UK Temporary Shortage List 2026: All 47 Occupations and the Rules

The Temporary Shortage List (TSL) is the UK's shortage list for medium-skilled — that is, sub-degree — jobs on the Skilled Worker route. It carries 47 occupation codes and was published on 22 July 2025 (checked 7 August 2026). If your job is on the list and it is a medium skilled job, you can make an application if you are switching to the route or applying for entry clearance, as well as extending your permission as a Skilled Worker.

The list matters because of what it replaces. Most entries on the Immigration Salary List (ISL) run to 31 December 2026, and the 2025 white paper set the TSL up as the successor mechanism for sub-degree shortage roles. This guide covers what the TSL is, which occupations sit on it, who can use it, and how the salary rules work — using the gov.uk publication only.

What is the Temporary Shortage List?

The Temporary Shortage List is the official shortage list for medium-skilled, sub-degree jobs on the UK Skilled Worker route. Published on 22 July 2025, it names 47 occupation codes whose jobs can support a Skilled Worker application even though they sit below degree level, subject to the salary rules set out in the publication.

In practice, the TSL answers one question: which sub-degree occupations can be sponsored on the Skilled Worker route? If a job's code is one of the 47 and the job is a medium skilled job, the route stays open; otherwise the TSL offers no way in. At a glance:

Question	Position
What the TSL is	The shortage list for medium-skilled (sub-degree) jobs on the Skilled Worker route
How many occupations	47 occupation codes
Who can use it	If your job is on the list and it is a medium skilled job, you can make an application if you are switching to the route or applying for entry clearance, as well as extending your permission as a Skilled Worker
Salary basis	Annual salaries based on a 37.5-hour working week, pro-rated for other working patterns
Rate tiers	Standard rates (first certificate after 4 April 2024) and lower rates (continuous Skilled Worker permission since before that date); PhD and new-entrant reductions can apply
Published	22 July 2025 (checked 7 August 2026)

Which occupations are on the Temporary Shortage List?

The list carries 47 occupation codes, spanning managerial, technical, skilled-trades and plant-operative roles — the sub-degree middle of the labour market. Four examples show the spread: managers in logistics (1243), laboratory technicians (3111), electricians and electrical fitters (5241) and energy plant operatives (8133). The full list sits in the gov.uk publication.

That spread is the point: the list carries the supervisors, technicians and tradespeople a degree-level list leaves out. Each example below links to its salary lookup page where we publish one:

SOC code	Occupation	Going-rate lookup
1243	Managers in logistics	1243 salary page
3111	Laboratory technicians	3111 salary page
5241	Electricians and electrical fitters	5241 salary page
8133	Energy plant operatives	See the gov.uk TSL publication

If you are not sure which occupation code your job falls under, start with our SOC codes with salary — full going-rate lookup: match the code to your duties first, then check it against the TSL publication. A near-miss code that is not one of the 47 gives the TSL nothing to attach to.

Who can use the Temporary Shortage List?

The publication puts it plainly: if your job is on the list and it is a medium skilled job, you can make an application if you are switching to the route or applying for entry clearance, as well as extending your permission as a Skilled Worker. That covers all three of the standard application types.

Spelled out, the three doors are:

1. Entry clearance — applying from outside the UK for a Skilled Worker visa in a TSL occupation.
2. Switching — moving onto the Skilled Worker route from another eligible route while in the UK.
3. Extending — continuing existing Skilled Worker permission in a job on the list.

Two qualifications sit underneath all three: the job must be a medium skilled job — the TSL is specifically the sub-degree list — and the published salary rates still have to be met, on the basis described below. For the route's wider salary architecture, see our UK visa sponsorship salary thresholds guide.

How do you check whether your job qualifies under the TSL?

Work through four checks: find your occupation code, confirm it is one of the 47 on the TSL publication, confirm the job is a medium skilled job, and then work out which published rate applies to you — standard or lower, with any PhD or new-entrant reduction that can apply.

In order:

1. Find your SOC code. Use the SOC code lookup to match your actual duties — not just your job title — to an occupation code.
2. Check the code against the TSL. The gov.uk publication (22 July 2025) is the operative list; a code either appears among the 47 or it does not.
3. Confirm the job is medium skilled. The list only serves sub-degree, medium skilled jobs.
4. Identify your rate tier. Standard rates apply where the first certificate came after 4 April 2024; lower rates where there has been continuous Skilled Worker permission since before that date. PhD and new-entrant reductions can apply on top.

How are Temporary Shortage List salaries worked out?

