UK Home Office Sets Eight Conditions for Job Applicants

The UK Home Office has introduced eight requirements for foreign nationals seeking to apply for jobs on its newly created Temporary Shortage List, which includes approximately 70 job types facing worker shortages. These changes were implemented through amendments to the Immigration Rules laid before Parliament under the Starmer Labour government.

To qualify, applicants must have a Certificate of Sponsorship issued before 31 December 2026. The job must be listed on the Temporary Shortage List, and applicants must be sponsored under an eligible SOC 2020 occupation code.

They must also meet one of five salary thresholds: £41,700, £37,500, £33,400, £31,300, or £28,200, depending on the route. Additionally, the applicant must meet the going rate for their specific occupation code.

Specific conditions apply to care workers under SOC 2020 codes 6135 and 6136, including a requirement to have worked for the sponsoring employer for at least three months prior to the Certificate of Sponsorship issuance.