Corporate report

Rapid review of the Immigration Salary List (accessible)

Published 23 February 2024

1. Background

On 4 December 2023, the Home Secretary announced several changes to the immigration system related to the Skilled Worker (SW) route. Subsequently on 17 January 2024 the government commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to carry out a rapid review of the new Immigration Salary List (ISL) and to report by 23 February 2024. This report fulfils that commission. We expect to receive a commission for a full review of the ISL and ask the government to consider the points outlined in this report prior to commission.

Government announcement:

The government announcement on 4 December 2023 (to be implemented from April 2024) includes:

• Shortage Occupation List (SOL) to be replaced with the Immigration Salary List (ISL);
• Abolishing the 20% ‘going rate’ discount, previously a benefit of placing an occupation on the SOL;
• SW route (except Health & Care worker (H&CW) visa):
  • General threshold raised from £26,200 to £38,700. This is an increase from the 25th to 50th percentile (median) of eligible SW occupations alongside an update to the latest nominal wage data (Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE));
  • Raising the occupation-specific thresholds from the 25th percentile to the 50th percentile (median) full-time salary of the occupation for non-H&CW occupations or the national pay scale where applicable; and,
  • For occupations on the ISL, a threshold of either £30,960 or their occupation-specific threshold, whichever is higher.
• H&CW Visa:
  • An exemption recognising the public value and as stated by the government to “continue to bring the healthcare workers that our care sector and NHS need”;
  • General threshold of £29,000 rather than £38,700, which continues to be the 25th percentile of salaries uprated to the latest data;
  • Occupation-specific thresholds set at the 25th percentile or the national pay scale where applicable; and,
  • For occupations on the ISL, a threshold of either £23,200 or their occupation-specific threshold, whichever is higher.

As requested by the Home Secretary in the commissioning letter, we have considered only those occupations currently on the SOL and those which we recommended for inclusion in our 2023 SOL review. This is intended to be an interim measure for the implementation of the new rules announced on 4 December 2023, ahead of a full review of the ISL starting later in the year. We have recommended 21 occupations be included on the ISL, which represents 8% of job roles eligible for the SW route by employment. Previously, approximately 30% of job roles eligible for the SW route were on the SOL.

Following the change in occupation-specific thresholds (previously referred to as going rates) from the 25th percentile to the median full-time salary (for non-H&CW occupations), we will henceforth refer explicitly to the percentile measure (either 25th or 50th) and will use the term occupation-specific threshold to refer to the 25th percentile for H&CW occupations and the 50th percentile for non-H&CW occupations. We will no longer use the term ‘going rate’ (see Table 1 below for a summary of the changes).

Table 1. Summary of change in immigration rules related to the SOL/ISL

		Non-H&CW occupations	H&CW occupations not on a pay scale (including care workers and senior care workers)	Pay scale occupations
General threshold (minimum salary threshold if not on SOL/ISL)	Current policy	£26,200	£26,200	£20,960
General threshold (minimum salary threshold if not on SOL/ISL)	From April 2024	£38,700	£29,000	£23,200
Minimum general threshold if on SOL/ISL	Current policy	£20,960	£20,960	£20,960
Minimum general threshold if on SOL/ISL	From April 2024	£30,960	£23,200	£23,200
Occupation-specific threshold	Current Policy	25th percentile	25th percentile	National pay scales
Occupation-specific threshold	From April 2024	50th percentile	25th percentile	National pay scales

2. Approach and methodology

2.1 Approach

Due to both the scope and publication timeline the government asked us to meet for this review, we did not undertake stakeholder consultation. We utilised available data and the stakeholder evidence we published in our major reviews of the SOL in 2020 and 2023, allowing us to make recommendations to the government that are as robust as possible in the time available. As part of a more substantive review of the ISL, anticipated to start later in 2024, we intend to carry out extensive stakeholder engagement, including a Call for Evidence (CfE), stakeholder roundtables, and a renewed assessment of labour market conditions and quantitative data against the new salary thresholds.

As set out in the commissioning letter, we only considered the 51 occupations currently on the SOL and the 10 occupations we recently recommended in our 2023 SOL review, 6 of which were already included on the SOL. The main benefit of inclusion on the ISL is an up to 20% reduction on the general thresholds. Roles on the ISL also have marginally reduced visa fees which amounts to a discount of roughly £60 per year. As outlined in our 2023 SOL review, we consider this visa fee reduction a negligible benefit, even more so in the context of increased salary thresholds and the Immigration Health Surcharge. Roles on the H&CW visa already have lower associated visa fees and therefore do not benefit from the ISL visa fee reduction. In line with our approach for our 2023 SOL review, we have focused on recommendations where ISL inclusion may make a material difference i.e. the eligible occupations where the occupation-specific threshold is below the general threshold.

