Visa sponsorship jobs in the UK: how to find employers that sponsor

Last reviewed 2026-10-12

Only employers with a Home Office sponsor licence can sponsor a Skilled Worker visa. Check the company on the register of licensed sponsors, then check the job: it must be an eligible occupation and usually pay at least £41,700 or the going rate for that job, whichever is higher. A licence means an employer can sponsor, not that every role is open to sponsorship.

Search the UK register of licensed sponsors

What sponsorship means in the UK

To get a Skilled Worker visa you need a job offer from an employer the Home Office has approved as a sponsor. The employer gives you a certificate of sponsorship (CoS), a reference number with details of the role, and you use it to apply. You must have the confirmed offer before you apply.

Doctors, nurses and people working in health or adult social care may be able to use the Health and Care Worker visa instead, which is cheaper and exempt from the immigration health surcharge.

Step 1: check the employer is licensed

The Home Office publishes every licensed sponsor in the register of licensed sponsors, updated most working days. It lists the organisation’s legal name, town, rating and the routes it can sponsor on. Search it on tailr by company and town, or download it from GOV.UK.

Search a shorter part of the name: the register uses legal names ("Example Holdings Limited"), which can differ from the brand on the advert.
Look for "Skilled Worker" in the route. Entries for other routes, such as Global Business Mobility, cover transfers within a company and seasonal or creative work, not ordinary hires.
An A rating is normal. A B-rated sponsor is on a Home Office action plan and cannot issue new certificates of sponsorship, except to workers it already employs, until it is upgraded.
Old "Tier 2" wording still appears in some entries and adverts; Tier 2 (General) was replaced by the Skilled Worker visa.

Step 2: check the job qualifies

Ask the employer for the job’s 4-digit occupation code and look it up in the eligible occupations table on GOV.UK. "Higher skilled" codes qualify. "Medium skilled" codes qualify only if the job is on the immigration salary list or the temporary shortage list, with some exceptions for people extending a visa they first got before 22 July 2025.

The usual minimum salary is the higher of £41,700 a year or the going rate for the occupation code. Some people can be paid less, but never below £33,400: those under 26, on or recently on a Student or Graduate visa, or in professional training (70% of the going rate), people with a relevant PhD (80% for STEM, 90% otherwise, with a £37,500 floor for non-STEM), and jobs on the immigration salary list. Healthcare and education roles on national pay scales have their own rules.

Read the advert for sponsorship wording

"Visa sponsorship available" or "we can sponsor Skilled Worker visas": apply, and confirm the occupation code and salary early.
"You must have the right to work in the UK": this usually means no sponsorship for this role, even if the employer is licensed. It is still worth asking if you are a strong match.
"Unable to offer sponsorship": take it at face value.
No mention: check the register and the salary. A licensed employer advertising a role above the threshold is worth an application and a direct question.

A search plan that works

Build a target list from the register: your town or region, the Skilled Worker route, and employers in your field.
Cut it to roles where the advertised salary clears £41,700 or the going rate for your occupation code (or the lower rate you qualify for).
Tailor your CV to each advert and state your status plainly, for example "Graduate visa until June 2028, will need Skilled Worker sponsorship".
Raise sponsorship at the first recruiter call, not at the offer stage, and ask for the occupation code.
Keep a record of who confirmed they can sponsor, so you can prioritise follow-ups.

Changing employer or losing your job

To move to a new employer on a Skilled Worker visa, the new employer must give you a new certificate of sponsorship and you must apply to update your visa. If your sponsored job ends, your employer must tell the Home Office, and the Home Office can cut short your permission to stay. Watch for its letter with your new date, and get advice from a regulated immigration adviser straight away.

Make each application count

Sponsoring employers get many applications from abroad, so a generic CV rarely gets through. tailr shows how well you fit each role and the requirements you are not yet covering, and writes a UK CV and cover letter for that posting from your real experience. Paste any job link to start.

Tailor your CV to every UK job in about a minute

See how well you fit each role, what you are missing, and get a resume and cover letter written for that posting.

Try tailr

Common questions

How do I know if a UK company sponsors visas?

Check the Home Office register of licensed sponsors for the company’s legal name and the Skilled Worker route. Then check the advert or ask the recruiter, because a licensed employer may not sponsor every role.

What is the Skilled Worker visa salary threshold?

Usually the higher of £41,700 a year or the going rate for the job’s occupation code. Some applicants, such as people under 26 or switching from a Graduate visa, can be paid less, but not below £33,400.

What does a B rating on the sponsor register mean?

The sponsor is on a Home Office action plan to fix compliance problems. It cannot assign new certificates of sponsorship until the plan is complete.

Can I switch from a Graduate visa to a Skilled Worker visa?

Yes, you can switch from inside the UK once you have an eligible job offer from a licensed sponsor. As a recent Graduate visa holder you may qualify for the lower salary rate.

Is Tier 2 sponsorship the same as Skilled Worker?

Tier 2 (General) was replaced by the Skilled Worker visa. Some adverts and register entries still use the old name.