What is the Temporary Shortage List?
The Temporary Shortage List (TSL) names 52 jobs below degree level (RQF 3–5) that can still be sponsored, if the certificate of sponsorship is issued before 31 December 2026. A shorter list of 28 is proposed for 2027.
Do I need the Temporary Shortage List?
Only if your job is medium skilled. Since 22 July 2025 a new Skilled Worker job usually has to be degree level (RQF 6). The skill level comes from the job’s SOC code. Your own degree doesn’t change it: a data analyst job (3544) is medium skilled even if you have a master’s, while programmers and software development professionals (2134) are degree level and don’t need the list.
The Temporary Shortage List, in Appendix Skilled Worker (SW 6.1A), keeps some medium-skilled jobs, such as technicians and skilled trades, open to new applicants with a certificate of sponsorship issued before 31 December 2026. People who already held Skilled Worker permission before 22 July 2025, and have kept it, don’t need the list (SW 6.1(d)).
Salary and family rules for listed jobs
- Salary: being on the list makes the job eligible but doesn’t lower the pay. The usual minimum is the higher of £41,700 and the job’s going rate, or for a new entrant £33,400 and 70% of the going rate. Other options, such as for relevant PhDs, are in Appendix Skilled Worker, SW 8 to SW 12.
- Partner and children: the dependant rules (SW 29.1A and SW 32A.2) only cover jobs in the higher-skilled tables. So people sponsored in a listed medium-skilled job usually can’t bring a partner or children on their visa. This doesn’t apply to people granted Skilled Worker permission under the rules before 22 July 2025 who have held it continuously since, and there are some other exceptions for children, such as a child born in the UK.
What happens after 31 December 2026
In July 2026 the Migration Advisory Committee recommended that 28 occupations get 18 months on a new list. The government hasn’t put this into the Immigration Rules yet (checked 4 November 2026). Until it does, the current list applies to certificates issued before 31 December 2026, and the government can change it sooner.
The table below marks which of today’s occupations are in the proposal. The proposal also adds 8 that aren’t on today’s list:
- Sheet metal workers (5211)
- Metal plate workers, smiths, moulders and related occupations (5212)
- Metal machining setters and setter-operators (5221)
- Bricklayers (5313)
- Roofers, roof tilers and slaters (5314)
- Carpenters and joiners (5316)
- Plasterers (5321)
- Chemical and related process operatives (8113)
The 52 occupations on the list now
From SW 6.1A, with each occupation’s going rate (the Appendix Skilled Occupations salary for that code, Table 1a; the minimum salary rule is above). Names are short forms; Appendix Skilled Occupations has the full wording. * means only some job types under the code count. On a phone, use Find in page to look for your code.
| Code | Occupation | Going rate | In the July 2026 proposal? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1243 | Managers in logistics | £44,900 | No |
| 1258 | Directors in consultancy services | £70,100 | No |
| 3111 | Laboratory technicians | £33,400 | No |
| 3112 | Electrical and electronics technicians | £39,300 | Yes |
| 3113 | Engineering technicians | £42,500 | Yes |
| 3114 | Building and civil engineering technicians | £33,400 | Yes |
| 3115 | Quality assurance technicians | £33,400 | No |
| 3116 | Planning, process and production technicians | £34,800 | Yes |
| 3120 | CAD, drawing and architectural technicians | £33,800 | Yes |
| 3131 | IT technicians | £35,200 | No |
| 3132 | IT user support technicians | £33,400 | No |
| 3133 | Database administrators and web content technicians | £34,600 | Yes |
| 3412 | Authors, writers and translators | £36,100 | No |
| 3414 | Dancers and choreographers | £33,400 | No |
| 3417 | Photographers, audio-visual and broadcasting equipment operators | £33,400 | No |
| 3422 | Clothing, fashion and accessories designers | £36,500 | No |
| 3429 | Design occupations n.e.c. * | £39,300 | No |
| 3512 | Ship and hovercraft officers | £58,300 | Yes |
| 3520 | Legal associate professionals | £33,400 | No |
| 3532 | Insurance underwriters | £36,500 | No |