Pay scale occupations do not receive any meaningful benefit from ISL inclusion, as their occupation-specific thresholds are in all cases above the £23,200 general threshold that applies to all pay scale occupations. On that basis, occupations that are on a pay scale have been excluded from the ISL in this review. This does not mean that we do not believe that these occupations are in shortage or that we do not recognise the public value of many of these occupations. Rather, inclusion on the ISL would not help these occupations to use the immigration system any more effectively.

2.2 Methodology

The approach we adopted for this rapid review is outlined below. Our full list of recommendations is on page 10.

Scope and Standard Occupation Classification (SOC) codes:

• There are 55 unique SOC 2010 codes currently on the SOL or that we recommended for inclusion in our October 2023 major SOL review:
  • 45 unique SOC 2010 codes currently on the SOL.
  • 6 unique SOC 2010 codes both currently on the SOL and recommended in our 2023 review.
  • 4 unique SOC 2010 codes recommended in our 2023 review that were previously not on the SOL.
• Converting from SOC 2010 to SOC 2020 this translates to 65 unique SOC 2020 occupations. The Home Office confirmed in the commissioning letter that they will be adopting the SOC 2020 coding system from April 2024, and we have reviewed occupations using this classification.

Pay scale occupations:

• We excluded the 22 pay scale occupations currently on the SOL given the negligible benefit they would receive from inclusion, as explained above, leaving 43 unique SOC 2020 codes.

Occupations that do not benefit from being added to ISL:

• SW (excluding H&CW visa):
  • Of these 43 unique SOC 2020 codes, 35 are eligible for the SW route (excluding H&CW visa).
  • Of these we excluded the 15 unique SOC 2020 codes that have a median salary of above £38,700 (i.e., where their occupation-specific threshold is above the general threshold and therefore would not receive any salary discount from being added to the ISL).
  • For example, electrical engineers (SOC 2020 code 2123) have a median salary of £53,500 (ASHE 2023) and with the abolition of the occupation-specific threshold discount are considerably above the new general threshold of £38,700 and were therefore excluded.
  • This results in 20 unique SOC 2020 codes for review which are eligible for the SW route (excluding H&CW visa), i.e., that have a median salary of below the general threshold of £38,700.
• H&CW Visa:
  • We considered non-pay scale occupations only.
  • Of the 9 non-pay scale occupations, we excluded the 5 unique SOC 2020 codes that have a 25th percentile of above £29,000 (again, where the occupation-specific threshold is above the general threshold for H&CW visa occupations) and so gain no meaningful benefit from ISL inclusion.
  • This results in 4 unique SOC 2020 codes for review that are eligible for the H&CW visa, i.e., that have a 25th percentile of earnings below £29,000.
  • All 4 occupations were recommended for placement on the SOL in our 2023 review.

Occupations that could benefit from being on ISL which we considered:

• SW (excluding H&CW visa):
  • Of the 20 SW (non-H&CW) occupations eligible for review, 13 were not recommended for inclusion on the SOL in our 2023 review. Of these 13, there are 3 occupations which we are not recommending for inclusion on the ISL.
  • The Home Office has confirmed these occupations are eligible for the route and consideration for the ISL as part of the transitional measures, even where they no longer meet the RQF 3+ definition. These include:
    • ‘Agriculture and fishing trades not elsewhere classified – only jobs in the fishing industry’ (SOC 2020 code 5119) and ‘Fishing and other elementary agriculture occupations not elsewhere classified – only deckhands on large fishing vessel (9 metres and above)’ (SOC 2020 code 9119). We continue to stand by our 2023 recommendation as the evidence did not sufficiently justify inclusion and due to the risk of migrant exploitation in these roles as we highlighted in our 2023 SOL review.
    • ‘Plasterers’ (SOC 2020 code 5321). We continue to not recommend inclusion due to a lack of convincing evidence provided by the sector on how they were working to alleviate shortages, as we outlined in our 2023 SOL review.
• We are recommending that the remaining 10 occupations be added to the ISL. Although we did not recommend these occupations for inclusion in our 2023 SOL review the previous system had lower salary thresholds and so these occupations were largely able to use the SW route without SOL inclusion. However, with higher thresholds it will be more challenging for these occupations to use the route without being placed on the ISL in the interim. Therefore, we have recommended including these occupations in this interim period prior to a fuller review.
• The remaining 7 non-H&CW occupations that we recommended for inclusion in our 2023 SOL review, and the 4 H&CW occupations that we recommended for inclusion in 2023 have all been recommended for inclusion on the ISL.

