Shortage Occupation List UK: What Replaced It in 2024

What was the Shortage Occupation List?

Before April 2024, the UK's Skilled Worker route included a Shortage Occupation List (SOL) — a list of occupations the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) identified as being in genuine shortage. Roles on the SOL benefited from a 20% salary discount, meaning the going rate threshold was 80% of the standard rate for that job.

The SOL was reviewed periodically by the MAC. Jobs on it included certain nursing specialisms, some engineering roles, and care positions. The concept was to reduce the cost of international recruitment in sectors the UK genuinely struggled to fill domestically.

What replaced the SOL: the Immigration Salary List (ISL)

From 4 April 2024, the SOL was abolished and replaced by the Immigration Salary List (ISL). Later changes also introduced the Temporary Shortage List (TSL) for specified below-RQF-6 occupations. These lists are not interchangeable: each can affect occupation eligibility, salary options and dependant rules differently.

Which occupations are on the Immigration Salary List?

The ISL is smaller than the old SOL. As of the most recent MAC review, it includes roles in areas such as:

• Nursing and midwifery — SOC 2231 (nurses) remains on the ISL, allowing NHS trusts to recruit at Band 5 starting salaries
• Some allied health professional roles — physiotherapists, radiographers, and certain other clinical occupations
• Certain engineering and technical occupations — check your specific SOC code against the published list

Care workers and home carers now use SOC 6135, and senior care workers use SOC 6136. New overseas applications for those occupations closed on 22 July 2025, with only limited in-country transition arrangements running to 22 July 2028. See the care-worker guide rather than relying on an old shortage-list article.

Always check the official ISL on GOV.UK — it lists every eligible SOC code with the standard going rate and the discounted ISL rate side by side.

How to check if your occupation qualifies

1. Find your SOC code. Look up your job title in the eligible occupations list on GOV.UK. This gives you your Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code.
2. Check if your SOC is on the ISL. Download the Immigration Salary List and look for your SOC code. If it appears, the 20% discount applies to the going rate.
3. Calculate the applicable salary option. The standard threshold is £41,700 or the going rate, whichever is higher, while defined reduced and route-specific options use different floors and percentages. Read the salary guide.
4. Find a licensed employer for your role. Use FindMySponsor to search the official GOV.UK register by industry, city, or route.

Example: Registered Nurse (SOC 2231)

National-pay-scale healthcare occupations can use route-specific salary tables rather than the general Skilled Worker calculation. Confirm the exact occupation code, applicable national pay scale and current Health and Care Worker table on GOV.UK; list membership alone does not establish the required salary.

Find licensed employers

Knowing your SOC code and salary is only part of the process. You also need an employer with an active licence and a suitable vacancy. Use the licence checker for exact-name verification; register presence does not prove hiring or guarantee sponsorship.

• Verify an employer's exact register identity
• Check the current SOC classification and list status
• London source-location sponsors · Manchester · Birmingham

Related guides

• Full Skilled Worker eligibility requirements
• Salary thresholds explained (2026)
• Health and Care Worker visa
• How to get visa sponsorship in the UK