Immigration Salary List

What is the immigration salary list?

The immigration salary list is a list of occupations where reduced skills and salary thresholds apply to visa applications on the Skilled Worker route. Introduced on 4 April 2024, it replaced the previous shortage occupation list.

Since 22 July 2025, along with the temporary shortage list, the immigration salary list has also been used to allow certain medium-skilled occupations that would not usually qualify to access the skilled worker route.

Reduced salary requirements

The list allows UK employers to access a wider talent pool at a reduced salary rate. If a job is included on the immigration salary list, the salary threshold is 80% of the skilled worker route’s usual minimum rate, so £33,400 instead of the usual £41,700.

However, not every job on the immigration salary list can be sponsored at £33,400: if the ‘going rate’ for the role is higher, then the sponsored employee must be paid the going rate.

It is important to note that the annual salaries stated in the immigration salary list are based on a 37.5-hour working week. The salary must be pro-rated for other working patterns, based on weekly working hours.

Different salary rules may apply to some workers in the healthcare or education sectors, as well as some applicants who were first sponsored before April 2024.

Checking which jobs are on the immigration salary list

The immigration salary list is intended to be flexible to allow the government and employers to respond to genuine skill gaps in the UK workforce. The list is regularly reviewed by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), to ensure that the occupations listed align with the labour force needs.

Check to see which jobs are on the immigration salary list in each area of the UK.

Visa application fee discount

Applicants employed in roles on the immigration salary list benefit from a reduced visa fee. The current fee is:

• £628 per person for permission of up to three years; or

• £1,235 per person for permission of more than three years.

Partners and children of the employee may also be entitled to pay a reduced visa fee. Health and Care Worker visa applications already benefit from a separate reduced-fee regime, so Immigration Salary List status does not normally provide any additional fee saving.

Summary

Take care to ensure that you do not state that a job is on the immigration salary list, when it is not. Doing so will result in inconsistencies or mistakes in the visa application, which is likely to lead to complications.