2.3 Examples of occupations under review:

• Clinical psychologists (SOC 2020 code 2225) are a national pay scale occupation and therefore have been excluded from the review as the occupation does not benefit from a salary discount if placed on the ISL. Therefore the benefit of being placed on the ISL is negligible as they would only benefit from slightly lower visa fees under the current system.
• Electrical engineers (SOC 2020 code 2123) have a median salary of £53,500 which is considerably above the new SW general threshold of £38,700 and with the abolition of the going rate discount receives no meaningful benefit and was therefore excluded.
• Boat and ship builders and repairers (SOC 2020 code 5256) has a median salary of £34,100 which is below the SW general threshold of £38,700. As it was previously recommended for the SOL in our 2023 review it has been recommended for inclusion on the ISL.
• Pharmaceutical technicians (SOC 2020 code 3212) are an occupation on the H&CW visa and has a 25th percentile of £23,400 which is below the SW general threshold for H&CW occupations of £29,000. As it was previously recommended for the SOL in our 2023 review it has been recommended for inclusion on the ISL.

3. The role of the Immigration Salary List (ISL)

In our 2023 SOL review, we provided an overview of the role that the SOL plays in the current immigration system. It is a list of occupations where employers face a shortage of suitable labour and where we judge that migration is a sensible response to that shortage. The government will need to consider the benefits and function of the ISL in advance of our full ISL review. For this review we have assumed that the main benefit of inclusion on the ISL is to allow employers to recruit migrants on a salary below the general threshold – with the discount being a maximum of 20%. In this section, we consider the issues around the objectives of the ISL, and the benefits attached to it.

3.1 Purpose and scope of the ISL

Despite the above assumptions, and in order to conduct a thorough full review of the ISL later this year, we require further clarity from the government on what the benefits and longer-term purpose of the ISL will be. Aside from some of the more technical aspects of the ISL, it is important for the government to lay out the role it wants the ISL to play within the wider immigration system. For example, is the primary purpose of the ISL to fill shortages in the short term with overseas labour? Or is the ISL being implemented for a wider purpose, for example, to support government priority sectors and broader government policies or to support sectors where there are broader benefits and spillovers to UK society, independent of shortage considerations? We highlight throughout this section some of our positions and where we require further clarity from the government so that we may perform an informed and comprehensive review of the ISL in due course.

It should be noted that, in our most recent review of the SOL, we referred to what we saw as the diminishing benefits of the SOL, highlighting that it served a relatively minor function in immigration policy and emphasising that the SOL has never served to support other government policies. We also recommended either abolishing or heavily reforming the SOL. We adopted this view in light of several factors, including the removal of both the Resident Labour Market Test and the cap on work visas with the introduction of the current immigration system, as well as the ask from the government to consider excluding occupations where there was a “negligible benefit” of being on the SOL. However, given the uplift in salary thresholds, there is a need for us to revisit our previous recommendations alongside conducting a full review of occupations. We also request that the government specify any further benefits an occupation will receive as a result of being included on the ISL. For example, will occupations placed on the ISL still benefit from slightly lower visa fees? In our 2023 SOL review, we previously stated that we see this as only a negligible benefit and, in isolation, should not warrant justification for placement on the ISL.

We note in the commissioning letter that, alongside the need for immigration to be a sensible response to shortage in a sector, occupations placed on the ISL must also be suitably skilled, as was the case with the SOL. For this reason, we will not consider RQF 1-2 occupations as part of ISL reviews and believe that, given the lower pay generally associated with these occupations, they would struggle to meet even the reduced ISL threshold required to access the SW route. We specify below our justification for including care worker occupations on the ISL in this interim review but will be revisiting this position as part of a fuller ISL review. We intend to follow the SOC 2020 code classifications for occupations skilled at RQF 3 and above for our full review of the ISL. The government should clarify if they would like us to take an alternative approach, providing a rationale for including any lower training requirement roles on the SW route. Given the new level of salary thresholds, we expect that the SW route use will be predominantly for graduate-level occupations as the levels of pay may be out of reach for many RQF 3-5 occupations, except for pay scale occupations and the social care sector which have exemptions.

