Which UK companies sponsor visas? (how to check + examples)

The register of licensed sponsors

The Home Office publishes the full register of licensed sponsors as a free, downloadable list showing each organisation, the routes it can sponsor and its sponsorship rating. It is updated regularly. Any employer that can legally sponsor a Skilled Worker visa must appear on it.

How to check an employer

You can download the register from GOV.UK and search it, or use our free sponsor licence checker, which searches a daily-refreshed copy of the register by company name and shows the licence rating and location. If a company does not appear, it may not hold a licence, may trade under a different legal name, or may have joined or left the register since the last update — always confirm directly with the employer.

What the A and B ratings mean

An A rating is the standard rating: the sponsor is meeting its Home Office compliance duties and can issue new Certificates of Sponsorship. A B rating is a temporary downgrade — the sponsor is on an action plan and may be unable to sponsor new hires until it is restored to an A rating.

A licence is not a promise to sponsor

Being on the register means an employer can sponsor a work visa; it does not mean they are hiring, have a vacancy, or would sponsor any particular role. Sponsorship is always the employer's decision for a specific job. Never pay a fee for sponsorship. To see employers who currently have live sponsored vacancies, browse our board, where every role is tied to an employer on the register.