Skilled Worker · Immigration Salary List

Immigration Salary List 2026: the discounted threshold for hard-to-fill roles.

Direct answer

The Immigration Salary List (ISL) is the Home Office's list of occupations where UK employers can sponsor a Skilled Worker on a discounted salary. Where the role has a SOC code on the ISL, the minimum salary drops to £33,400 per year (£17.13 per hour) instead of the standard £41,700 — and the going-rate requirement is reduced to 80% of the published going rate for that occupation. The ISL replaced the Shortage Occupation List in April 2024. For an SME sponsor in care, fisheries, science, or a small number of trade occupations, this discount is often the difference between sponsorship being commercially viable and not.

Who this applies to: UK employers sponsoring or planning to sponsor a worker on the Skilled Worker route in a role that may be on the Immigration Salary List — care, fisheries, science and research, certain trade occupations, and a small number of other shortage roles.

Regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority

The headline

What the ISL discount actually gets you.

The ISL discount has two parts. Both apply when the SOC code is on the list. Both make sponsorship cheaper to operate — and crucially, both make sponsorship feasible for roles that would otherwise sit below the standard salary floor.

→General threshold: £33,400 per year (£17.13 per hour) — instead of the standard £41,700 Skilled Worker threshold

→Going-rate discount: minimum salary is 80% of the published going rate for the SOC code — instead of 100%

→The applicable salary remains the higher of (a) the discounted threshold £33,400 or (b) 80% of the going rate. For some ISL occupations the discounted going rate is higher than £33,400 and applies; for others the £33,400 floor applies.

→The £33,400 figure is the most common discounted rate — for a small number of ISL SOC codes the specific minimum is different. Always verify the rate for the exact SOC code before assignment.

→ISL applies to the Skilled Worker route only — not to other visa routes

Standard vs ISL

ISL discount at a glance.

Standard Skilled Worker threshold

The headline minimum salary for Skilled Worker sponsorship in 2026. Applies whether or not the SOC code is on any list.

£41,700 / yr

ISL discounted threshold

£17.13 per hour. The lower threshold available where the role's SOC code is on the Immigration Salary List.

£33,400 / yr

Standard going-rate requirement

Worker must be paid at least the published going rate for the SOC code.

100% of going rate

ISL discounted going-rate requirement

Worker must be paid at least 80% of the published going rate for the SOC code.

80% of going rate

Salary actually paid

Whichever of the two ISL rules produces the higher figure for the specific SOC code.

Higher of £33,400 or 80% × going rate

Figures verified against the Skilled Worker visa Immigration Salary List published on gov.uk and last updated 11 November 2025. Always check the current published figure for the exact SOC code before any CoS assignment.

The SOC codes on the current ISL

Which occupations qualify for the discount.

The Immigration Salary List is short by design. The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) reviews it periodically and recommends additions or removals to the Home Office. As of the November 2025 update, the ISL contains 26 SOC codes — most clustered in care, fisheries, science, and a small number of trade occupations.

→1212 — Managers and proprietors in forestry, fishing and related services

→1232 — Managers and proprietors in health and care services

→2111 — Chemical scientists

→2112 — Biological scientists

→2115 — Natural and social science professionals not elsewhere classified

→2142 — Environmental professionals

→3111 — Laboratory technicians

→3212 — Pharmaceutical technicians

→3411 — Artists

→3414 — Dancers and choreographers

→3415 — Musicians

→3416 — Arts officers, producers and directors

→5119 — Agricultural and fishing trades not elsewhere classified

→5213 — Sheet metal workers

→5235 — Boat and ship builders and repairers

→5312 — Bricklayers and masons

→5313 — Roofers, roof tilers and slaters

→5314 — Plumbers and heating and ventilating installers

→5316 — Carpenters and joiners

→5319 — Construction and building trades not elsewhere classified

→6129 — Animal care services occupations not elsewhere classified

→6131 — Veterinary nurses

→6135 — Pest control officers

→6136 — Care workers and home carers

→9119 — Fishing and other elementary agriculture occupations not elsewhere classified

History

From SOL to ISL — what changed in April 2024.

If your search took you to the 'Shortage Occupation List' rather than the Immigration Salary List, the content is dated. The Shortage Occupation List was retired and replaced by the Immigration Salary List in April 2024, as part of the same package of changes that uplifted the standard Skilled Worker salary threshold.

→Shortage Occupation List retired April 2024 (as part of the broader Skilled Worker salary uplift)

→Immigration Salary List took its place as the discounted-threshold mechanism for Skilled Worker sponsorship

→The discount mechanic changed: the old 20% going-rate discount under the SOL was retained, but the discounted general threshold was set at a specific figure (£33,400) rather than a percentage of the headline rate

→Several occupations were removed from the list at the rename — the ISL is intentionally narrower than the old SOL

→The list is periodically reviewed by the Migration Advisory Committee and adjusted by the Home Office. The current version was last updated 11 November 2025.

Worked example

What the ISL discount means in practice.

Care worker, standard rate

Without ISL, the role would need to be paid at least £41,700 to sponsor — well above many UK care wage bands and not commercially viable for most providers.

Minimum £41,700

Care worker, ISL rate

Care worker (SOC 6136) is on the ISL. The discounted general threshold of £33,400 applies — making sponsorship viable for the role.

Minimum £33,400

Veterinary nurse, standard rate

Without ISL, the role would need to be paid at least £41,700, which exceeds typical UK pay bands for the role.

Minimum £41,700

Veterinary nurse, ISL rate

Veterinary nurse (SOC 6131) is on the ISL. The £33,400 floor applies, plus the 80% going-rate rule, whichever is higher.