| 3533 | Financial and accounting technicians | £48,700 | No |
| 3541 | Estimators, valuers and assessors | £35,300 | No |
| 3544 | Data analysts | £34,900 | Yes |
| 3549 | Business associate professionals n.e.c. * | £33,400 | No |
| 3552 | Business sales executives | £36,700 | No |
| 3554 | Advertising and marketing associate professionals | £33,400 | No |
| 3571 | Human resources and industrial relations officers | £33,400 | No |
| 3573 | Information technology trainers | £40,000 | No |
| 4121 | Credit controllers | £33,400 | No |
| 4122 | Book-keepers, payroll managers and wages clerks | £33,400 | No |
| 4129 | Financial administrative occupations n.e.c. * | £33,400 | No |
| 4132 | Pensions and insurance clerks and assistants | £33,400 | No |
| 5213 | Welding trades | £34,900 | Yes |
| 5214 | Pipe fitters | £46,000 | Yes |
| 5223 | Metal working production and maintenance fitters and technicians | £39,300 | Yes |
| 5225 | Air-conditioning and refrigeration installers and repairers | £41,100 | No |
| 5231 | Vehicle technicians, mechanics and electricians | £35,500 | No |
| 5232 | Vehicle body builders and repairers | £33,400 | No |
| 5233 | Vehicle paint technicians | £33,400 | No |
| 5235 | Boat and ship builders and repairers | £33,700 | Yes |
| 5241 | Electricians and electrical fitters | £38,800 | Yes |
| 5242 | Telecoms and related network installers and repairers | £36,700 | Yes |
| 5244 | Computer system and equipment installers and servicers | £35,100 | No |
| 5245 | Security system installers and repairers | £36,300 | No |
| 5249 | Electrical and electronic trades n.e.c. | £45,800 | Yes (overhead line workers only) |
| 5311 | Steel erectors | £35,000 | No |
| 5315 | Plumbers and heating and ventilating installers and repairers | £38,100 | Yes |
| 5319 | Construction and building trades n.e.c. * | £33,400 | Yes (building envelope specialists, curtain wall installers) |
| 5322 | Floorers and wall tilers | £33,400 | Yes |
| 5323 | Painters and decorators | £33,400 | Yes |
| 5330 | Construction and building trades supervisors | £41,800 | Yes |
| 8133 | Energy plant operatives | £41,500 | No |
Temporary Shortage List vs Immigration Salary List
The Immigration Salary List lowers the minimum salary: for a listed job the general £41,700 threshold drops to £33,400, though the salary still has to reach the going rate.
| List | Temporary Shortage List | Immigration Salary List |
|---|---|---|
| Entries (4 November 2026) | 52 codes | 25 codes, some for one UK nation only |
| What it does | Makes a medium-skilled job eligible | Makes a job eligible and lowers the salary floor to £33,400 |
| End date | Certificate issued before 31 December 2026 | Most entries run to 31 December 2026. Care worker codes 6135 and 6136 run to 22 July 2028, but only for some applicants already in the UK (SW 6.1B), not new overseas recruitment |
What it means for your job search
For a new applicant in a medium-skilled job, the job has to be on one of these lists before it can be sponsored. If you have an offer in a listed job, the date the employer assigns your certificate of sponsorship matters, and you can ask them when they plan to do it.
Common questions
When does the Temporary Shortage List end?
It applies to certificates of sponsorship issued before 31 December 2026 (Appendix Skilled Worker, SW 6.1A), unless the Immigration Rules change sooner.
How many jobs are on the Temporary Shortage List?
52 occupation codes. For 4 of them only some job types count.
Will there be a Temporary Shortage List in 2027?
In July 2026 the Migration Advisory Committee recommended a new list of 28 occupations for 18 months. The government decides whether to adopt it.
Why do some sites say 82 occupations?
82 occupations were reviewed at the first stage of the Migration Advisory Committee’s review. 52 are on the list in the Immigration Rules now, and 28 are proposed for 2027.
Are data analysts on the Temporary Shortage List?
Yes. Data analysts (3544) are on the current list, and in the 28 occupations the Migration Advisory Committee proposed in July 2026.
Does the Temporary Shortage List lower the salary?
No. The job still needs the higher of £41,700 and its going rate, or the new-entrant rate. The Immigration Salary List is the one that lowers the minimum.