Under the current system, there is a UK-wide SOL and Devolved Nations (DN) specific SOLs in line with our recommendation in our 2019 SOL review. We recommend that there is both a UK-wide ISL and a specific ISL for each of the Devolved Nations.

3.2 Timing of ISL reviews

Pending clarification from the government on the longer-term purposes and any changes to the benefits of the ISL, we also remain of the view that the ISL should be reviewed in a systematic and scheduled annual basis, with a cycle of major and minor reviews. This was an approach the government previously agreed as part of SOL reviews, although did not happen in practice due to the announced changes in salary thresholds. A regular cycle allows employers to prepare their evidence accordingly and for ISL reviews to be more responsive to the labour market. We propose maintaining the major/minor review cycle (a major review every 3 years with minor reviews the other 2 years). We described our approach in our 2023 SOL review and also reassert our view that the government should uprate salary thresholds each year in line with ASHE data to reflect prevailing labour market conditions. However, if the benefits and the purpose of the ISL significantly change, then a different approach may need to be considered. We would expect the full review planned for 2024 to be a major review.

3.3 Public sector and care workers

We have recommended the continued inclusion of care worker occupations on the ISL and will reassess this position as part of a fuller ISL review. In making care workers eligible in 2022 we recognised the very considerable public benefit that is provided by the social care sector, over and above its economic contribution. However, we remain concerned with the low pay that continues to be embedded further within the sector and we are disappointed that the government have failed to respond to our 2022 review of the adult social care sector almost 2 years after publication.

There is a widening divide occurring as a result of the increasing salary demands placed on the private sector, whilst occupations that are publicly funded receive exemptions from these thresholds. The government appears to be exempting itself from any salary thresholds which would require an increase in pay for publicly funded workers and therefore an increase in funding for these public services. This widening divide poses an increased risk of exploitation for lower-paid occupations, such as care workers, as the gap between salary thresholds for private and publicly funded occupations becomes larger.

Relatedly, jobs within SOC codes that are eligible for the H&CW visa are generally only eligible for the visa if the job is with the NHS, a private provider working for the NHS, or in adult social care. This means that even if a SOC code is eligible for the H&CW visa, which threshold a specific job faces will depend on whether the job is eligible for the H&CW visa. For example, the NHS would be able to pay laboratory technicians (SOC 2020 code 3111) £23,200 or above whilst private sponsors would have to pay laboratory technicians £30,960 or above. This will result in a widening divide between jobs within the same occupation that are publicly funded and those that are in the private sector. This adds extra complexity to the system. We encourage the government to consider this impact of the rule changes.

3.4 Salary discount on ISL

Placement on the ISL will give occupations a 20% discount on the general salary threshold subject to not reducing salaries below the level of the occupation-specific threshold. This raises two important questions. First, because the general threshold has now been redefined for SW non-H&CW occupations to be the median salary of eligible occupations rather than the 25th percentile, this will mean that for many occupations, particularly at the RQF3-5 level, even the ISL-reduced threshold will be above the salaries paid for the vast majority of workers in that occupation. For example, veterinary nurses (SOC 2020 code 3240), which are not on a national pay scale, have a median salary of £24,400 and therefore, even if placed on the ISL, would struggle to use the SW route given the ISL threshold would be £30,960. The new general threshold in effect will mean that the SW route becomes unavailable for many occupations.

Second, we recommended the abolition of the going rate discount in our 2023 SOL review because we were concerned that allowing employers to pay below the 25th percentile of salaries in an occupation could lead to undercutting of domestic workers and exploitation of migrants. Whilst the government have accepted this recommendation, they have at the same time redefined the occupation-specific threshold to be the 50th percentile (for non-H&CW occupations). This, however, substantially weakens the rationale for not being able to pay below the occupation-specific threshold – as half of all workers in an occupation earn less than the median and this does not obviously lead to undercutting and exploitation. We encourage the government to consider this impact of the rule’s changes.

Prior to a future commission on the ISL, the government will need to decide on what the appropriate benefits of the ISL should be. We recommend the government ask the MAC to provide advice on what the benefits of the ISL should be. This could be done via a 2-stage process whereby we carry out the necessary analysis and make recommendations to the government on what the benefits of the ISL should be. This needs to be done in advance of a full ISL review (where we review which occupations to include on the ISL) to enable stakeholders to provide evidence with an understanding of the benefits. Following agreement from the government on the benefits, the MAC could carry out a major review of the ISL. It is not feasible to carry out a major review of which occupations to include on the list in advance of agreement of the benefits of the ISL.

