If your UK move depends on a lower salary floor, the ground is moving. The Home Office is winding down the route that let employers pay below the standard rate for shortage jobs. The UK Immigration Salary List is being phased out by the end of 2026 and replaced by a tighter, time-limited Temporary Shortage List. If you are eyeing a Skilled Worker visa, the discount you were counting on may not be there much longer. Here is what is changing and how to move before the door narrows.
By the Travel Explore editorial desk. Last updated 20 July 2026.
Quick navigation
- Why the Immigration Salary List is disappearing
- The Temporary Shortage List explained
- What employers and applicants should do before December
- Frequently asked questions
Why the Immigration Salary List is disappearing
The Immigration Salary List let sponsors fill shortage roles while paying a reduced salary threshold. Following the 2025 immigration white paper, the government is closing that discount. The standard minimum for most Skilled Worker applications now sits at 41,700 pounds a year or the going rate for the job, whichever is higher, with lower floors for roles tied to a relevant PhD or to shortage lists. The salary-discount mechanism behind the old list is being retired so that sponsorship reflects the true market rate, and the list itself is set to be gone by December 2026.
The Temporary Shortage List explained
In its place comes a Temporary Shortage List: a smaller set of around 60 critical roles, many at the RQF level 3 to 5 skill band, with access granted on a time-limited basis rather than indefinitely. The intent is to let genuinely short-staffed sectors recruit while the domestic workforce catches up — not to keep wages permanently suppressed. Take a Filipino nurse weighing a UK move: a health role that sat comfortably on the old salary list may still appear on the temporary list, but the pay it must clear — and how long the concession lasts — can differ. Checking the current going rate for the exact occupation code, not last year’s, is now essential before you accept an offer.
Not sure if your role survives the shortlist? Talk it through at https://linktr.ee/travelexpore
What employers and applicants should do before December
Timing is everything. If you have an offer in a role on the outgoing list, getting the certificate of sponsorship assigned before the changes bite can protect the lower threshold for that application. Applicants should confirm the salary on the offer letter meets both the general floor and the occupation going rate, and keep payslips that prove it once they arrive. If a UK route looks shaky on pay, line up alternatives early — compare it against work-and-settle options like the UK Graduate Route or Gulf residency routes such as the Saudi Premium Residency categories.
Key points to remember
- The Immigration Salary List is set to be phased out by December 2026.
- A Temporary Shortage List of about 60 roles replaces it, time-limited.
- The general Skilled Worker floor is 41,700 pounds or the going rate, whichever is higher.
- Assigning sponsorship before the change can protect the older threshold.
Frequently asked questions
What is replacing the Immigration Salary List? A Temporary Shortage List of roughly 60 critical roles, granted on a time-limited basis rather than permanently.
Will salaries for shortage roles go up? Effectively yes — the salary discount tied to the old list is being removed, so offers must reflect the going rate.
When does the change take full effect? The Immigration Salary List is expected to be fully phased out by the end of 2026.
Does this affect people already on a Skilled Worker visa? Existing holders should check thresholds carefully at extension or job change, as the floors have risen.
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- LinkedIn: The UK is retiring the salary discount for shortage jobs. If your Skilled Worker offer relies on it, act before December.
- Twitter/X: The UK Immigration Salary List is being phased out. A leaner Temporary Shortage List takes over.
- Facebook: Planning a UK work move? The rules on minimum pay for shortage roles are tightening fast.
Lock in your UK route early
If a UK job is your plan, do not wait for the list to vanish. Confirm your offer clears the new floor, get sponsorship moving, and let us pressure-test your route at https://linktr.ee/travelexpore
Sources
- GOV.UK / MAC — Review of Salary Requirements report, January 2026 [T0]: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/696f89a5c0f4afaa9536a0c3/Salaries_Requirements_Review_Report_-_Jan_2026.pdf
- House of Commons Library — Changes to UK visa and settlement rules after the 2025 white paper [T1]: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-10267/