The UK Temporary Shortage List is the only reason a job below degree level can be sponsored in Britain at all, and it is scheduled to expire on 31 December 2026. If your occupation depends on it, that date is the most important fact in your plans.
Here is what it is, who is on it, what it pays, and what the Migration Advisory Committee has recommended happens next, which is not the same as what will happen.
What it is and why it exists
On 22 July 2025 the UK raised the Skilled Worker skill threshold to RQF 6, degree level. That single change closed the route to most trades, technician and intermediate-skill roles overnight.
The Temporary Shortage List was introduced in July 2025 as the exception. It keeps around 50 occupation codes at RQF 3 to 5, roughly A-level to foundation-degree standard, eligible for sponsorship. It replaced the old shortage occupation list for that band, and it is explicitly interim: it is scheduled to expire at the end of 2026 unless it is extended.
The authoritative version lives in Appendix Skilled Occupations on gov.uk, which is where you should check rather than relying on any summary, this one included.
The salary rule, and the trap in it
A TSL role must pay GBP 33,400 or the going rate for the specific SOC code, whichever is higher. That applies to all TSL applicants regardless of new entrant status, so the usual discounts for younger or newly qualified applicants do not rescue a low offer here.
The trap is the second half of that sentence, and a worked example makes it concrete. Vehicle technicians, mechanics and electricians sit at SOC 5231, which is on the list:
| Figure | Amount | Does it apply? |
|---|---|---|
| National TSL threshold | GBP 33,400 | Only if it is the higher of the two |
| Going rate for SOC 5231 | GBP 35,500 | Yes. It is higher, so this is the number that binds |
| Lower rate reported for qualifying applicants | GBP 27,900 | Check your own case. Do not assume it applies to you |
So an offer at GBP 34,000 clears the national threshold and fails the application. Ask the employer for the occupation code in writing, then look up the going rate for that code. It takes minutes and it is the single most useful check available on this route.
One further subtlety worth knowing: some entries cover a whole occupation code and others are limited to specified jobs within a broader code. Finding your code on the list is necessary and occasionally not sufficient.
Who is on it, and who is not
| Covered | Not covered |
|---|---|
| Construction trades | Hospitality, including chefs |
| Engineering, and IT technicians | Retail |
| Automotive work, including SOC 5231 | Care work. Overseas recruitment closed entirely on 22 July 2025 |
| Logistics managers, and agriculture | |
| Financial technicians and some professional services | |
| Selected creative and business support roles |
That right-hand column is worth reading carefully if an agency is offering you sponsorship. A sponsored UK chef role in 2026 is almost certainly not a real offer, because there is no code for it to be sponsored under. Ask which code, and check. See chef jobs abroad and care worker jobs abroad for what those two sectors actually have available.
For the sectors that are covered: construction jobs abroad and mechanic jobs abroad.
What happens after 31 December 2026
Genuinely undecided, and worth being precise about because a lot of writing on this presents a recommendation as a decision.
The Migration Advisory Committee published a Stage 2 report in July 2026. It had assessed Jobs Plans for 46 occupations, and it recommended that 28 of them receive provisional access for 18 months, from January 2027 to the end of June 2028. An earlier stage had 82 jobs under review.
None of that is law. The recommendations have no legal effect until the Government decides which to accept and amends the Immigration Rules. Two occupations are already known not to proceed: SOC 5232, vehicle body builders and repairers, and SOC 5233, vehicle paint technicians. Both stay on the interim list until it sunsets, and then they are at risk.
The practical reading for anyone planning a move: 2026 is the year with a list you can rely on. An application made this year is decided against rules that exist. An application planned for 2027 is planned against rules that have not been written. Wider calendar in what is already dated for 2027.
What to do
- Get your occupation code in writing from the employer, and check it against Appendix Skilled Occupations yourself.
- Look up the going rate for that code and assume the higher of it and GBP 33,400 applies to you.
- Check whether the entry covers your whole code or only specified jobs within it.
- Confirm the employer is a licensed sponsor. The register is public and it takes a minute.
- If you can move in 2026, move in 2026. The list expires in December and what replaces it is a recommendation rather than a rule.
Related: what replaced the UK shortage occupation list, the Skilled Worker route in full and UK companies that sponsor. Browse UK shortage jobs with visa sponsorship on our board.
Last checked September 2026. The Temporary Shortage List is interim and scheduled to expire on 31 December 2026; the MAC’s July 2026 recommendations are not law. Always check Appendix Skilled Occupations for the live list and the going rate for your code.
