How to Check If a Company Sponsors Visas

You have found a job listing that looks perfect. The salary is right, the role matches your experience, the company seems great. But will they sponsor your visa? This is the question every international worker in the UK faces, and getting the answer wrong wastes weeks of application effort on companies that will never sponsor.

There are currently 115,846 licensed Skilled Worker sponsors in the UK, of which 115,831 are A-rated. This guide walks through every method for checking whether a UK company can and will sponsor a Skilled Worker visa — from a 10-second database check to what to say in an interview when you need to ask directly.

Step 1: Search on SkilledWorker (10 seconds)

The fastest way to check is to search by company name on SkilledWorker. Our database includes every company on the Home Office sponsor register, enriched with live job data. For each company, you will see:

• Sponsor status: Whether the company is on the register and which routes they are licensed for (Skilled Worker, Health and Care, etc.)
• Rating: A-rated (clean compliance) or B-rated (compliance issues). A-rated is strongly preferred.
• Active jobs: How many current job listings we have found from this company across major job boards
• Sponsorship likelihood: Our algorithm estimates how likely the company is to sponsor based on their hiring volume, job listing language, historical patterns, and rating
• Sponsorship mentions: How many of their active job listings explicitly mention visa sponsorship — the strongest signal that they are open to it

This gives you a complete picture in seconds. If the company shows high likelihood with multiple jobs mentioning sponsorship, you can apply with confidence.

Step 2: Check the Home Office register directly

If you want to verify against the official source, you can download the register:

1. Go to the Register of Licensed Sponsors on gov.uk
2. Download the Worker and Temporary Worker CSV file
3. Open it in Excel or Google Sheets
4. Search (Ctrl+F / Cmd+F) for the company's legal name
5. Check the Route column shows Skilled Worker
6. Check the Rating column for A or B

Important: The register uses legal names, not trading names. Google is listed as Google UK Limited. Deliveroo is Roofoods Limited. Revolut is Revolut Ltd. If you cannot find a company, try partial name searches or look up their legal name on Companies House (find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk).

Step 3: Look for clues in job listings

Job listings often reveal a company's sponsorship stance, even when they do not state it outright. Here is what to look for:

Positive signals

• Visa sponsorship available or We can sponsor a Skilled Worker visa
• We welcome applications from candidates who require sponsorship
• Sponsorship provided for the right candidate
• Skilled Worker visa mentioned anywhere in the listing
• International candidates welcome or We hire globally
• Relocation support available (often implies sponsorship for international candidates)

Negative signals

• No visa sponsorship available or Unable to offer sponsorship
• You must have the right to work in the UK
• We are unable to sponsor for this role
• Candidates must not require sponsorship now or in the future

Ambiguous signals

• No mention of sponsorship at all — this does not mean they will not sponsor. Many companies simply do not include this information. It is worth applying if you are qualified and the company is on the register.
• Right to work check required — this is a legal obligation for all UK employers and does not indicate anything about sponsorship willingness.

Step 4: Ask during the interview process

If you have applied and reached the interview stage without clarity on sponsorship, you will need to raise the topic. Timing and framing matter.

When to ask

The best time is after the first interview or when the company has expressed interest in your candidacy. Asking too early (in the cover letter or application form) can get you filtered out before they see your skills. Asking too late (after a final offer) can waste everyone's time if they will not sponsor.

Scripts for raising sponsorship

The key is to be matter-of-fact and knowledgeable. Companies are more likely to sponsor when they see you understand the process and can guide them through it. Fear of the unknown is often the real reason companies hesitate.

What to do when the answer is no

If a company on the register says they will not sponsor for your role, here are your options:

• Ask why. Sometimes the no is a blanket HR policy that can be overridden for exceptional candidates or hard-to-fill roles.
• Share cost information. Some companies refuse because they overestimate the cost. The actual employer cost is the CoS fee (£239) and the Immigration Skills Charge (£364-£1,000 per year depending on company size). The sponsor licence fee is already paid if they are on the register.
• Highlight the timeline. Some companies think sponsorship takes months. Once they assign the CoS, the visa process takes 3-8 weeks standard or 5 working days with priority processing.
• Move on efficiently. If the company is firm, focus on the many sponsors who are actively looking for international talent.

What if the company is NOT on the register?

If a company is not on the Home Office register, they cannot currently sponsor. However:

• Any UK employer can apply for a sponsor licence. The process takes approximately 8 weeks and costs £536 (small/charitable sponsors) or £1,476 (medium/large).
• If the company is very interested in hiring you, they may be willing to apply for a licence. This adds 2-4 months to the timeline but is entirely feasible.
• Some immigration law firms offer sponsor licence application services that guide companies through the process.
• Be realistic: a startup with 5 employees may not invest in this unless you are truly the only candidate who can fill the role.

Red flags to watch for

• Company claims to sponsor but is not on the register. Verify independently on SkilledWorker or gov.uk. Scam job offers targeting visa-seekers do exist.
• They ask you to pay for sponsorship costs. While candidates pay for the visa application and Immigration Health Surcharge, the sponsor licence fee, CoS fee, and Immigration Skills Charge are the employer's responsibility. An employer asking you to cover these is a red flag.
• Salary is suspiciously low. If the offered salary is below the going rate for the SOC code, the visa application will be refused. Check using our salary threshold guide.
• B-rated sponsor with no explanation. If the company cannot explain their rating or seems unaware of it, their HR processes may not be robust enough to support your visa long-term.
• Pressure to start immediately. The visa process takes time. A legitimate employer understands this and will not pressure you to start before your visa is granted.

Practical tips

1. Check the register before every application. It takes seconds on SkilledWorker and saves hours of wasted effort on companies that cannot sponsor.
2. Create a shortlist of active sponsors. Use SkilledWorker to filter for A-rated sponsors with high likelihood and focus your applications there.
3. Apply to roles that mention sponsorship first. These are the lowest-friction opportunities.
4. Do not self-select out. If a job listing does not mention sponsorship, and the company is on the register, apply anyway.
5. Be knowledgeable about the process. The more you know about visa sponsorship mechanics (CoS, timelines, costs), the more confident you will sound when discussing it with potential employers.
6. Network strategically. LinkedIn connections at companies on the register can give you insider information on whether the company actively sponsors.
7. Keep records of your checks. Track which companies you have verified, when you checked, and what their status was. The register changes frequently.

Frequently asked questions