TSL rates are annual salaries based on a 37.5-hour working week, pro-rated for other working patterns. Two tiers apply: standard rates where the first certificate of sponsorship came after 4 April 2024, and lower rates where the applicant has held continuous Skilled Worker permission since before that date. PhD and new-entrant reductions can apply.

The 37.5-hour basis matters: published rates are annual figures that assume a standard week, so someone working different hours is assessed pro-rata rather than against the headline annual number — the same job can carry different effective requirements depending on the working pattern in the certificate.

The two tiers separate new arrivals from long-standing route users: applicants whose first certificate came after 4 April 2024 face the standard rates, while continuous Skilled Worker permission since before that date unlocks the lower rates. On top, the familiar reduction machinery can still apply — our going rate reductions guide explains how published reductions work across the route, and the new entrant salary guide covers the new-entrant rules. For the figures attached to a TSL occupation, check its row in the gov.uk publication or its salary page in our SOC lookup.

How does the TSL differ from the Immigration Salary List?

The ISL is the outgoing list; the TSL is its successor for sub-degree shortage roles, per the 2025 white paper. Most ISL entries run to 31 December 2026, while care worker and senior care worker codes 6135 and 6136 are extended to 22 July 2028.

The two lists do different jobs. The ISL is a discount list — occupations on it attract reduced salary requirements, as our Immigration Salary List 2026 guide sets out in full. The TSL is an eligibility list for the sub-degree tier: it determines which medium skilled occupations can be sponsored at all, with its own published salary framework attached. The timetable:

List	Published position
Immigration Salary List (most entries)	Run to 31 December 2026
ISL care codes 6135 and 6136	Extended to 22 July 2028
Temporary Shortage List	Published 22 July 2025; successor mechanism for sub-degree shortage roles per the 2025 white paper

The handover is one strand of the wider reform programme announced in the 2025 white paper. Our white paper changes hub tracks the full set of changes and what has actually taken effect so far.

Where does the MAC review of the TSL stand?

The Migration Advisory Committee's review of the Temporary Shortage List is ongoing. No outcome had been published in the sources we track when this article was checked on 7 August 2026, so the 22 July 2025 publication remains the operative list. Check gov.uk for the position on the day you apply.

The practical advice follows from the word “temporary” in the list's name: the list is under review, and its composition is not guaranteed to stay fixed. Plan on the published list as it stands rather than on speculation about what a review might add or remove — and if your application is months away, re-check the publication before you commit.

Temporary Shortage List FAQ

Is the Temporary Shortage List the same as the Immigration Salary List?

No. They are separate lists with separate jobs. The ISL is the outgoing discount list, with most entries running to 31 December 2026. The TSL, published 22 July 2025, is the successor mechanism for sub-degree shortage roles per the 2025 white paper, carrying its own 47 occupation codes and its own salary framework.

What happens when the ISL ends?

The published dates are the anchor: most ISL entries run to 31 December 2026, and care worker and senior care worker codes 6135 and 6136 are extended to 22 July 2028. The 2025 white paper positions the TSL as the successor for sub-degree shortage roles. If your plans rely on ISL treatment, check the position on gov.uk at the time you apply.

Can TSL workers bring dependants?

Restrictions on dependants for sub-degree roles were announced in the 2025 white paper. Whether and how any restriction applies to a particular application depends on the rules in force on the day you apply — check the current rules on gov.uk before applying, and take regulated advice if dependants are central to your plans.

How many occupations are on the Temporary Shortage List?

47 occupation codes, per the gov.uk publication of 22 July 2025 (checked 7 August 2026). They span the sub-degree range — from managers in logistics (1243) and laboratory technicians (3111) to electricians and electrical fitters (5241) and energy plant operatives (8133).

Do PhD or new-entrant reductions apply on the TSL?

They can. The publication's salary framework pairs its standard and lower rates — standard where the first certificate came after 4 April 2024, lower with continuous Skilled Worker permission since before that date — with PhD and new-entrant reductions that can apply. Whether one applies to you depends on your circumstances matching a published case.

Where do I find the going rate for a TSL occupation?

The operative figures are in the gov.uk Temporary Shortage List publication, on a 37.5-hour, pro-rated basis. For a faster route to the same data, the example codes above link straight to their salary pages in our SOC lookup, which covers the Skilled Worker occupation tables code by code.

Source: gov.uk Temporary Shortage List publication (published 22 July 2025; checked 7 August 2026). This article reports the published list and is not legal or immigration advice. Lists, salary rules and dependant policy can change — always check gov.uk for the current position before applying, and speak to a regulated immigration adviser about your individual circumstances.