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Create ResumeThe UK Shortage Occupation List has been replaced. If you are searching for the Shortage Occupation List UK, what you actually need to check now is the Immigration Salary List, the Temporary Shortage List, the Skilled Worker eligible occupation codes, and the salary rules that apply to your specific role. This matters because being in a shortage role no longer means what many candidates think it means. It does not automatically guarantee visa sponsorship, does not make a weak application competitive, and does not remove salary requirements. In real hiring, employers still ask the same practical question: can this person do the job, does the role qualify, and is sponsorship worth the time, cost, and compliance risk?
The phrase Shortage Occupation List UK is still widely searched, but in current UK hiring and immigration practice, it is an outdated term. The old list was replaced by the Immigration Salary List from April 2024, and the UK system has continued moving towards more restrictive salary, skill level, and sponsorship rules. GOV.UK states that the Immigration Salary List is for job types with a lower salary threshold for the Skilled Worker visa and Health and Care Worker visa, and the current government guidance also refers to a Temporary Shortage List for certain medium skilled jobs.
The Shortage Occupation List was a UK immigration list used under the Skilled Worker route to identify occupations where employers were facing labour shortages. In simple terms, it was meant to signal that the UK needed more workers in certain roles and that some sponsorship rules could be more flexible for those jobs.
That is the theory.
In practice, candidates often misunderstood it. I have seen people treat the old Shortage Occupation List as if it was a golden ticket. It was not. A role being on the list never meant:
Every employer would sponsor you
You could apply without meeting the job requirements
Recruiters would prioritise you automatically
The salary could be whatever the employer felt like paying
A job title alone was enough to qualify
The visa process would become simple
What it did mean was narrower: certain occupations could benefit from specific immigration advantages, mainly around salary thresholds and visa fees, depending on the rules at the time.
No. The UK Shortage Occupation List no longer exists under that name. It was replaced by the Immigration Salary List from April 2024. The previous 20 percent going rate discount for shortage occupations was also removed as part of the changes announced by the UK government and reviewed by the Migration Advisory Committee.
This is the part many candidates miss. They search for the old list, find outdated articles, then make decisions based on rules that no longer apply. That can lead to wasted applications, poor salary expectations, and conversations with employers that fall apart once sponsorship is discussed properly.
The current UK system is more salary focused and more compliance focused than many candidates expect. Employers are not simply asking, “Is this job in shortage?” They are asking:
Is the occupation code eligible?
Is the role classified as higher skilled or medium skilled?
Is the salary high enough for the relevant route?
Does the worker qualify under the right option?
Is the employer licensed to sponsor?
That distinction matters because UK hiring does not work on labels alone. Recruiters and hiring managers do not shortlist candidates because a role sounds in demand. They shortlist candidates when the experience, salary, visa eligibility, timing, and hiring need all make sense together.
Is the job genuinely at the required level?
Can the business justify the sponsorship if challenged?
That is why the old phrase Shortage Occupation List UK is still useful for search, but risky for decision making. The wording candidates use has not caught up with the rules employers now have to follow.
The main replacement for the Shortage Occupation List is the Immigration Salary List, often shortened to ISL. There is also a Temporary Shortage List, which matters for certain medium skilled roles.
The Immigration Salary List identifies occupations where reduced salary thresholds may apply under the Skilled Worker route. GOV.UK describes it as a list of jobs with lower salary requirements, and explains that if a job is on the list, the minimum salary is 80 percent of the route’s usual minimum rate. The listed annual salaries are based on a 37.5 hour working week and must be adjusted for other working patterns.
The Temporary Shortage List is separate. GOV.UK states that if a medium skilled job is on the Temporary Shortage List, an applicant may be able to apply when switching to the route, applying for entry clearance, or extending permission as a Skilled Worker.
In recruiter language, here is the practical difference:
The old Shortage Occupation List was understood by candidates as “jobs the UK needs”
The Immigration Salary List is more about salary concessions for certain jobs
The Temporary Shortage List creates a route for certain medium skilled roles under specific conditions
The Skilled Worker eligible occupation codes still decide whether the job can qualify at all
The going rate and general salary threshold still matter
This is where a lot of applications go wrong. Candidates focus on the list, but employers focus on the whole sponsorship picture.
The Immigration Salary List includes selected roles only. It is not a broad list of every job experiencing recruitment difficulty in the UK. Some roles apply UK wide, while others apply only in specific nations such as Scotland. GOV.UK also states that candidates must check whether the job is listed in the part of the UK where they will be working.
