The MAC's Stage 2 review of the Temporary Shortage List: Mixed messages for the Arts

The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has published Stage 2 of their report on the Temporary Shortage List (TSL), as commissioned in July 2025 by the Home Secretary. The committee has undertaken a detailed review of 82 occupation groups which are no longer eligible for routine sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route of the Immigration Rules, due to not being sufficiently ‘highly skilled'. 

The Temporary Shortage List serves to provide time-limited access to the Skilled Worker route for occupations, with a focus on roles “deemed necessary to support delivery of the Industrial Strategy or critical infrastructure.”

Two occupation groups which have been considered for the TSL stand out amidst the engineering and construction focused roles; these are 3414 - Dancers and choreographers and 3415 - Musicians. Both these occupation codes are on the Immigration Salary List (ISL), which currently provides a welcome discount to the general salary threshold for Skilled Worker sponsorship. 

In the report, the MAC notes that “Employers are hiring highly skilled individuals into [codes 3414 and 3415] not because of a short-term shortage which could be addressed through Jobs Plans, but rather a long-term strategy of attracting exceptionally talented individuals from across the world. ”  Accordingly, it recommends considering a limited number of roles within these codes for long-term Skilled Worker sponsorship, away from the TSL or ISL. In response, the stakeholders whom the MAC spoke with raised significant concerns regarding this approach, as doing so would remove their access to the discounted salary thresholds, which are understandably crucial to an area with an oft-attacked budget. 

The MAC's response to these concerns, from sector specialists, was to highlight data based on previous successful sponsorship for individuals under these codes. However, this only tells half the story. Whilst talented orchestral musicians with some “major orchestras” may comfortably meet the existing thresholds, it disregards all those who did not receive Certificates of Sponsorship because the orchestras hoping to hire them could not afford to meet the salary thresholds. 

Hopefully this recommendation is just the start of looking at how better to support international talent in these skilled areas, and the MAC singling them out for separate consideration will provide a positive result in the short and long term.

If you are sponsoring or hoping to sponsor talented individuals in these areas, please do get in touch with our Immigration Team for information on how we can provide support.