The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has recommended a significant reduction in the occupations eligible for the UK’s Temporary Shortage List (TSL).

Its Stage 2 report, published on 23 July 2026, recommends that just 28 occupations receive future TSL access, compared with the 52 occupations currently on the interim list. In practical terms, 32 of the current 52 occupations would no longer appear on the proposed future list if the Government accepts the recommendations.

For employers recruiting internationally, this is an important warning. The current TSL expires on 31 December 2026, and the list has been the main route allowing certain medium-skilled roles to access sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route.

The recommendations are not yet law. The Home Office must still decide what to implement. However, employers should not wait until the end of the year to assess the impact on their recruitment plans.

What is the Temporary Shortage List?

The TSL was introduced after changes to the Skilled Worker route raised the usual skills requirement to RQF Level 6, broadly equivalent to degree level.

Some roles at RQF Levels 3 to 5: often described as medium-skilled roles: would otherwise have lost access to sponsored work visas. The TSL was created as a limited exception for occupations considered important to the UK’s Industrial Strategy or critical infrastructure, where there is evidence of shortage and a credible plan to improve domestic workforce supply.

The MAC’s review assessed occupations against four broad questions:

1. Is the occupation currently in shortage, or likely to be in shortage?
2. Is there a credible and targeted plan to increase use of the domestic workforce?
3. Are risks of abuse or exploitation being managed?
4. Is continued immigration access an appropriate response?

The MAC concluded that many occupations did not meet these requirements sufficiently.

The current interim list can be reviewed on the GOV.UK Temporary Shortage List page.

The headline recommendation: 28 occupations for 18 months

The MAC has recommended that 28 occupations receive TSL access for an initial period of 18 months, expected to run from 1 January 2027 to 30 June 2028.

No occupation was considered to have a strong enough Jobs Plan to justify the standard three-year period. This makes the proposed future TSL more temporary and conditional than many employers may have expected.

The 28 recommended occupations are:

Advanced manufacturing

• Electrical and electronics technicians
• Engineering technicians
• Sheet metal workers
• Metal machining setters and setter-operators
• Metal working production and maintenance fitters
• Welding trades
• Boat and ship builders and repairers

Clean energy

• Planning, process and production technicians
• Metal plate workers, smiths, moulders and related occupations
• Electrical and electronic trades not elsewhere classified: limited to overhead line workers

Digital and technology

• Database administrators and web content technicians
• Data analysts
• Telecoms and related network installers and repairers

Foundational industries and critical infrastructure

• Building and civil engineering technicians
• CAD, drawing and architectural technicians
• Ship and hovercraft officers
• Pipe fitters
• Electricians and electrical fitters
• Bricklayers
• Roofers, roof tilers and slaters
• Plumbers and heating and ventilating installers and repairers
• Carpenters and joiners
• Construction and building trades not elsewhere classified: limited to building envelope specialists and curtain wall installers
• Plasterers
• Floorers and wall tilers
• Painters and decorators
• Construction and building trades supervisors
• Chemical and related process operatives

The recommendations retain 20 occupations from the current interim TSL and add eight occupations that were not previously on the interim list.

Which roles are at risk of losing access?

The roles most affected are not confined to one sector. The MAC has recommended that a number of office-based, professional, technical and vehicle-related occupations should not be included on the future list.

Examples include:

• Managers in logistics
• IT operations technicians
• IT user support technicians
• Legal associate professionals
• Advertising and marketing associate professionals
• Human resources and industrial relations officers
• Financial and accounting technicians
• Vehicle technicians, mechanics and electricians
• Vehicle body builders and repairers
• Vehicle paint technicians
• Certain business, sales and administrative occupations

The MAC’s reasoning varies by occupation. Some roles were considered not to show sufficient evidence of shortage. Others had Jobs Plans that were too general or did not demonstrate how domestic workforce supply would improve. Vehicle-related roles were also considered too concentrated in retail garages, vehicle repair and servicing rather than the core Industrial Strategy sectors.

The report specifically highlights the risks of relying on broad or transferable occupation codes. Where roles can plausibly fit several codes, employers may face greater scrutiny if they attempt to move recruitment into another code after an occupation loses TSL access.

Does the TSL reduce the Skilled Worker salary threshold?

This is an important point for sponsors.

The TSL preserves immigration access for eligible medium-skilled occupations, but being on the TSL does not automatically provide a general Skilled Worker salary discount.

Under the current Skilled Worker rules, the usual minimum salary is the higher of:

• £41,700 per year, or
• the applicable occupation-specific “going rate”.

The official Skilled Worker “Your job” guidance confirms that sponsors must normally meet both the general salary threshold and the going rate.

For example, the current TSL going rate for engineering technicians is £42,500. A new sponsored worker in that occupation would therefore generally need to be paid at least £42,500, because that is higher than £41,700.

For some occupations, the going rate is below £41,700. In those cases, the general threshold may remain the effective minimum.