Minimum £33,400

Chemical scientist on ISL

Chemical scientist (SOC 2111) — going rate is high, so 80% of the going rate is the figure that actually applies, not the £33,400 floor.

Minimum £33,400 or 80% × going rate

Worked examples for illustration only. The applicable salary for any specific worker is the higher of £33,400 or 80% of the published going rate for that SOC code. Always check both figures against the current going rates table at the time of CoS assignment.

Important limits

What the ISL does NOT do.

The ISL discount is meaningful, but it is also narrower than employers sometimes assume. A small number of common misunderstandings about the ISL show up in our consultations regularly.

→ISL does NOT exempt the worker from the Immigration Skills Charge — the ISC still applies at the standard rate (£480 or £1,320 first year, plus 6-month uplifts)

→ISL does NOT exempt the sponsor from any other Skilled Worker rule — SOC code skill level, English language requirement, genuine vacancy test all still apply

→ISL does NOT count as a different visa route — the worker is still on the Skilled Worker route with the standard rules on switching, dependants, and the 5-year ILR path

→ISL is NOT permanent — the list is reviewed and revised; a SOC code on the ISL today may be removed at the next MAC review

→ISL does NOT apply to GBM routes, the Health and Care worker visa per se, or any non-Skilled-Worker route

→ISL is NOT the same as the new entrant discount or the PhD-level discount — those have their own rules and apply separately

What goes wrong

The five ISL mistakes we see most often.

→Searching 'Shortage Occupation List' and following advice for a list that was retired in April 2024 — including stale discounted rates that no longer apply

→Assuming the ISL discount applies to all care or healthcare roles — only specific SOC codes are on the list, and senior care roles are NOT on it

→Setting salary at the £33,400 floor when the 80% × going rate figure for that SOC code is higher — under-paying against the going rate is a sponsor compliance breach

→Building a sponsorship plan around the ISL discount and not pricing in the risk that the SOC code is removed at the next MAC review

→Treating the ISL discount as ISC relief — it is not. The Immigration Skills Charge still applies at the standard sponsor-size rate.

How Harveys helps

What we do for sponsors using the ISL.

The ISL is one of the parts of UK business immigration where getting the detail right pays directly — both in compliance terms and in commercial terms. We help UK employers verify ISL applicability before they commit, then build the sponsorship around the right SOC code and the right salary structure.

→SOC code review — structured check of whether the role is on the ISL and at what discounted rate

→Sponsor Licence Application — fixed-fee application support for businesses sponsoring on ISL roles, from £1,750 + VAT

→CoS / SMS Desk — per-assignment support including ISL discount calculation and going-rate verification

→Audit-Ready Sponsor Compliance retainer — ongoing compliance, reporting, and going-rate watching as the ISL is revised, from £295/month + VAT

→All work delivered under IAA Level 1 regulation — Regulation No. F202537009

Common questions

Questions employers ask us.

The Immigration Salary List (ISL) is the Home Office's list of occupations where UK employers can sponsor a Skilled Worker visa on a discounted salary. Where the role's SOC code is on the ISL, the minimum salary drops from £41,700 to £33,400 per year (£17.13 per hour), and the going-rate requirement drops from 100% to 80% of the published going rate. The ISL replaced the Shortage Occupation List in April 2024.

£33,400 per year (£17.13 per hour) — the general discounted threshold. The actual minimum for any specific worker is the higher of £33,400 or 80% of the published going rate for the SOC code. For some ISL occupations the 80%-going-rate figure is higher than £33,400 and applies; for others, the £33,400 floor applies.

26 SOC codes as of the November 2025 update, clustered in care (e.g. care workers, vet nurses, animal care), fisheries (boat masters, fishing trades, ship builders), science (chemical, biological, environmental, lab technicians, pharmaceutical technicians), arts (artists, dancers, musicians, arts producers), and a small number of construction trades (bricklayers, roofers, plumbers, carpenters). The full list is published on gov.uk and reviewed periodically.

No — the Shortage Occupation List was retired in April 2024 and replaced by the Immigration Salary List. The ISL is intentionally narrower than the old SOL — several occupations were removed at the rename. If you find older content quoting the Shortage Occupation List, treat it as out of date and check the current ISL on gov.uk before relying on any SOC code being included.

No. The ISL discount applies only to the worker's minimum salary. The Immigration Skills Charge still applies at the standard rate — £480 (small/charity) or £1,320 (medium/large) for the first 12 months, plus £240 or £660 for each additional 6 months. The ISL makes the worker cheaper to employ; it does not reduce your sponsor-side fees.

Yes — but at the standard Skilled Worker salary thresholds (£41,700 or the SOC code going rate, whichever is higher). The ISL is a discounted route, not a gateway to sponsorship. Most UK SME employers sponsor outside the ISL. If your role is close to but not on the ISL, take advice before assuming the role does not qualify — SOC code selection is a judgement call and is sometimes the difference between viability and not.

Related services & resources

IAA

Regulated immigration advice

Harveys Legal is regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority.

Firm Reg No. F202537009. Verify on the IAA register before engagement.

Considering sponsoring a worker on an ISL role? Get the SOC code and salary right before you commit.

Book a consultation. We will check whether the specific role is on the current Immigration Salary List, calculate the applicable minimum salary including both the £33,400 floor and the 80%-of-going-rate figure, and tell you plainly whether the sponsorship is viable at the wage you can offer. Harveys Legal supports immigration applications, sponsor compliance preparation and related legal processes. Final decisions remain with the Home Office or relevant decision-maker.

Book a Consultation →See Skilled Worker sponsorship

Harveys Legal supports immigration applications, sponsor compliance preparation and related legal processes. Final decisions remain with the Home Office or the relevant decision-maker.