The Temporary Shortage List is a list of 52 occupation codes written into paragraph SW 6.1A of Appendix Skilled Worker. A job on it can qualify for a Skilled Worker visa even though it is below graduate level. It applies only where the certificate of sponsorship was issued before 31 December 2026.
Key points
- It sits in paragraph SW 6.1A of Appendix Skilled Worker and covers medium skilled jobs, such as electricians, plumbers and data analysts.
- It only applies where the certificate of sponsorship was issued before 31 December 2026.
- It makes a medium skilled job eligible, but it does not lower the salary. A job only on this list does not get the lower Immigration Salary List rate.
- GOV.UK says a worker on a listed medium skilled job can apply for entry clearance, switch to the route or extend their permission.
- Salary discounts for new entrants or PhD holders may still be available for these jobs.
How the Temporary Shortage List works
The Skilled Worker visa is aimed at jobs skilled to graduate level. The Temporary Shortage List makes an exception for some jobs below that level. It is set out in paragraph SW 6.1A of Appendix Skilled Worker and lists 52 occupation codes. A code, or an eligible job within a code, is on the list only where the application is made using a certificate of sponsorship issued before 31 December 2026.[2]Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Worker
GOV.UK describes these as medium skilled jobs. If the occupation code of a job is listed as medium skilled, the worker can apply if the job is on the Temporary Shortage List or on the Immigration Salary List.[3]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: Your job The GOV.UK page for the list says a worker in a listed medium skilled job can apply if they are switching to the route or applying for entry clearance, as well as when extending permission as a Skilled Worker.[1]UK Visas and Immigration, Skilled Worker visa: temporary shortage list
The sponsor guidance explains the purpose. It says the list includes occupations at skill levels 3 to 5 on the Regulated Qualifications Framework that the Department for Business and Trade and HM Treasury identified as important for the Modern Industrial Strategy. It also says entries are time-limited and conditional.[4]UK Visas and Immigration, Workers and Temporary Workers: sponsor a skilled worker (accessible)
What is on the list and what it does not do
The list is made up of occupation codes. Some entries cover a whole code. Others cover only named job types within a code. The table shows a few entries, with the standard rate that GOV.UK gives for each.[1]UK Visas and Immigration, Skilled Worker visa: temporary shortage list
| Occupation code | Job type | Standard rate per year |
|---|---|---|
| 1243 | Managers in logistics | £44,900 |
| 3544 | Data analysts | £34,900 |
| 4122 | Book-keepers, payroll managers and wages clerks | £33,400 |
| 5241 | Electricians and electrical fitters | £38,800 |
| 5323 | Painters and decorators | £33,400 |
The list does not lower the salary requirement. The sponsor guidance says jobs on the Temporary Shortage List are not eligible for the discounted salary under points options D and I unless they also appear on the Immigration Salary List.[4]UK Visas and Immigration, Workers and Temporary Workers: sponsor a skilled worker (accessible) Option D needs the worker to be sponsored for a job on the Immigration Salary List.[2]Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Worker The GOV.UK page for the list says salary discounts for PhD holders and new entrants may still be possible for these occupations.[1]UK Visas and Immigration, Skilled Worker visa: temporary shortage list A new entrant is a worker at the start of their career who meets one of the listed tests.
The annual salaries on the list are based on a 37.5-hour week and must be pro-rated for other working patterns.[1]UK Visas and Immigration, Skilled Worker visa: temporary shortage list The two lists are separate. The Immigration Salary List has its own appendix and its own removal dates.[5]Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix Immigration Salary List
Example
Daniel is an electrician with an offer from a UK company. Electricians and electrical fitters are code 5241 on the Temporary Shortage List, with a standard rate of £38,800.[1]UK Visas and Immigration, Skilled Worker visa: temporary shortage list The job is below graduate level, so it can be sponsored only because the code is on the list, and only if the certificate of sponsorship is issued before 31 December 2026.[2]Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Worker
The usual Skilled Worker minimum is whichever is highest of £41,700 a year and the going rate for the job.[3]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: Your job The going rate of £38,800 is lower than £41,700. Because 5241 is not on the Immigration Salary List, the lower figure of £33,400 under that list is not available. Daniel’s salary would need to reach £41,700, unless a discount such as the new entrant rate applies to him.[4]UK Visas and Immigration, Workers and Temporary Workers: sponsor a skilled worker (accessible)
What people get wrong
Many people read the name of the list as meaning a shortage job gets a lower salary. It does not. The sponsor guidance says a job only on the Temporary Shortage List is not eligible for the discounted salary that applies to the Immigration Salary List.
The second mistake is about timing. The list applies only where the certificate of sponsorship was issued before 31 December 2026.[2]Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Worker A job that is on the list today can therefore stop qualifying for new certificates after that date, unless the Immigration Rules change.
The bottom line
The Temporary Shortage List opens the Skilled Worker route to 52 medium skilled occupation codes. It does not reduce the salary, and it is tied to certificates issued before 31 December 2026. The rules are in paragraph SW 6.1A of Appendix Skilled Worker, and GOV.UK publishes the full table of jobs and going rates.
Common questions
It makes certain medium skilled jobs eligible for the Skilled Worker route. Without it, jobs below graduate level are usually not eligible unless they are on the Immigration Salary List or a transitional rule applies.
No. The sponsor guidance says a job only on the Temporary Shortage List is not eligible for the discounted salary that applies to the Immigration Salary List. New entrant and PhD discounts may still apply.
The rules say an occupation is on the list only where the certificate of sponsorship was issued before 31 December 2026. The sponsor guidance calls the entries time-limited and conditional.
GOV.UK says that for a listed medium skilled job a worker can apply for entry clearance, switch to the Skilled Worker route or extend their permission. A new application still needs a sponsor and a certificate of sponsorship.
Sources
We cite the Immigration Rules, legislation and GOV.UK guidance directly. Rules change, so each source shows the date we last checked it.
- UK Visas and Immigration. Skilled Worker visa: temporary shortage list. Checked 11 November 2026. ↩
- Home Office. Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Worker. Checked 11 November 2026. ↩
- Home Office. Skilled Worker visa: Your job. Checked 11 November 2026. ↩
- UK Visas and Immigration. Workers and Temporary Workers: sponsor a skilled worker (accessible). Checked 11 November 2026. ↩
- Home Office. Immigration Rules Appendix Immigration Salary List. Checked 11 November 2026. ↩