The Immigration Salary List is a published schedule of occupations that the UK government has designated for a lower salary floor when sponsoring a Skilled Worker visa. The list was introduced as part of the new points-based immigration system and replaced earlier shortage occupation frameworks.
If your occupation code and job title appear on the Immigration Salary List, the minimum salary you must be paid is 80% of the route's usual minimum rate, which currently translates to approximately for most Skilled Worker roles. This concession applies because the government has identified these occupations as having labour-supply needs or particular strategic value.
£33,400 per year
The full list of eligible occupations is published in the Immigration Rules Appendix Immigration Salary List and in guidance documents on GOV.UK. Employers and applicants should check both the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code and the specific job description to confirm eligibility.
Standard Skilled Worker Salary Thresholds
Before examining which jobs benefit from the Immigration Salary List, it is helpful to understand the baseline salary requirements that apply to all Skilled Worker applicants.
These thresholds apply to the full Skilled Worker route. When an occupation is on the Immigration Salary List, the 80% reduction is calculated against these baseline figures, subject to the absolute floor.
How the 80% Reduction Works
Occupations on the Immigration Salary List benefit from a straightforward discount: your sponsor must pay you 80% of the route's usual minimum rate. In practice, this means:
If the general Skilled Worker threshold is £41,700, the Immigration Salary List minimum becomes approximately £33,400 (80% of £41,700 is £33,360, rounded up).
If the going rate for your specific occupation is higher than £41,700, you must still meet 80% of that going rate—whichever is higher.
Because the absolute minimum salary floor is £25,000 from 9 April 2025, no Skilled Worker may be sponsored below that amount, even with the 80% discount.
For most Immigration Salary List occupations, the £33,400 figure is the effective threshold, provided the going rate for the job does not exceed it once discounted.
Occupations Included on the Immigration Salary List
The Immigration Salary List includes a range of roles across healthcare, education, science, engineering, and other sectors. Each entry in the list specifies:
The SOC code (Standard Occupational Classification).
The job title and description.
Any additional conditions, such as required qualifications or work settings.
Some examples of occupations historically or currently on the list include:
Laboratory technicians in certain scientific research roles.
Senior care workers in adult social care settings.
Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.
Secondary education teaching professionals in selected subjects.
Civil engineers and mechanical engineers.
Biological scientists and biochemists.
The full, authoritative schedule is maintained in the Immigration Rules Appendix Immigration Salary List. Applicants should cross-reference their job offer against the published SOC code and any additional criteria, such as mandatory professional registration or degree-level qualifications.
RQF stands for Regulated Qualifications Framework. An RQF 6 qualification corresponds to bachelor's degree level, meaning the Skilled Worker route now targets graduate-level roles. Previously, the route accepted occupations at RQF 3 (equivalent to A-level).
To manage this transition, the government has put in place temporary arrangements:
These transitional measures mean that certain care workers and other sub-degree occupations can continue to qualify under the Immigration Salary List for a limited period, even though the main Skilled Worker route now requires RQF 6.
This sunset clause reflects the government's intention to use the Immigration Salary List as a temporary intervention, rather than a permanent feature of the immigration system. Employers and prospective applicants should plan accordingly: if your occupation is on the list and you are considering a Skilled Worker application, it is prudent to apply before the December 2026 deadline.
Adult social care roles have an extended arrangement until July 2028 for certain in-country switchers, but new entrants and most other occupations will revert to the full £41,700 threshold—or the applicable going rate—after 31 December 2026.
Going Rates by Occupation Code
Every occupation on the Immigration Salary List has an associated going rate, which is the median or typical salary for that job in the UK labour market. These rates are published by the Home Office and updated periodically.
When you apply under the Immigration Salary List, your sponsor must pay you the higher of:
80% of the general Skilled Worker threshold (approximately £33,400), or
80% of the published going rate for your specific SOC code.
For example:
If your occupation's going rate is £50,000 per year, you must be paid at least 80% of £50,000 = £40,000, even though that exceeds the general Immigration Salary List minimum.
If your occupation's going rate is £40,000, you must be paid at least 80% of £40,000 = £32,000. However, because the absolute floor is £25,000 from 9 April 2025, and the general threshold for Immigration Salary List roles is approximately £33,400, your sponsor would typically offer at least £33,400.
You can find the going rate for your occupation in the Skilled Worker visa guidance on GOV.UK. The Home Office publishes detailed tables that list each SOC code alongside its corresponding rate.
Pro-Rata Salary Adjustments
If you work part-time or on a non-standard contract, your salary may be calculated pro-rata. The Immigration Salary List discount applies to the full-time equivalent salary, and then the part-time adjustment is made.
For example:
Suppose your occupation's going rate is £45,000 per year for a 37.5-hour week, and you are offered 30 hours per week.
Your full-time equivalent salary would be (30 ÷ 37.5) × £45,000 = £36,000.
If your occupation is on the Immigration Salary List, you would need to meet 80% of the going rate: 80% of £45,000 = £36,000.
Your pro-rated offer of £36,000 would therefore satisfy the requirement, provided it also exceeds the absolute £25,000 floor.
The £25,000 absolute minimum floor applies after all adjustments, so no Skilled Worker—even working part-time—may be sponsored at less than £25,000 per year. This rule protects against excessive discounting and ensures a baseline standard of pay.