Current Immigration Salary List examples include roles such as:
Residential, day and domiciliary care managers and proprietors
Biological scientists
Archaeologists under social and humanities scientists
Graphic and multimedia designers
Pharmaceutical technicians
Artists
Certain dancers and choreographers
Certain fishing boat masters in Scotland
Certain chemical scientists in the nuclear industry in Scotland
This is not a full list, and it should not be treated as one. The official list changes, removal dates matter, and some roles are included only with very specific criteria. The Immigration Rules Appendix Immigration Salary List also shows removal dates for listed occupations, with current entries shown with a removal date of 31 December 2026.
The recruiter reality is this: the job title on your CV or job advert is not enough. UK immigration decisions are linked to occupation codes, job duties, salary, working hours, and route specific rules. A candidate saying “my job is in shortage” is not enough for an employer. A stronger conversation sounds more like:
Good Example:
“My role appears closest to SOC code 2112 Biological scientists. The role is listed on the Immigration Salary List UK wide, but I know the salary still needs to meet the relevant threshold and going rate. I wanted to check whether your organisation can sponsor under that code.”
That tells the employer you understand the process. It also reduces the vague sponsorship panic that sometimes makes hiring teams quietly move on.
The Temporary Shortage List includes certain medium skilled jobs. Current examples from GOV.UK include roles such as:
Managers in logistics
Laboratory technicians
Electrical and electronics technicians
Engineering technicians
Building and civil engineering technicians
IT operations technicians
IT user support technicians
Database administrators and web content technicians
Authors, writers and translators
Photographers and broadcasting equipment operators
Ship and hovercraft officers
Data analysts
Business sales executives
Human resources and industrial relations officers
Welding trades
Pipe fitters
Electricians and electrical fitters
Plumbers and heating and ventilating installers
Vehicle technicians, mechanics and electricians
Construction and building trades supervisors
The Temporary Shortage List is important because it reflects the current UK move towards allowing some medium skilled occupations under controlled conditions. But again, do not read it like a jobseeker wish list. Being on the list does not force employers to sponsor. It only means the occupation may be eligible under the rules if the role, salary, sponsor, and applicant meet the requirements.
This is one of the biggest gaps between immigration information and hiring reality. Immigration rules tell you what may be legally possible. Hiring decisions tell you what an employer is actually prepared to do.
Those are not the same thing. Annoying, yes. Important, absolutely.
The salary rules are where many candidates get caught out. A job being listed does not mean an employer can pay any salary they like.
GOV.UK explains that a Skilled Worker applicant may still be able to apply if the salary is below the standard salary requirement of £41,700 or below the standard going rate, but only if specific criteria apply. For the Immigration Salary List, GOV.UK states that the role must pay at least £33,400 per year and must still meet the standard going rate for the occupation code.
That means candidates need to check more than one number. The practical salary check is:
The general Skilled Worker salary threshold
The going rate for the occupation code
Whether the job is on the Immigration Salary List
Whether the applicant qualifies for any lower salary option
Whether the role is health, care, education, new entrant, PhD related, or transitional
Whether the salary is pro rated correctly for working hours
The phrase “lower salary threshold” can mislead people. It does not mean low salary. It means a lower threshold compared with the normal route, subject to rules.
From the employer side, salary is not just a budget issue. It is a compliance issue. If the salary does not fit the visa route, the employer cannot simply “make it work” because they like the candidate. Sponsorship is not a favour. It is a regulated process.
The safest way to check whether your job qualifies is not to search only by job title. You need to identify the correct occupation code and then check the relevant UK government lists.
Use this practical process:
Start with the actual duties of the job, not just the title
Identify the closest SOC 2020 occupation code
Check whether that code is eligible for Skilled Worker sponsorship
Check whether it is higher skilled, medium skilled, or ineligible
Check whether it appears on the Immigration Salary List or Temporary Shortage List
Check the relevant salary threshold and going rate
Check whether the role applies UK wide or only in England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland
Check whether the employer holds a sponsor licence
Check whether the role is genuine and at the correct skill level
GOV.UK states that occupation codes changed on 4 April 2024, so older codes may no longer match current guidance. It also advises searching by similar job titles or occupation code if you cannot find your job immediately.
This matters because job titles in the UK market are messy. One company’s “analyst” is another company’s administrator. One “manager” role has real budget, people, and decision making responsibility. Another “manager” role is basically a senior coordinator with a better title and more meetings. Glamorous, obviously.
