The Government is scrapping the Immigration Salary List and replacing it with the Temporary Shortage List (TSL).

The clue is in the name:

1. Temporary – jobs can pop on and off the list quickly.
2. Shortage – you must prove the UK really can’t fill the role right now.
3. List – onlythe roles written on it get special access to a Skilled Worker visa.

Temporary Shortage List: SOC Code and Job Title

‍
• 1243 Managers in logistics
• 1258 Directors in consultancy services
• 3111 Laboratory technicians
• 3112 Electrical and electronics technicians
• 3113 Engineering technicians
• 3114 Building and civil engineering technicians
• 3115 Quality assurance technicians
• 3116 Planning, process and production technicians
• 3120 CAD, drawing and architectural technicians
• 3131 IT operations technicians
• 3132 IT user support technicians
• 3133 Database administrators and web content technicians
• 3412 Authors, writers and translators
• 3414 Dancers and choreographers
• 3417 Photographers, audio-visual and broadcasting equipment operators
• 3422 Clothing, fashion and accessories designers

• 3429 Design occupations not elsewhere classified – only the following job types:
o Industrial and product designers
o Packaging designers
o Performance make-up artists
o Set designers
o Visual merchandising managers and designers
• 3512 Ship and hovercraft officers
• 3520 Legal associate professionals
• 3532 Insurance underwriters
• 3533 Financial and accounting technicians
• 3541 Estimators, valuers and assessors
• 3544 Data analysts
• 3549 Business associate professionals not elsewhere classified – only the following job types:
o Business support officers
o Business systems analysts
o Contract administrators
o Clinical coders
o Clinical trials administrators
o Research coordinators
• 3552 Business sales executives
• 3554 Advertising and marketing associate professionals
• 3571 Human resources and industrial relations officers
• 3573 Information technology trainers
• 4121 Credit controllers
• 4122 Book-keepers, payroll managers and wages clerks

• 4129 Financial administrative occupations not elsewhere classified – only the following job types:
o Box office assistants
o Grants officers
o Mortgage administrators
o Revenue assistants (excludes National and Local government revenue occupations)
o Treasury assistants
• 4132 Pensions and insurance clerks and assistants
• 5213 Welding trades
• 5214 Pipe fitters
• 5223 Metal working production and maintenance fitters
• 5225 Air-conditioning and refrigeration installers and repairers
• 5231 Vehicle technicians, mechanics and electricians
• 5232 Vehicle body builders and repairers
• 5233 Vehicle paint technicians
• 5235 Boat and ship builders and repairers
• 5241 Electricians and electrical fitters
• 5242 Telecoms and related network installers and repairers
• 5244 Computer system and equipment installers and servicers
• 5245 Security system installers and repairers
• 5249 Electrical and electronic trades not elsewhere classified
• 5311 Steel erectors
• 5315 Plumbers and heating and ventilating installers and repairers
• 5319 Construction and building trades not elsewhere classified – only the following job types:
o Builders
o Divers
o Fence erectors
o Industrial climbers
o Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) operators
o Steel fixers and underpinners
• 5322 Floorers and wall tilers
• 5323 Painters and decorators
• 5330 Construction and building trades supervisors
• 8133 Energy plant operatives

Who Does This Affect the Most?

This affectsany employer who sponsors staff for hands-on, sub-degree roles, think skilledtrades, senior care, manufacturing supervisors, and some IT support jobs. These sit at RQF Level 3-5 (A-Level/BTEC skill level).

Degree-levelroles (RQF 6+) keep using the standard Skilled Worker route as before.

Key differences from the old system

· No more salary discounts, every sponsored worker must meet the full Skilled Workerpay rate.

· Time limits. Inclusion on the list is strictly short-term.

· Caps on visas, shorter permission to stay, or even bans on bringing dependants couldapply.

Practical Impact on Sponsors

For employers,the most immediate change is the loss of salary discounts; meeting the full Skilled Worker minimum pay rate will become obligatory, and that will raise costs for many sectors traditionally reliant on sub-degree labour. The second change is unpredictability. A role may be eligible today but delisted tomorrow if the MAC decides the shortage is easing. Sponsors will therefore need to keep a close watch on list updates and build agility into their recruitment pipelines. Compliance duties will also ratchet up. To justify access to the TSL, sponsors must be able to show genuine UK recruitment efforts, internal training programmes and fair remuneration – evidence that may be called for in Home Office audits.

Small and medium-sized businesses face a further complication: they will depend on their trade associations to compile and maintain an acceptable workforce strategy. Even a fully compliant sponsor may lose visa access if its sector body cannot satisfy the MAC. Engaging with industry groups early and supplying them with data on skills gaps and training investment will be critical.

Why GigaLegal is keeping a close eye

In practice, flexible can mean unpredictable. A role you rely on today might vanish from the list tomorrow. Salaries go up, paperwork piles on, and small firms depend on how well their industry associations negotiate.

Our job is to help you in:

* Risk mapping– which roles are safe, which are exposed.

* Evidence packs – clean records of UK recruitment and training.

* Rapid strategy swaps – alternative visa routes when the TSL door closes.

Need a sanity check on how the TSL could hit your workforce?
 Drop GigaLegal’s Business Immigration team a line for a chat.