The TSL table also contains “standard” and “lower” going rates. The lower rate is mainly relevant to transitional cases, including workers whose first Skilled Worker Certificate of Sponsorship was issued before 4 April 2024 and who have held continuous Skilled Worker permission.

Separate salary reductions may also be available in specific circumstances: for example, for qualifying new entrants or applicants with a relevant PhD. Those reductions arise from the wider Skilled Worker rules; they are not created simply because an occupation appears on the TSL.

Employers should therefore avoid assuming that a TSL role can be sponsored at a discounted salary. The occupation code, worker’s circumstances, going rate and applicable transitional provisions must all be checked.

What does the recommendation mean for employers?

If the Government adopts the MAC’s recommendations, employers recruiting for affected roles may face one of three outcomes.

1. The role may no longer be sponsorable

If the occupation is medium-skilled and is not included on the TSL, the Immigration Salary List or another relevant exception, a new overseas worker may not qualify for the Skilled Worker route.

That could affect recruitment pipelines, offers already made and workforce plans extending into 2027.

2. The role may need to be reconsidered under another immigration route

Depending on the business and role, alternatives could include:

• A higher-skilled Skilled Worker occupation code, where the actual duties genuinely meet that code
• The Global Talent route for qualifying individuals
• The Scale-up route, where the employer and worker meet the requirements
• The Graduate route for workers already in the UK
• The UK Expansion Worker route in appropriate expansion scenarios
• Other temporary work routes for limited engagements

However, employers must not simply select a different occupation code because it appears more convenient. The proposed code must accurately reflect the role’s duties, skill level and reporting structure. Misclassification can create visa refusal risks and sponsor compliance concerns.

3. Existing workers may be treated differently from new recruits

The MAC Stage 2 report primarily concerns future TSL access. It does not itself determine all transitional arrangements for people already sponsored in affected occupations.

Employers should wait for the Immigration Rules and Home Office guidance before assuming that an existing worker will lose permission or be unable to extend. The position may differ depending on the worker’s current immigration status, date of sponsorship, continuous residence and proposed change of employment.

Government decision timeline

The MAC’s recommendations are advisory. The Home Office may accept them, modify them or reach a different conclusion.

The immediate fixed date is 31 December 2026, when the current interim TSL is due to expire. Any replacement list and transitional provisions should be published before then if the Government intends the new arrangements to operate from 1 January 2027.

If accepted, the MAC expects the 28 occupations to have access until 30 June 2028. It has suggested that updated Jobs Plans could be reviewed in late 2027, with further recommendations in early 2028.

There is currently no confirmed Government timetable beyond the need to address the expiry of the interim list.

Practical steps for Skilled Worker sponsors now

Employers should consider the following actions before the Government confirms the final position.

Audit sponsored roles and recruitment pipelines

Create a list of:

• Current sponsored workers in TSL occupations
• Certificates of Sponsorship not yet used
• Candidates who have received offers
• Vacancies expected to require overseas recruitment in 2027
• Roles currently described using broad or potentially interchangeable occupation codes

Check each occupation code carefully

Do not rely on job titles alone. Compare the proposed occupation code with the actual duties, essential skills, salary and organisational structure.

The CASCOT occupation coding tool and the official eligible occupation tables can assist, but complex cases should be reviewed professionally.

Model salary exposure

For roles remaining on the proposed list, check:

• The standard going rate
• Whether the £41,700 general threshold applies
• Whether a valid salary reduction applies
• Whether the role is eligible for any transitional lower rate
• Whether salary increases may be required when rules change

Prepare a contingency recruitment strategy

For roles at risk of removal, consider whether the business can:

• Recruit and train from the domestic workforce
• Use a qualifying in-country candidate
• Restructure duties without artificially changing the occupation code
• Use a different immigration route
• Bring forward a compliant application where appropriate under the current rules

A rushed application is not necessarily a safe application. Sponsorship must still satisfy the genuine vacancy, salary, skill and compliance requirements.

Review sponsor licence compliance

The Home Office is increasing scrutiny of sponsors. Employers should ensure that personnel records, right-to-work checks, reporting processes, contact details and payroll records are accurate and up to date.

How Tyndel Solicitors can help

The proposed reduction of the TSL means that immigration planning should form part of wider workforce planning for employers recruiting internationally.

Tyndel Solicitors advises businesses on sponsor licences, Skilled Worker applications, Certificates of Sponsorship, occupation-code analysis and compliance with changing UK immigration rules. Our immigration team can help you assess whether a role remains eligible, identify risks in your recruitment pipeline and consider compliant alternatives.

This article reflects the position available on 2 September 2026. The MAC recommendations are not yet final law, and the Immigration Rules and Home Office guidance should be checked before action is taken.

For advice from experienced immigration solicitors in the UK on Skilled Worker sponsorship and workforce planning, contact Tyndel Solicitors today.