UK Immigration Salary List
The UK Immigration Salary List (ISL) replaced the former Shortage Occupation List in April 2024. It is an official appendix to the UK Immigration Rules listing specific SOC 2020 occupation codes where a discounted general salary threshold applies for Skilled Worker or Health and Care Worker sponsorship. Key distinction: the ISL provides only a salary threshold discount (down to ~£25,000 floor), not a discount on the occupation-specific going rate — employers must still meet the full going rate for the role.
Important limitation for the SA nursing wedge: registered nurses and medical professionals using the Health and Care Worker visa do NOT use the ISL. NHS nurses follow Agenda for Change national pay scales, which effectively set the salary floor via band pay points. The ISL primarily benefits non-healthcare sectors where the £41,700 general threshold would otherwise block sponsorship. For the work-abroad intelligence product, monitoring ISL changes is useful as a secondary signal for non-nursing profession-country wedges (e.g., teachers, engineers in private sector).
The Temporary Shortage List (TSL) is a new parallel list being developed for RQF 3-5 mid-skilled occupations with documented long-term shortages. The MAC is reviewing TSL inclusions for a July 2026 report — this is a future signal to monitor. Any RQF 3-5 SA profession that makes it onto the TSL would gain new UK sponsorship access that is currently closed.
Ontology UK Immigration Salary List [relates] Skilled Worker Visa UK Immigration Salary List [regulates] UK Health and Care Worker Visa UK Immigration Salary List [enables_automation] Work Abroad Pathway Intelligence
Validation Notes
- Signal: Occupation-level salary threshold eligibility; changes signal UK immigration policy direction
- Filter value: Non-nursing professions; any TSL additions in July 2026
- Insight value: Early warning on threshold changes; ISL removal dates signal closing windows
- Monitoring approach: Parliament Statements of Changes; Appendix ISL page change detection
- Limitations: Nurses on NHS pay scales don’t use ISL; ISL narrower than old Shortage Occupation List (salary focus only)
Connections
- Skilled Worker Visa — ISL applies to this route, [2025]
- UK Health and Care Worker Visa — nurses use NHS pay scales, not ISL, [2025]