For sponsorship, duties matter. If the job description has been inflated to sound more senior than the work really is, the employer may struggle to justify the occupation code. If the job title sounds ordinary but the duties are highly technical, the correct code may be more favourable than the title suggests.
The biggest misconception is that shortage means easy. It does not.
A shortage occupation or listed occupation can improve the immigration route in specific ways, but it does not solve the hiring decision. Employers still assess candidates against the job brief, team needs, salary budget, sponsorship readiness, start date, and risk.
Here are the misunderstandings I see most often.
They do not. Sponsorship is voluntary. Even if the role qualifies, the employer still needs a sponsor licence, internal approval, budget, HR capability, compliance confidence, and a willingness to wait.
Many companies say “we are open to sponsorship” when what they actually mean is:
“We may consider it for a candidate who is clearly stronger than the local applicant pool, and only if the role, salary, timing, and compliance process are manageable.”
That is not the same as being truly sponsorship ready.
Some do. Many do not. Internal recruiters in sponsor heavy sectors usually understand the basics. Agency recruiters vary a lot. Hiring managers often know even less.
That means candidates sometimes need to present the sponsorship picture clearly without sounding demanding or legally overconfident.
A good message does not say:
Weak Example:
“My job is on the Shortage Occupation List so visa sponsorship should be easy.”
A better version says:
Good Example:
“My role appears to align with an eligible Skilled Worker occupation code, and I understand the salary and sponsorship requirements would still need to be checked. I wanted to confirm whether sponsorship is available for this vacancy before progressing.”
That is calm, informed, and easier for a recruiter to work with.
Not always. A role can be recognised as difficult to fill, but that does not mean there are endless vacancies, fast hiring processes, or relaxed standards.
Some shortage areas are niche. Some require UK specific regulation, registration, security clearance, site based working, professional licences, or sector experience. In those cases, the shortage is not simply about not enough applicants. It is about not enough applicants who can actually do the job under UK conditions.
No. Your CV still matters enormously.
If the employer has to sponsor, your CV needs to reduce doubt quickly. It should make the role match obvious, show relevant duties clearly, and avoid vague phrases that force the recruiter to guess.
For sponsored candidates, ambiguity is expensive. If I cannot quickly see why your background matches the role, I know the hiring manager will probably hesitate too.
Most recruiters do not sit there lovingly browsing the Immigration Salary List over morning coffee. The process is usually more reactive.
A hiring need appears. The employer tries to recruit. They assess whether local candidates are available. If the role is difficult to fill or the strongest candidate requires sponsorship, HR or talent acquisition checks whether sponsorship is possible.
At that point, the questions become practical:
Does the company have a sponsor licence?
Has the company sponsored this type of role before?
Does the salary fit the rules?
Is the role genuinely eligible?
Is the candidate worth the process compared with available alternatives?
Will the hiring manager wait?
Will legal or HR approve the Certificate of Sponsorship?
Is there any reputational or compliance risk?
This is why two candidates can have very different outcomes for the same role. One candidate may be progressed because the employer has already sponsored similar hires. Another may be rejected because the same employer has no appetite for sponsorship in that business unit.
It is not always fair. It is not always consistent. But it is how hiring often works.
When employers say “we cannot sponsor for this role”, they may mean several different things:
The role is not eligible
The salary is too low
The company does not have a sponsor licence
The company has a sponsor licence but will not use it for this level
The hiring manager wants someone who can start faster
HR has restricted sponsorship because of cost or compliance
They have enough applicants who do not need sponsorship
They do not understand the route well enough and prefer not to risk it
Candidates often hear one sentence and assume one reason. In reality, there may be five reasons sitting behind it.
If you need UK visa sponsorship, your goal is not to apologise for it or hide it until the final stage. Your goal is to make the employer’s decision easier.
You need to show three things quickly:
Role fit: your experience clearly matches the vacancy
Visa clarity: you understand the sponsorship requirements are specific
Commercial value: you bring enough value to justify the process
The worst approach is to make sponsorship feel like a surprise admin problem. Employers hate surprises in hiring. Recruiters hate them even more because they then have to explain the mess to the hiring manager, HR, and sometimes themselves.
A stronger approach is to be clear, but not heavy handed.
Good Example:
“I currently require Skilled Worker sponsorship. My background is closely aligned with this role, particularly across laboratory testing, quality procedures, and regulated documentation. I understand sponsorship depends on the occupation code, salary threshold, and employer licence, so I am happy to discuss this early if useful.”