3.5 New entrant threshold

The government has announced that, for now, the new entrant discount available for those aged 26 and under will continue. In its current form, this discount provides a 30% discount on the occupation-specific threshold and a 20% discount on the general salary threshold, the higher of which must be paid. Employers may take advantage of the new entrant discount (more than they have historically done) as the increased salary thresholds will make this discount more attractive and for some occupations may be the only way to recruit migrant workers on the SW route. Given the increased incentive to use the discount as a result of higher salary thresholds, we encourage the government to consider this impact of the rule changes on the use of new entrant discount.

3.6 Use of ISL beyond the Skilled Worker route

In our 2023 SOL review, we highlighted 2 areas where the SOL was used in other parts of the immigration system and would need review if the SOL itself was changed.

(a) - Asylum Seekers: Current rules require that asylum seekers who have been granted permission to work can only work in roles on the SOL. We recommended in our 2023 SOL review that, if granted the right to work, asylum seekers should be able to work in any job and failing this any job eligible for the SW route. We question the value of restricting asylum seekers granted the right to work to roles on what will become the ISL. Under the current rules it means that, for example, an asylum seeker with the right to work could do work as a welder but not as a software developer.

(b) - Creative Workers: The Creative Worker (CW) visa currently allows employers to waive a labour market test associated with this visa if the relevant occupation is on the SOL. We recommended removal of this reference to the SOL and to remove the labour market test. We also recommended that the Home Office attached a minimum salary threshold to the CW visa, to ensure there is no economic advantage in using this visa to pay lower salaries compared to the SW route for the same job. This recommendation has become all the more pertinent with the rise in SW salary thresholds and we urge the government to consider the recommendations we have made in this space to help protect both migrant and resident workers.

4. Immigration salary list recommendations

The following SW (non-H&CW) occupations have been recommended for the ISL. These occupations were previously recommended for the SOL in our 2023 review:

Table 2. SW (Non-H&CW) occupations recommended for the ISL that were previously recommended for inclusion on the SOL in our 2023 review

SOC 2010 code	Description	SOC 2020 code	Description	Salary threshold if on ISL	UK wide or Devolved Nation ISL
1213	Managers and proprietors in forestry, fishing and related services – add only “fishing boat masters”	1212	Managers and proprietors in forestry, fishing and related services – add only “fishing boat masters”	£30,960	Scotland only
3111	Laboratory technicians – all jobs (requires 3 years or more experience)	3111	Laboratory technicians – all non-H&CW eligible jobs (requires 3 years or more experience)	£30,960	UK-wide
3217	Pharmaceutical technicians - all jobs	3212	Pharmaceutical technicians – all non-H&CW eligible jobs	£30,960	UK-wide
5236	Boat and ship builders and repairers - all jobs	5235	Boat and ship builders and repairers - all jobs	£34,100	Scotland only
5312	Bricklayers and masons – all jobs	5312	Stonemasons and related trades - all jobs	£32,400	UK-wide
5312	Bricklayers and masons – all jobs	5313	Bricklayers - all jobs	£30,960	UK-wide
5313	Roofers, roof tilers and slaters – all jobs	5314	Roofers, roof tilers and slaters – all jobs	£30,960	UK-wide
5319	Construction and building trades not elsewhere classified – add only “retrofitters”	5319	Construction and building trades not elsewhere classified – add only “retrofitters”	£30,960	UK-wide
6139	Animal care services occupations not elsewhere classified - add only “racing grooms”, “stallion handlers”, “stud grooms”, “stud hands”, “stud handlers” and “work riders”	6129	Animal care services occupations not elsewhere classified - add only “racing grooms”, “stallion handlers”, “stud grooms”, “stud hands”, “stud handlers” and “work riders”	£30,960	UK-wide
6145	Care workers and home carers - private households or individuals (other than sole traders sponsoring someone to work for their business) cannot sponsor Skilled Worker applicants	6135	Care workers and home carers - private households or individuals (other than sole traders sponsoring someone to work for their business) cannot sponsor Skilled Worker applicants in non-H&CW eligible jobs*	£30,960	UK-wide
6146	Senior care workers – all jobs	6136	Senior care workers – all non-H&CW eligible jobs*	£30,960	UK-wide

*Home Office data suggests a very small % (less than 1% of visas granted) of care workers and senior care workers are not eligible for the H&CW visa.

