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The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has opened its call for evidence on the TSL, inviting contributions from employers and stakeholders. In this FAQ, we signpost you to the detail on how to make an impactful contribution.
On 17 October 2025, the MAC published the TSL call for evidence online. For more about this update, read our previous article.
What is the TSL call for evidence?
It's a formal invitation for stakeholders to contribute data and insights. The submissions will help the MAC to confirm which occupations will continue to be included on the TSL, and which occupations should be added or removed.
What are the key dates?
- The call for evidence opened on 17 October 2025. It closes on 2 February 2026.
- The MAC will publish their findings in a report in July 2025.
- Immigration Rules implementing a revised TSL and abolishing the Immigration Salary List are due to be in place by 31 December 2026 at the latest.
How can you contribute?
The open call for evidence states that only two groups are eligible to submit evidence to the MAC using the online form – government organisations and sector representative bodies. Employers with evidence to share on the occupations within scope of stage 2 should respond to the consultation by contacting the relevant sector representatives.
You can find your sector representative listed on tab 2 of the occupation mapping document. If your sector representative isn't listed, contact the MAC at tslsubmissions@mac.gov.uk, who will forward the information.
It may be helpful to coordinate with trade bodies or sector groups first, to make sure that your contribution has impact. More on this below.
What evidence should you contribute?
The goal of any contribution is to highlight the need for an occupation to be placed on the TSL.
The MAC is doing the heavy lifting in terms of quantitative analysis by using national datasets to understand workforce trends across occupations. This includes data on visa usage and trends in employee volumes, job adverts, working hours and earnings. They don't want you to duplicate, and they plan to share their analysis with stakeholders to help guide submissions. At the time of writing, no date for this has been confirmed.
Evidence should be occupation specific and could include:
1. Recruitment and retention challenges
- Internal data on vacancy rates, time-to-hire, and employee turnover
- Evidence of repeated failed recruitment campaigns
- Exit interview insights or staff feedback on retention barriers e.g. on pay, work conditions, or location
2. Skills gaps and training limitations
- Specific skills that are hard to source domestically
- Barriers to upskilling (e.g. cost, time, lack of training providers)
- Examples of training programmes that haven't met demand
3. Regional or sector-specific pressures
- Localised shortages not visible in national datasets
- Sector-specific trends (e.g. seasonal demand, regulatory changes)
- Impact on service delivery or business continuity
4. Workforce planning and job role context
- The strategic importance of the occupation within your organisation or sector
- Forecasts of future workforce needs
- Role descriptions and progression pathways
5. Immigration as a mitigation strategy
- The impact of not having the occupation code on the TSL
- Rationale for addressing the skills gap through the immigration system
- Management of the risk of exploitation in the sector
If you're thinking about making a contribution, we encourage you to read the call for evidence description and documents in full.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