This works because it does not sound entitled. It also points the recruiter towards the real checks.
Your CV should also be precise. Avoid broad claims like “experienced professional seeking opportunities in the UK”. That tells me nothing. Show duties, tools, sector exposure, outcomes, regulatory environments, systems, and technical scope.
For example, instead of writing:
Weak Example:
“Responsible for data analysis and reports.”
Write:
Good Example:
“Analysed operational data using SQL and Power BI to identify process delays, improve weekly reporting accuracy, and support senior management decisions across logistics performance.”
The second version gives the recruiter something to work with. It helps them understand the level and relevance of the role.
Candidates often think sponsorship rejection is personal. Sometimes it is simply practical.
Employers worry about:
Cost
Processing time
Compliance duties
Salary thresholds
Whether the candidate will stay
Whether the role genuinely qualifies
Internal HR capacity
Mistakes on occupation codes
Future immigration rule changes
Hiring manager impatience
The uncomfortable truth is that employers compare risk. A candidate who does not need sponsorship may look easier even when they are slightly weaker. That does not mean sponsored candidates cannot compete. It means they need to remove as much uncertainty as possible.
This is where strong positioning matters. You cannot control the employer’s sponsor licence. You cannot control government policy. But you can control whether your application makes sense quickly.
A sponsored candidate with a sharp, relevant, well positioned CV often has a better chance than a local candidate with a vague, lazy application. But a sponsored candidate with a generic CV will usually struggle because the employer has more work to do before they can even justify the conversation.
The first mistake is using outdated terminology with too much confidence. If you write to an employer saying “I am on the Shortage Occupation List”, it may signal that you have not checked the current UK rules. It is better to refer to the Immigration Salary List, Temporary Shortage List, Skilled Worker route, or occupation code where relevant.
The second mistake is relying on the job title. UK job titles are not reliable enough. You need to compare duties against the occupation code.
The third mistake is ignoring salary. A role can be eligible in theory and fail in practice because the salary does not meet the required threshold.
The fourth mistake is applying to employers that clearly do not sponsor. If a company says applicants must already have the right to work in the UK, believe them unless there is clear evidence otherwise. Do not spend your whole job search trying to persuade closed doors to become doors. That is not strategy. That is emotional cardio.
The fifth mistake is hiding sponsorship until late. Some candidates do this because they fear rejection. I understand the instinct, but it often backfires. If sponsorship is essential, it needs to be discussed before both sides invest too much time.
The sixth mistake is sounding like immigration is the employer’s problem to solve. Employers are more receptive when candidates show they understand the process, but they do not want a lecture. Keep it clear, practical, and relevant.
Before applying for a UK role where sponsorship may matter, check the following:
Is the employer listed as a licensed sponsor?
Has the employer sponsored similar roles before?
Is the role eligible under the Skilled Worker occupation code list?
Is the role higher skilled or medium skilled?
Does it appear on the Immigration Salary List or Temporary Shortage List?
Does the salary meet the required threshold and going rate?
Is the salary based on full time hours or a different working pattern?
Does the role location matter, such as Scotland only or UK wide?
Does the job description genuinely match the occupation code?
Does your CV make the match obvious within the first half of the first page?
Are you being transparent about sponsorship at the right stage?
Can you explain your visa situation clearly in one or two sentences?
This checklist is not glamorous, but it saves time. A lot of job search frustration comes from applying before checking whether the route is realistic.
The replacement of the Shortage Occupation List reflects a bigger shift in the UK job market. The government has moved away from a broad shortage based narrative and towards tighter salary, skill, and sponsorship controls.
For candidates, that means the bar is higher. You need to understand the rules and position yourself clearly.
For employers, it means sponsorship decisions are more deliberate. They are less likely to sponsor casually for roles that do not meet salary, skill, or business need expectations.
For recruiters, it means more screening pressure. We are not only assessing whether someone can do the job. We are also watching whether the process can realistically get through HR, immigration checks, salary approval, and hiring manager expectations.
The real lesson is this: do not build your UK job search around the old Shortage Occupation List. Build it around eligible occupation codes, realistic salary thresholds, sponsor ready employers, and strong candidate positioning.
That is the difference between searching hopefully and applying strategically.
Written by Simar Malhi, a recruiter and headhunter with international recruitment experience. I write about CVs, job applications, hiring decisions, and the reality behind recruitment processes. My goal is to help candidates understand more honestly how employers, recruiters, and hiring managers actually select candidates.
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