The following non-H&CW occupations have been recommended for the ISL. Under the old salary thresholds, we considered in our 2023 review that they were able to use the SW route without inclusion on the SOL but now would benefit from being on ISL given the higher salary thresholds and there are no clear and obvious reasons to exclude them in the interim:

Table 3. Occupations recommended for the ISL that are not on the H&CW Visa where inclusion is sensible due to increased salary thresholds

SOC 2010 code	Description	SOC 2020 code	Description	Salary threshold if on ISL	UK wide or Devolved Nation ISL
2111	Chemical scientists – only jobs in the nuclear industry	2111	Chemical scientists – only jobs in the nuclear industry	£35,200	Scotland only
2112	Biological scientists and biochemists – all jobs	2112	Biological scientists - all non-H&CW eligible jobs	£37,100	UK-wide
2114	Social and humanities scientists – only archaeologists	2115	Social and humanities scientists – only archaeologists	£36,400	UK-wide
3411	Artists – all jobs	3411	Artists – all jobs	£32,800	UK-wide
3414	Dancers and choreographers – only skilled classical ballet dancers or skilled contemporary dancers who meet the standard required by internationally recognised UK ballet or contemporary dance companies. The company must be endorsed as being internationally recognised by a UK industry body such as the Arts Councils (of England, Scotland or Wales).	3414	Dancers and choreographers – only skilled classical ballet dancers or skilled contemporary dancers who meet the standard required by internationally recognised UK ballet or contemporary dance companies. The company must be endorsed as being internationally recognised by a UK industry body such as the Arts Councils (of England, Scotland or Wales).	£31,200	UK-wide
3415	Musicians – only skilled orchestral musicians who are leaders, principals, sub-principals or numbered string positions, and who meet the standard required by internationally recognised UK orchestras. The orchestra must be a full member of the Association of British Orchestras.	3415	Musicians – only skilled orchestral musicians who are leaders, principals, sub-principals or numbered string positions, and who meet the standard required by internationally recognised UK orchestras. The orchestra must be a full member of the Association of British Orchestras.	£35,300	UK-wide
3416	Arts officers, producers and directors – all jobs	3416	Arts officers, producers and directors – all jobs	£37,500	UK-wide
3421	Graphic designers – all jobs	2142	Graphic and multimedia designers - all jobs	£30,960	UK-wide
5215	Welding trades – only high integrity pipe welders, where the job requires 3 or more years related on-the-job experience. This experience must not have been gained through illegal working.	5213	Welding trades – only high integrity pipe welders, where the job requires 3 or more years related on-the-job experience. This experience must not have been gained through illegal working.	£31,700	UK-wide
5315	Carpenters and joiners – all jobs	5316	Carpenters and joiners – all jobs	£30,960	UK-wide

The following H&CW occupations have been recommended for the ISL:

Table 4. Occupations recommended for the ISL that are eligible for the H&CW Visa and that were previously recommended for inclusion on the SOL in our 2023 review

SOC 2010 code	Description	SOC 2020 code	Description	Salary threshold if on ISL	UK wide or Devolved Nation ISL
3111	Laboratory technicians – all jobs (requires 3 years or more experience)	3111	Laboratory technicians – all H&CW eligible jobs (requires 3 years or more experience)	£23,200	UK-wide
3217	Pharmaceutical technicians - all jobs	3212	Pharmaceutical technicians – all H&CW eligible jobs	£23,400	UK-wide
6145	Care workers and home carers - private households or individuals (other than sole traders sponsoring someone to work for their business) cannot sponsor Skilled Worker applicants	6135	Care workers and home carers - private households or individuals (other than sole traders sponsoring someone to work for their business) cannot sponsor Skilled Worker applicants in H&CW eligible jobs*	£23,200	UK-wide
6146	Senior care workers – all jobs	6136	Senior care workers – all H&CW eligible jobs*	£23,200	UK-wide

*Over 99% of care worker and senior care worker roles were eligible for the H&CW visa according to Home Office data.

