The Migration Advisory Committee's Stage 1 report on the Temporary Shortage List, updated on 25 March 2026, makes recommendations on the list's design and names occupations to take forward to Stage 2.
Updated 25 March 2026. The report text is dated October 2025.
The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has published its Temporary Shortage List: Stage 1 report. It is the first stage of a review the Home Secretary commissioned on 2 July 2025. The report makes recommendations on the design of the Temporary Shortage List (TSL) and lists occupations for further consideration at Stage 2.
The TSL covers occupations at Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) Levels 3 to 5. The report describes it as time-limited access to the immigration system for occupations judged crucial to the Industrial Strategy or critical infrastructure. Interim arrangements are in place: an expanded Immigration Salary List (ISL) and an interim TSL. Occupations on both have an expiry date of 31 December 2026. The MAC expects its recommendations to be considered and acted on before that date.
Chapter 1 of the report makes these recommendations on design:
- Time on the list: a default of three years for an occupation. The MAC may recommend a shorter period, up to 18 months, where a sector's Jobs Plan lacks detail.
- Visa length: the report says it could be appropriate for visa durations to be between 3 and 5 years. It does not recommend renewals beyond five years if the government decides the TSL should not be a route to settlement.
- Switching: it supports in-country switching to higher-skilled (RQF 6+) roles within the Skilled Worker route.
- English language: a requirement no lower than B1.
The MAC makes no formal recommendations on settlement rights, sponsorship models, fees or cap mechanisms, but sets out considerations for the Home Office. It notes that committee members have differing views on whether a Resident Labour Market Test should be reintroduced. It says the Immigration White Paper and later Immigration Rules changes have ruled out dependants for TSL occupations, so it does not comment on them.
Stage 2 runs to July 2026 and centres on a Call for Evidence. To be considered for the TSL, occupations that proceed to Stage 2 need to be included in Jobs Plans, which set out how a sector will maximise use of the domestic workforce. The MAC will publish its final report in July 2026, with final recommendations on which occupations should be on the TSL.
What this means for applicants
The report contains recommendations. Occupations on the ISL and interim TSL have an expiry date of 31 December 2026. The report states that, unless placed on the TSL (or the updated ISL, which remains until 31 December 2026), RQF 3-5 occupations will no longer have access to the immigration system. Occupations that proceed to Stage 2 need to be included in Jobs Plans to be considered for the TSL.
Related guide
Sources
- Temporary Shortage List: Stage 1 report, Migration Advisory Committee, GOV.UK