The July 2025 reforms left two temporary doors open for jobs below degree level: the interim Temporary Shortage List (52 occupation codes) and an expanded Immigration Salary List. Most of those doors close on 31 December 2026. Here is exactly which codes are affected, what the Migration Advisory Committee has recommended for 2027, and what to do if your code is on the wrong side of the line.
What ends on 31 December 2026
- The interim Temporary Shortage List. An occupation on it only counts if the Certificate of Sponsorship was issued before 31 December 2026 (SW 6.1A of Appendix Skilled Worker). The list gives access, not a discount: the worker still needs the full £41,700 or the going rate, whichever is higher (£33,400 under the new entrant rules), and cannot bring dependants.
- 23 of the 25 Immigration Salary List entries. These expire the same day. The ISL matters because it lowers the general threshold to £33,400 and cuts the visa fee (£628 or £1,235 instead of £819 or £1,618).
- Not ending: care workers and senior care workers (6135 and 6136) stay on the ISL for in-country switching until 22 July 2028 — see our care worker visa guide. Higher Skilled (RQF 6) occupations are unaffected: they never depended on either list.
What the MAC recommended on 23 July 2026
The Home Secretary asked the Migration Advisory Committee to decide which occupations deserve a place on a new list. Its Stage 2 report recommends 28 occupations for 18 months, from January 2027 to the end of June 2028, and none for the full three years, because no sector produced a Jobs Plan strong enough. Twenty are on the current list; eight would be added. The government has not yet accepted or rejected the advice, and nothing takes effect until a Statement of Changes puts a list in the Rules.
The 20 current codes the MAC would keep
| SOC code | Occupation (MAC Table 3.2) |
|---|---|
| 3112 | Electrical and electronics technicians |
| 3113 | Engineering technicians |
| 3114 | Building and civil engineering technicians |
| 3116 | Planning, process and production technicians |
| 3120 | CAD, drawing and architectural technicians |
| 3133 | Database administrators and web content technicians |
| 3512 | Ship and hovercraft officers |
| 3544 | Data analysts |
| 5213 | Welding trades |
| 5214 | Pipe fitters |
| 5223 | Metal working production and maintenance fitters |
| 5235 | Boat and ship builders and repairers |
| 5241 | Electricians and electrical fitters |
| 5242 | Telecoms and related network installers and repairers |
| 5249 | Electrical and electronic trades not elsewhere classified — overhead line workers only |
| 5315 | Plumbers and heating and ventilating installers and repairers |
| 5319 | Construction and building trades not elsewhere classified — building envelope specialists and curtain wall installers only |
| 5322 | Floorers and wall tilers |
| 5323 | Painters and decorators |
| 5330 | Construction and building trades supervisors |
The 8 codes the MAC would add
| SOC code | Occupation |
|---|---|
| 5211 | Sheet metal workers |
| 5212 | Metal plate workers, smiths, moulders and related occupations |
| 5221 | Metal machining setters and setter-operators |
| 5313 | Bricklayers — currently on the Immigration Salary List |
| 5314 | Roofers, roof tilers and slaters — currently on the Immigration Salary List |
| 5316 | Carpenters and joiners — currently on the Immigration Salary List |
| 5321 | Plasterers |
| 8113 | Chemical and related process operatives |
Three of the additions — bricklayers, roofers and carpenters — are on the Immigration Salary List today. Moving to the Temporary Shortage List keeps them sponsorable but, on the current rules, would remove the ISL’s £33,400 threshold and reduced fee.
The 32 current codes the MAC would drop
| SOC code | Occupation and the MAC’s reason |
|---|---|
| 1243 | Managers in logistics — Jobs Plan not credible |
| 1258 | Directors in consultancy services — not among the 28 recommended |
| 3111 | Laboratory technicians — not in shortage |
| 3115 | Quality assurance technicians — not in shortage |
| 3131 | IT operations technicians — not among the 28 recommended |
| 3132 | IT user support technicians — not among the 28 recommended |
| 3412 | Authors, writers and translators — not among the 28 recommended |
| 3414 | Dancers and choreographers — separate recommendation: specific dancer roles only |
| 3417 | Photographers, audio-visual and broadcasting equipment operators — not among the 28 recommended |
| 3422 | Clothing, fashion and accessories designers — not among the 28 recommended |
| 3429 | Design occupations not elsewhere classified — failed the access test |
| 3520 | Legal associate professionals — not among the 28 recommended |
| 3532 | Insurance underwriters — not among the 28 recommended |
| 3533 | Financial and accounting technicians — Jobs Plan not credible |
| 3541 | Estimators, valuers and assessors — Jobs Plan not credible |
| 3549 | Business associate professionals not elsewhere classified — not in shortage |
| 3552 | Business sales executives — Jobs Plan not credible |
| 3554 | Advertising and marketing associate professionals — not in shortage |
| 3571 | Human resources and industrial relations officers — not among the 28 recommended |
| 3573 | Information technology trainers — not among the 28 recommended |
| 4121 | Credit controllers — not among the 28 recommended |
| 4122 | Book-keepers, payroll managers and wages clerks — not among the 28 recommended |
| 4129 | Financial administrative occupations not elsewhere classified — not among the 28 recommended |
| 4132 | Pensions and insurance clerks and assistants — not among the 28 recommended |
| 5225 | Air-conditioning and refrigeration installers and repairers — Jobs Plan not credible |
| 5231 | Vehicle technicians, mechanics and electricians — failed the access test |
| 5232 | Vehicle body builders and repairers — not among the 28 recommended |
| 5233 | Vehicle paint technicians — not among the 28 recommended |
| 5244 | Computer system and equipment installers and servicers — not among the 28 recommended |
| 5245 | Security system installers and repairers — Jobs Plan not credible |
| 5311 | Steel erectors — not among the 28 recommended |
| 8133 | Energy plant operatives — not among the 28 recommended |
Dancers and choreographers (3414) and musicians (3415) get a separate recommendation: the MAC suggests adding only specific roles to the Skilled Worker route — classical or contemporary dancers and orchestral musicians meeting internationally recognised UK company or orchestra standards — rather than keeping the whole occupation on a shortage list.