The following occupations are not recommended for the ISL as we did not find the evidence submitted to our 2023 SOL review convincing regarding the need for ISL inclusion and we also highlighted a risk of migrant exploitation:

Table 5. Occupations not recommended for the ISL due to risk of migrant exploitation

SOC 2010 code	Description	SOC 2020 code	Description	Area of the UK where previously on SOL or recommended to be on SOL
5119	Agriculture and fishing trades not elsewhere classified – only jobs in the fishing industry	5119	Agriculture and fishing trades not elsewhere classified – only jobs in the fishing industry	UK-wide
9119	Fishing and other elementary agriculture occupations not elsewhere classified – only deckhands on large fishing vessel (9 metres and above). The job must require 3 or more years full-time experience. This experience must not have been gained through illegal working.	9119	Fishing and other elementary agriculture occupations not elsewhere classified – only deckhands on large fishing vessel (9 metres and above). The job must require 3 or more years full-time experience. This experience must not have been gained through illegal working.	UK-wide

The following occupation is not recommended for the ISL as previously submitted evidence on efforts to alleviate shortage was deemed unconvincing:

Table 6. Occupations ineligible for the ISL as the previously submitted evidence on efforts to alleviate shortage was deemed unconvincing

SOC 2010 code	Description	SOC 2020 code	Description	Area of the UK where previously on SOL or recommended to be on SOL
5321	Plasterers – all jobs	5321	Plasterers – all jobs	UK-wide

The following occupations are not recommended for the ISL as they are on a national pay scale. These occupations have an occupation specific threshold (defined by their national pay scales) above the minimum floor of £23,200 and therefore would not receive any salary discount if included on the ISL:

Table 7. Occupations not recommended for the ISL as they are on a national pay scale

SOC 2010 code	Description	SOC 2020 code	Description	Area of the UK where previously on SOL or recommended to be on SOL
2211	Medical practitioners – all jobs	2211	Generalist medical practitioners - all jobs	UK-wide
2211	Medical practitioners – all jobs	2212	Specialist medical practitioners - all jobs	UK-wide
2212	Psychologists – all jobs	2225	Clinical psychologists - all jobs	UK-wide
2212	Psychologists – all jobs	2226	Other psychologists - all jobs	UK-wide
2213	Pharmacists – all jobs	2251	Pharmacists - all jobs	UK-wide
2217	Medical radiographers – all jobs (including radiotherapy practitioners/technologists)	2254	Medical radiographers – all jobs (including radiotherapy practitioners/technologists)	UK-wide
2219	Health professionals not elsewhere classified – all jobs	2259	Other health professionals not elsewhere classified – all jobs	UK-wide
2221	Physiotherapists – all jobs	2221	Physiotherapists – all jobs	UK-wide
2222	Occupational therapists – all jobs	2222	Occupational therapists – all jobs	UK-wide
2223	Speech and language therapists – all jobs	2223	Speech and language therapists – all jobs	UK-wide
2231	Nurses – all jobs	2232	Registered community nurses - all jobs	UK-wide
2231	Nurses – all jobs	2233	Registered specialist nurses - all jobs	UK-wide
2231	Nurses – all jobs	2234	Registered nurse practitioners - all jobs	UK-wide
2231	Nurses – all jobs	2235	Registered mental health nurses - all jobs	UK-wide
2231	Nurses – all jobs	2236	Registered children’s nurses -all jobs	UK-wide
2231	Nurses – all jobs	2237	Other registered nursing professionals - all jobs	UK-wide
2314	Secondary education teaching professionals – only teachers in maths, physics, science (where an element of physics will be taught), computer science and modern foreign languages	2313	Secondary education teaching professionals – only teachers in maths, physics, science (where an element of physics will be taught), computer science and modern foreign languages	UK-wide
2314	Secondary education teaching professionals – only teachers in Gaelic	2313	Secondary education teaching professionals – only teachers in Gaelic	Scotland only
2315	Primary and nursery education teaching professionals – only Gaelic medium teachers	2314	Primary education teaching professionals - only Gaelic medium teachers	Scotland only
2315	Primary and nursery education teaching professionals – only Gaelic medium teachers	2315	Nursery education teaching professionals - only Gaelic medium teachers	Scotland only
2442	Social workers – all jobs	2461	Social workers - all jobs	UK-wide
3213	Paramedics – all jobs	2255	Paramedics - all jobs	UK-wide
6141	Nursing auxiliaries and assistants – all jobs	6131	Nursing auxiliaries and assistants - all jobs	UK-wide

The following SW non-H&CW occupations are not recommended for the ISL as their occupation-specific threshold (defined by the median salary) is above £38,700 and therefore would not receive any salary discount if they were included on the ISL:

