22 July 2025, if the child was born in the UK, if you are the only living parent responsible for them, or if the other parent is also sponsored in a medium skilled job. Care workers face a separate restriction dating from 11 March 2024.

Before anyone commits to a role on either list, check the family position. Our guide to Skilled Worker dependants and what it costs to bring your family sets out the exceptions in full.

How Long Will the Temporary Shortage List Last?

The clue is in the name. It was introduced as time-limited access to occupations below graduate level, and it is under active review.

The Migration Advisory Committee has recommended that the default period for an occupation to sit on the list should be three years, with visa durations of three to five years and no renewals beyond five years while the list is not a route to settlement. Its Stage 1 report identified 82 occupations to carry forward to Stage 2, and it expects to recommend a shorter list for inclusion. Recommendations on which occupations should be added are due in July 2026.

Nothing on GOV.UK currently fixes a closing date for the list as a whole. But the direction of travel is clear enough: this is not a stable, long-term route, and anyone planning around it should expect the position to tighten rather than loosen.

If you are already on the route and approaching your renewal, our guide to extending a Skilled Worker visa covers timing and what to prepare.

Working Out Whether Your Job Qualifies

The process is the same whichever list is in play:

• Find the occupation code. Your role is matched to a four-digit SOC 2020 code based on what you actually do, not on your job title. A “project coordinator” could fall under several codes.
• Check the skill level. If the code is graduate level, it is eligible on its own. If it is below that, it needs to be on the ISL or the TSL.
• Check the list entry for restrictions. Many entries are limited to particular job types, particular experience levels, or Scotland only.
• Compare both salary figures. You need the higher of the applicable threshold and the going rate for the code.
• Check which rate applies to you. The standard rate applies if your first Certificate of Sponsorship was issued after 4 April 2024. The lower rate applies if it was issued before that date and you have held a Skilled Worker visa continuously since.

Code matching is where most problems start. A code chosen to fit a desired salary band rather than the real duties of the job is a serious problem for both the worker and the sponsor, and it is the kind of thing that surfaces during a compliance visit.

What This Means for Employers

If you are sponsoring, three points follow from all of this.

The ISL discount is narrower than the old shortage list discount. Budget against the going rate, not the reduced threshold.

A TSL role is a short-term solution. Building a workforce plan around a list that is explicitly temporary and under review carries obvious risk.

And the dependant position affects recruitment directly. A candidate weighing a move to the UK who cannot bring their family is a harder candidate to attract and retain.

If you do not yet hold a licence, our sponsor licence team can advise on the application and your ongoing duties. Our breakdown of Skilled Worker visa costs sets out what the employer pays separately from the applicant.

Where Applications Go Wrong

• Working from pre-2024 guidance. The going rate discount is gone. Only the general threshold is reduced.
• Assuming the whole occupation code qualifies. Many entries are limited to named job titles or to Scotland.
• Missing an experience requirement. Several entries require three years in the role.
• Overlooking the going rate. Meeting the list threshold is not enough on its own.
• Assuming family can come. Dependants are ruled out for TSL occupations and restricted for medium skilled roles generally.
• Treating the TSL as permanent. It is under review, with recommendations due in July 2026.

Where an application has been refused, the time limits are short. Our immigration appeals team can advise on the options. If you are approaching five years in the UK, our ILR and settlement team can advise on qualifying dates, and our guide on when to apply for ILR sets out the timing.

Frequently Asked Questions

The occupations, salary figures and restrictions in this article were checked against GOV.UK in October 2026. The lists and the rules around them are subject to review and change regularly, so please confirm the current position on GOV.UK before applying. For advice specific to your circumstances, please contact us directly.