Nothing is decided until the Rules change
The MAC advises; the Home Office decides. As of 7 November 2026 there is no government response and no Statement of Changes. The December 2026 Statement of Changes, which is also expected to start laying the earned settlement rules, is the likely vehicle. If no new list is in force on 1 January 2027, there is simply no access for any RQF 3–5 occupation outside the care codes.
If your code is being dropped (or the list is not renewed)
- Get the Certificate of Sponsorship issued before 31 December 2026. The date that matters is the issue date on the certificate, not the application date, but you must then apply within three months of the certificate being assigned.
- Check the salary now. A late certificate still has to clear £41,700 or the going rate; use the code page for your occupation.
- If you are already sponsored in the code, the Rules as written say nothing about your extension: an extension needs a new certificate, and a certificate issued after the deadline cannot rely on the interim list. Immigration practitioners expect transitional protection so that people already in the route can extend and change employer, and the MAC’s approach assumes it, but it needs to be written into the Rules. Keep your current permission continuous and do not let it lapse.
- Consider a Higher Skilled code honestly. If your actual duties fit an RQF 6 occupation, that code is the stable route — but the Home Office checks that the duties match, and a mismatch costs the sponsor its licence.
If your code is kept or added
- The recommended access is 18 months, so a new list would run to 30 June 2028, with sectors asked to submit updated Jobs Plans in October 2027 to keep access beyond that.
- The dependant ban for RQF 3–5 workers stays. The MAC did not recommend lifting it.
- Construction access would be tightly limited to the job titles that made a case, with monitoring for exploitation and displacement. Expect the Rules to name titles, not just codes, for 5249 and 5319.
- Salary: the MAC’s separate December 2025 salary review proposed occupation-specific thresholds for list occupations. Nothing has been adopted, so plan on £41,700 or the going rate.
The 23 Immigration Salary List entries expiring on 31 December 2026
| SOC code | Occupation |
|---|---|
| 1212 | Managers and proprietors in forestry, fishing and related services |
| 1232 | Residential, day and domiciliary care managers and proprietors |
| 2111 | Chemical scientists |
| 2112 | Biological scientists |
| 2115 | Social and humanities scientists |
| 2142 | Graphic and multimedia designers |
| 3111 | Laboratory technicians — MAC: not in shortage |
| 3212 | Pharmaceutical technicians |
| 3411 | Artists |
| 3414 | Dancers and choreographers — MAC: separate recommendation: specific dancer roles only |
| 3415 | Musicians — MAC: separate recommendation: specific orchestral roles only |
| 3416 | Arts officers, producers and directors |
| 5119 | Agricultural and fishing trades not elsewhere classified |
| 5213 | Welding trades |
| 5235 | Boat and ship builders and repairers |
| 5312 | Stonemasons and related trades |
| 5313 | Bricklayers — recommended for the new Temporary Shortage List |
| 5314 | Roofers, roof tilers and slaters — recommended for the new Temporary Shortage List |
| 5316 | Carpenters and joiners — recommended for the new Temporary Shortage List |
| 5319 | Construction and building trades not elsewhere classified |
| 6129 | Animal care services occupations not elsewhere classified |
| 6131 | Nursing auxiliaries and assistants |
| 9119 | Fishing and other elementary agriculture occupations not elsewhere classified |
Some of these are Higher Skilled codes that only used the ISL for its £33,400 threshold (biological scientists, graphic designers, pharmaceutical technicians, artists): they stay sponsorable after the deadline at the full salary. The Medium Skilled ones — nursing auxiliaries (6131), care managers (1232), laboratory technicians, animal care — lose access entirely unless they are placed on a new list. The MAC recommended no access for laboratory technicians (3111) and has published nothing on 6131 or 1232.
Dates to watch
- December 2026 — Statement of Changes expected; this is where a new list, transitional rules for existing workers and the ISL’s future would appear.
- 31 December 2026 — last day a Certificate of Sponsorship can be issued under the interim Temporary Shortage List and the expiring ISL entries.
- 1 January 2027 — earliest start of a new list, if the government accepts the MAC’s advice.
- 30 June 2028 — end of the recommended 18-month access; 22 July 2028 — end of in-country switching for care workers.
We will email subscribers when the Statement of Changes is published — the sign-up box is at the bottom of this page. Every code page on this site shows its own deadline in the “at a glance” box.