Table 8. Occupations not recommended for the ISL as their median salary is above £38,700

SOC 2010 code	Description	SOC 2020 code	Description	Area of the UK where previously on SOL or recommended to be on SOL
1181	Health services and public health managers and directors – all jobs	1171	Health services and public health managers and directors – all non-H&CW eligible jobs	UK-wide
1242	Residential, day and domiciliary care managers and proprietors – all jobs	1232	Residential, day and domiciliary care managers and proprietors – all non-H&CW eligible jobs	UK-wide
2112	Biological scientists and biochemists – all jobs	2113	Biochemists and biomedical scientists - all non-H&CW eligible jobs	UK-wide
2113	Physical scientists – only the following jobs in the construction-related ground engineering industry: engineering geologist, hydrogeologist, geophysicist.	2114	Physical scientists – only the following eligible jobs in the construction-related ground engineering industry: engineering geologist, hydrogeologist, geophysicist.	UK-wide
2113	Physical scientists – only the following jobs in the oil and gas industry: geophysicist, geoscientist, geologist, geochemist, technical services manager in the decommissioning and waste areas of the nuclear industry, senior resource geologist and staff geologist in the mining sector	2114	Physical scientists – only the following eligible jobs in the oil and gas industry: geophysicist, geoscientist, geologist, geochemist, technical services manager in the decommissioning and waste areas of the nuclear industry, senior resource geologist and staff geologist in the mining sector	UK-wide
2121	Civil engineers – all jobs	2121	Civil engineers – all jobs	UK-wide
2122	Mechanical engineers – all jobs	2122	Mechanical engineers – all jobs	UK-wide
2123	Electrical engineers – all jobs	2123	Electrical engineers – all jobs	UK-wide
2124	Electronics engineers – all jobs	2124	Electronics engineers -all jobs	UK-wide
2126	Design and development engineers – all jobs	2122	Mechanical engineers - all jobs	UK-wide
2126	Design and development engineers – all jobs	2124	Electronics engineers -all jobs	UK-wide
2126	Design and development engineers – all jobs	2129	Engineering professionals not elsewhere classified - all jobs	UK-wide
2127	Production and process engineers – all jobs	2125	Production and process engineers - all jobs	UK-wide
2129	Engineering professionals not elsewhere classified – all jobs	2127	Engineering project managers and project engineers - all jobs	UK-wide
2129	Engineering professionals not elsewhere classified – all jobs	2129	Engineering professionals not elsewhere classified - all jobs	UK-wide
2135	IT business analysts, architects and systems designers – all jobs	2133	IT business analysts, architects and systems designers – all jobs	UK-wide
2136	Programmers and software development professionals – all jobs	2134	Programmers and software development professionals – all jobs	UK-wide
2137	Web design and development professionals – all jobs	2141	Web design professionals - all jobs	UK-wide
2139	Information technology and communications professionals not elsewhere classified – only cyber security specialists	2135	Cyber security professionals - all jobs	UK-wide
2216	Veterinarians – all jobs	2240	Veterinarians – all jobs	UK-wide
2425	Actuaries, economists and statisticians – only bio-informaticians and informaticians	2433	Actuaries, economists and statisticians – only bio-informaticians and informaticians	UK-wide
2431	Architects – all jobs	2451	Architects – all jobs	UK-wide
2461	Quality control and planning engineers – all jobs	2481	Quality control and planning engineers – all jobs	UK-wide

The following H&CW occupations are not recommended for the ISL as their occupation-specific threshold (defined by 25th percentile given they are on the H&CW visa) is above £29,000 and therefore would not receive any salary discount if they were included on the ISL:

Table 9. H&CW visa occupations which are not on a pay scale and are not recommended for the ISL as their 25th percentile salary is above £29,000

SOC 2010 code	Description	SOC 2020 code	Description	Area of the UK where previously on SOL or recommended to be on SOL
1181	Health services and public health managers and directors – all jobs	1171	Health services and public health managers and directors – all H&CW eligible jobs	UK-wide
1242	Residential, day and domiciliary care managers and proprietors – all jobs	1232	Residential, day and domiciliary care managers and proprietors – all H&CW eligible jobs	UK-wide
2112	Biological scientists and biochemists – all jobs	2112	Biological scientists - all H&CW eligible jobs	UK-wide
2112	Biological scientists and biochemists – all jobs	2113	Biochemists and biomedical scientists - all H&CW eligible jobs	UK-wide