Health and Care Worker Visa Considerations
The Health and Care Worker visa is a sub-category of the Skilled Worker route, designed for medical professionals taking up eligible roles in the NHS, adult social care, and other health settings. While it shares the same salary framework as the main Skilled Worker visa, there are important interactions with the Immigration Salary List:
Many health and care occupations, including senior care workers and certain nursing roles, have historically appeared on the Immigration Salary List or its predecessors.
If you are applying for a Health and Care Worker visa and your occupation is on the Immigration Salary List, you benefit from both the reduced visa fee (Health and Care visas have lower application and Immigration Health Surcharge costs) and the 80% salary discount. This dual concession is intended to support recruitment into critical health and social-care roles.
How to Check if Your Job Qualifies
To confirm whether your job is on the Immigration Salary List, follow these steps:
Identify your SOC code. Your employer will assign a Standard Occupational Classification code to your role based on the duties you will perform. The Home Office provides a SOC code look-up tool and detailed guidance.
Review any additional conditions. Some occupations on the list have stipulations, such as "must hold professional registration with the relevant UK body" or "role must be in a research-intensive environment." Ensure your job offer meets these conditions.
Confirm the going rate. Look up the published going rate for your SOC code in the Skilled Worker salary guidance. Calculate 80% of that rate and compare it to the £33,400 general Immigration Salary List threshold and the £25,000 absolute floor.
Check your employer's sponsor licence. Your employer must hold a valid Skilled Worker sponsor licence and issue a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) that correctly references the Immigration Salary List and your salary details.
In practice, if your occupation is on either list before 31 December 2026, you can benefit from the 80% salary discount. After that date, the government will determine which occupations—if any—remain eligible for reduced thresholds under a successor framework.
Salary Evidence and Compliance
When your sponsor applies for a Certificate of Sponsorship on your behalf, they must provide evidence that your salary meets or exceeds the applicable threshold. For Immigration Salary List occupations, this means demonstrating:
The total annual salary (including any guaranteed allowances that count toward the threshold).
That the salary is at least 80% of the general Skilled Worker threshold or 80% of the going rate, whichever is higher.
The Home Office may request payslips, employment contracts, or other documentation to verify salary during the visa application process or during compliance audits. Sponsors who pay below the stated threshold risk losing their licence, and applicants may have their visa refused or curtailed.
Other Concessions: When You Can Be Paid Less
The Immigration Salary List is one of several mechanisms that allow a lower salary threshold. Other concessions include:
New entrants. Applicants under 26 years old, those in certain postdoctoral research roles, or those applying for their first Skilled Worker visa after completing a UK degree may qualify for a lower "new entrant" rate. Details are in the Skilled Worker guidance on when you can be paid less.
PhD-level roles. If your job is in a field closely related to your PhD, you may be eligible for a reduced going rate.
Shortage occupation lists. As noted, the Temporary Shortage List runs in parallel to the Immigration Salary List during the transition period.
These concessions can sometimes be combined, but all are subject to the £25,000 absolute floor introduced on 9 April 2025. No Skilled Worker visa may be granted if the annual salary falls below that amount.
Impact of Future Policy Reviews
The UK government periodically commissions the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to review salary thresholds, occupation lists, and labour-market evidence. Recent reviews have led to the transition from the Immigration Salary List to the Temporary Shortage List, the increase in skill level from RQF 3 to RQF 6, and the raising of the absolute minimum floor to £25,000.
Further changes may occur after the December 2026 expiry date. Applicants and sponsors should monitor GOV.UK announcements and subscribe to Home Office updates to stay informed of policy shifts that could affect eligibility, salary thresholds, or the list of qualifying occupations.
Practical Steps for Applicants
If you believe your job is on the Immigration Salary List and you wish to apply for a Skilled Worker visa, take the following steps:
Secure a job offer from a UK employer who holds a valid sponsor licence.
Confirm your SOC code with your employer and verify that it appears on the Immigration Salary List.
Agree a salary that meets or exceeds 80% of the general threshold or 80% of the going rate, and that is above the £25,000 floor.
Request a Certificate of Sponsorship from your employer, ensuring it correctly references the Immigration Salary List and states your salary details.
Apply online for your Skilled Worker visa, pay the visa fee and Immigration Health Surcharge, and book your biometrics appointment.
Provide supporting documents, including your CoS reference number, proof of English language ability (if required), evidence of qualifications, and bank statements showing maintenance funds (if required).
The Home Office typically processes Skilled Worker applications within three weeks if you apply from outside the UK, or eight weeks if you apply from inside the UK. Priority and super-priority services are available for faster decisions.
Key Takeaways
The UK Immigration Salary List allows certain Skilled Worker applicants to qualify at 80% of the standard salary threshold, which is approximately £33,400 for most roles.
You must confirm your SOC code, check the Immigration Rules Appendix Immigration Salary List, and ensure your salary meets the higher of the 80% general threshold or 80% of the occupation-specific going rate.
The Immigration Salary List is a time-limited concession designed to ease recruitment into roles the UK government considers strategically important or facing labour shortages. By offering a lower salary threshold, it opens the Skilled Worker route to a broader range of employers and candidates, provided the occupation qualifies and the application is submitted before the 31 December 2026 expiry.
