How to check if a UK company is a licensed visa sponsor
Search the Home Office register of licensed sponsors for the employer’s legal name, and check its row lists Skilled Worker. A company that isn’t on the register can’t sponsor a Skilled Worker visa.
How to check an employer
- Find the employer’s legal name. Adverts often use a brand or trading name. The legal name is usually in the website footer or privacy policy, or on Companies House.
- Open the register on GOV.UK, download the latest file and search it for a distinctive part of the name (the register may say “Limited” where the advert says “Ltd”).
- Check the town matches, then read the Route column. For a Skilled Worker visa, the row has to include Skilled Worker. A row that lists only Temporary Worker routes (short-term routes such as seasonal or charity work) can’t sponsor a Skilled Worker visa.
Or search the employer on SponsorJobs. We match employers to the register when it updates and show the routes each licence covers.
What the register shows
UK Visas and Immigration publishes the register of licensed sponsors: workers: every organisation licensed to sponsor people on the Worker and Temporary Worker routes, Skilled Worker included. GOV.UK updates it often, usually several times a week. On 4 November 2026 we had 127,716 licensed sponsors from it in our database.
It is a spreadsheet (CSV), one row per licence, with five columns:
| Column | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Organisation Name | The name the licence is held in, usually the legal company name |
| Town/City | Where the licence is registered |
| County | Helps tell apart two employers with the same name |
| Type & Rating | For a Skilled Worker job, look for Worker with an A rating, for example “Worker (A rating)” |
| Route | Which visa routes the licence covers, for example Skilled Worker |
A and B ratings
An A rating lets an employer assign certificates of sponsorship. If the Home Office finds a sponsor isn’t meeting its duties, it can downgrade the licence to a B rating and give it an action plan.
GOV.UK says a B-rated sponsor can’t issue new certificates of sponsorship until it has made improvements. It can still issue them to workers it already employs who want to extend their permission to stay. So a B-rated employer can’t sponsor a new hire. A sponsor that doesn’t complete the action plan loses its licence.
Does a licence mean the job is sponsored?
No. A licence means an employer can sponsor. It decides job by job whether it will, and the role also has to meet the Skilled Worker rules on skill level and salary.
In our study of 202,073 job adverts from licensed sponsors (3 October 2026 to 1 November 2026), 16% ruled sponsorship out for that role. Most said so directly; the rest asked for the right to work or security clearance, which we count as ruling it out. How to tell whether a job offers sponsorship.
What if the company isn’t on the sponsor list?
- It may be listed under another name. Group companies often hold the licence in one legal entity, which may not be the one in the advert. Companies House shows the parent and sister companies; search the register for those names too.
- It may be new. Newly licensed employers appear when the register is next updated. New sponsors this week lists the employers added in the last 7 days.
- It may have lost its licence. Employers whose licence is revoked or surrendered are taken off the register, and a licence may be suspended while the Home Office investigates.
If none of these applies, the employer can’t currently sponsor a Skilled Worker visa. If you’re unsure which company would employ you, the recruiter can tell you which legal entity holds the licence.
What it means for your job search
If the employer has no Skilled Worker licence, the job can’t lead to a Skilled Worker visa, so it’s worth checking before you apply. We only list jobs from employers we’ve matched to the register, and each company page shows its licence routes and, where the Home Office has published it, how many certificates of sponsorship it assigned in past years.
Look up an employer · Jobs that say they sponsor · New sponsors this week
Common questions
Where is the list of UK visa sponsors?
The Home Office publishes it on GOV.UK as the register of licensed sponsors: workers. It is a downloadable file that GOV.UK updates often, usually several times a week.
Does a sponsor licence mean the employer will sponsor me?
No. A licence means the employer can sponsor. It decides for each role, and the job also has to meet the Skilled Worker skill and salary rules.
Can a B-rated sponsor hire me on a Skilled Worker visa?
Not as a new hire. GOV.UK says a B-rated sponsor can’t issue new certificates of sponsorship until it improves, except to workers it already employs who are extending their stay.
Why can’t I find a company I know sponsors?
The licence is often held by a different legal entity in the same group, or under the legal name rather than the brand. Search the register for the parent or sister company names from Companies House.