Immigration Salary List 2026: Is Your Job on It?
Understanding salary requirements is essential for anyone applying for a Skilled Worker visa or approaching ILR. This guide explains the immigration salary list, going rates, and how to find the threshold that applies to your occupation.
- Section
- Skilled Worker Visa
- Reading time
- 8 min
- Last checked
- 2 September 2026
- Source
- The published Immigration Rules and GOV.UK guidance, linked throughout this guide.
- Rowan does not
- Look at your own case, tell you which route to choose, or say what the Home Office will decide. This guide shows the published rules and where to read them.
In short
- Each occupation has a specific going rate based on its SOC code.
- You must meet the higher of the general threshold or your occupation's going rate.
- A job on the Immigration Salary List takes the £33,400 general threshold, not a reduced going rate.
- Going rates and the salary list are updated periodically. Check GOV.UK for current rates.
The immigration salary list identifies occupations with specific salary thresholds for Skilled Worker visas. Each occupation has a going rate based on the SOC code. You must meet the higher of the general salary threshold or the going rate for your occupation. A job on the Immigration Salary List takes the lower general threshold of £33,400, but still has to meet the full going rate for its occupation code.
How Salary Thresholds Work
The Skilled Worker visa has two salary components:
- General salary threshold: A minimum salary that applies to all Skilled Worker visa applications, regardless of occupation.
- Going rate: The minimum salary for your specific occupation, based on the SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) code assigned to your role.
You must meet whichever is higher. The going rates are published on the GOV.UK going rates table.
The Immigration Salary List
The immigration salary list (which replaced the shortage occupation list) identifies occupations where the UK has particular skills shortages. Occupations on this list may benefit from:
- The lower general salary threshold of £33,400 a year, instead of the £41,700 that applies to most Skilled Worker applications
- Lower visa application fees: £628 for up to 3 years and £1,235 for more than 3 years, against £819 and £1,618
- Sponsorship in some occupations below degree level, which the rules otherwise closed to new applicants on 22 July 2025
What being on the list does not do. It does not reduce the going rate. GOV.UK is explicit that a worker sponsored in a job on the list “must still be paid at least the standard going rate” for that job, so the salary has to meet both £33,400 and the full published going rate for the occupation code. A discount of 80% of the going rate existed under the old shortage occupation list and was removed when the Immigration Salary List replaced it in April 2024. Nor does the list exempt a sponsor from the Immigration Skills Charge, which is charged by occupation code and by sponsor size, not by whether the role is on this list.
A worker sponsored in a job that is on the list because it sits below degree level cannot bring a partner or children as dependants.
The list is reviewed by the Migration Advisory Committee and published on GOV.UK.
Finding Your SOC Code
Your SOC code determines your going rate. To find your code:
- Check your certificate of sponsorship, which lists your SOC code
- Search the GOV.UK eligible occupations table by job title
- Ask your employer or HR department
The SOC code must accurately reflect your actual job duties, not just your job title. If the wrong SOC code is used, your visa or ILR application could be affected. Consider using an immigration solicitor if you are unsure.
Impact on ILR Applications
Understanding the full visa costs helps with planning. The salary threshold also applies when you apply for ILR on the Skilled Worker route. At the ILR stage, your salary must meet the current threshold for your occupation. Transitional arrangements may apply if the threshold changed during your qualifying period.
New Entrant Rates
Check your eVisa for your current work conditions.
New entrants (people under 26, in postdoctoral positions, or in professional training, including those on the Skilled Worker visa) may qualify for a reduced going rate. The new entrant discount is typically 70% of the standard going rate. This applies to the visa application but usually not to ILR.
Changes and Updates
Salary requirements and the immigration salary list change regularly. See our 2026 rules changes guide for the latest updates. For employer-side costs, see our hiring overseas workers cost guide.
Questions and answers
What is the immigration salary list?
The Immigration Salary List (which replaced the shortage occupation list in April 2024) names occupations the Migration Advisory Committee has identified as being in shortage. A job on the list takes the lower general salary threshold of £33,400 rather than £41,700, and a lower application fee. It does not reduce the going rate for the occupation: GOV.UK says the worker must still be paid at least the standard going rate.
How do I find the going rate for my occupation?
Going rates are published on GOV.UK in the skilled worker eligible occupations table. Find your occupation by SOC code or job title, and the table shows the minimum salary required. You must meet both the general threshold and the going rate for your specific role.
Does the immigration salary list affect ILR?
A job on the Immigration Salary List takes the lower general threshold of £33,400 rather than £41,700, and the full going rate for the occupation still applies. Every entry on the list carries a date on which it is removed, so the list a person applies under is the one in force on the date of application.
How often is the immigration salary list updated?
The list is reviewed by the Migration Advisory Committee and updated periodically. Changes can happen at any time through Statements of Changes to the Immigration Rules. Check GOV.UK for the current version.
This guide is general information about published immigration rules. It is not advice about an individual application under s.82 Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, and Rowan is not regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority. Immigration rules change several times a year. For advice on a particular situation, contact an adviser authorised by the Immigration Advice Authority or an immigration solicitor. Always check GOV.UK for the authoritative current rules.