What does visa sponsorship mean for a UK job?

How does visa sponsorship work?

Sponsorship involves three parties: the Home Office, the employer and you. The table shows what each one does. Two checks for one particular job are at the end of this page.

You must assign a certificate of sponsorship to each foreign worker you employ. This is an electronic record, not a physical document. Each certificate has its own number which a worker can use to apply for a visa.

What a certificate of sponsorship is

Which jobs can be sponsored on the Skilled Worker visa?

A licence is only part of it. The job itself has to fit the visa route. GOV.UK's Skilled Worker page describes the visa this way:

A Skilled Worker visa allows you to come to or stay in the UK to do an eligible job with an approved employer.

Among the things that page says you must do to qualify:

do a job that’s on the list of eligible occupations

be paid a minimum salary - how much depends on the type of work you do and the date you got your CoS

SOC codes and going rates: finding a job's occupation code and its rate

Who pays for visa sponsorship?

GOV.UK's lines on cost for the Skilled Worker route are below. The first two are written to employers. The rest are written to applicants, and the last one gives the two exceptions to showing savings.

You must pay the certificate of sponsorship fee yourself if you’re sponsoring a: Skilled Worker

Your licence may be revoked if you ask the sponsored worker to pay the fee or any costs linked to your application.

You, your partner or children will each need to: pay the application fee pay the healthcare surcharge for each year of your stay prove you have enough personal savings

You must have at least £1,270 in your bank account to show you can support yourself in the UK.

unless either: you’ve been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months your employer can cover your costs during your first month in the UK, up to £1,270

GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa, how much it costs (current amounts)

Does a sponsor licence mean every job is sponsored?

No. A licence alone does not make a job sponsorable. Among a sponsor's duties, GOV.UK says it must:

only assign certificates of sponsorship to workers when the job is suitable for sponsorship

Our own data shows how often adverts at licensed employers rule sponsorship out. We checked 202,073 job adverts from employers we match to the Home Office sponsor register, posted between 3 October and 1 November 2026. In 16.1% of them, our reading of the advert found wording that rules sponsorship out for that role. By seniority:

Seniority could be read in 147,961 of the 202,073 adverts. The rest are not in this table. These figures describe adverts. They say nothing about visa decisions. An advert that does not mention sponsorship has not ruled it out, and one that welcomes applicants has not promised it. The study explains how we read the adverts and how accurate that reading was.

Our study: how many adverts from licensed sponsors rule sponsorship out

Does sponsorship mean I will get the visa?

A certificate is one step towards a visa. GOV.UK says this to employers directly:

Sponsoring someone does not guarantee that they’ll get a visa to work for you in the UK.

GOV.UK's Skilled Worker page also says:

You must have a confirmed job offer before you apply for your visa.

Can I change jobs on a Skilled Worker visa?

GOV.UK lists when a Skilled Worker needs to update their visa:

You’ll need to apply to update your Skilled Worker or Tier 2 (General) work visa if: you want to change your job and your new job is with a different employer your job changes to a different occupation code, and you’re not in a graduate training programme you leave a job that’s on the immigration salary list for a job that is not on the list

Your new job must meet the eligibility requirements and you’ll need a new certificate of sponsorship to prove this.

Who doesn't need visa sponsorship to work in the UK?

Some people can take a UK job without any sponsorship. GOV.UK gives employers these examples:

You will not need a licence to sponsor certain groups, for example: Irish citizens those with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme those with indefinite leave to remain in the UK

This list is only examples. If you are in the UK now on a temporary visa, such as a Graduate visa, GOV.UK's Graduate visa page says:

You cannot extend your Graduate visa. However, you may be able to switch to a different visa, for example a Skilled Worker visa

Graduate visa to Skilled Worker: how the switch works

How do I check a job I am looking at?

• Is the employer licensed? Search its name on the Home Office register of licensed sponsors. The register lists organisation names, which may not match the brand on an advert.
• Will this job be sponsored? Read the advert's wording. It is an early sign, not a promise, and the guide below shows how to read it.

How to check a UK sponsor licence

Does this job offer visa sponsorship? Reading the advert

SponsorJobs lists jobs at employers we match to the Home Office register and leaves out adverts that rule sponsorship out. The employer still decides each role.

Common questions